Westmont Magazine The Westmont Fund Is All About Students
Ivy Chi ’14 says too many of her high school teachers lacked faith in her. But one took an interest in her even though she wasn’t enrolled in any of his classes. Concerned for her well-being, he made sure she had enough to eat and a safe place to hang out and study on campus. “He prayed for me and cared for me as a human being,” she says. His intervention changed Ivy’s life and inspired her to major in liberal studies, minor in history and plan a career in teaching. “I want to let my students know that I care about them and believe in them,” she says. “I want to give them alternatives to joining gangs. I want to be a teacher who changes people’s lives.” A gifted artist, Ivy decided to put art aside as a major and vocation. “When I started tutoring at school and teaching at my church, it energized me,” she says. “I love it.” Born in California to parents who emigrated from South Korea, Ivy is bilingual. Last summer she traveled to Qingdao, China, to work at a rural orphanage run by a Korean missionary. She returns this year for the entire summer to teach English and translate for the short-term volunteers who arrive to assist with the children. She’s also learning Mandarin and hopes to improve her fluency. “Westmont was a culture shock for me because there aren’t a lot of Korean students,” she says. “I grew up in a diverse neighborhood and hadn’t been exposed to a majority white community before. It broadened me. The friends I’ve made have stuck with me and encouraged me, invited me to their homes and been amazing.”
Your gifts to the Westmont Fund give scholars like Ivy the opportunity to make a positive impact in our world for God’s Kingdom. Go to www.westmont.edu/giving to donate and meet other students.
The Westmont Fund: Expanding the ministry of Westmont