Scholarship Spotlight Spring 2009 - Ohlone College Foundation
Zhong Zhuang
- William Collins Scholarship
“A scholarship will give me the time to participate in volunteer activities that I have found so rewarding.”
I immigrated to America almost two years ago. The reason I am here is to achieve my personal goal – an excellent education.
At first, my career goal was to become an insurance actuary. My mother, as an accountant, helped me have a good sense of managing money. Then I began taking Calculus III and working as a tutor in the Math Department at Ohlone College, which gave me a good understanding of calculating complex numbers and figuring out the implicit relationship between these numbers. These experiences have helped me realize how much I enjoy working with math. But through these and other experiences at Ohlone, I am considering changing my career goal from actuary to teaching.
When I came to America, I left my parents and my hometown where I had lived for 20 years. Since my parents are still living in China, I do not want them to have to financially support me. This means I needed to earn money in order to take care of myself and learn to be independent. Consequently, for two semesters I worked in the Ohlone Child Development Center as work-study student. In my position as a teaching assistant, I helped children develop their motor skills, like folding their blankets and sheets, and social skills, like being friendly and polite to their friends. I think it was a good opportunity for me to learn how to get along with children and how to teach them to behave properly. This semester, I am working as a LAPSI math tutor for an Algebra I class. In the two weekly discussion sessions, I make up quizzes to help students understand each concept more clearly, and I have them play math games so that they are more aware of my personal value.
In order to help more people, I have taken on three volunteer jobs. First, during this past winter break, I volunteered as a teaching assistant in the Ohlone Child Development Center to continue teaching children motor and social skills. Second, I volunteered as an usher in the Smith Center when Voice of London came to perform. Lastly, I am currently a volunteer as a note-taker for a blind student in my Statistics class.
Two years ago I left China with the intention of becoming independent and getting a good education. While studying in the United States, I have combined what I learned from my mother with what I have learned at Ohlone. I have also discovered that I like to help people. This scholarship allows me to concentrate on my studies and reduce the amount of time I need to earn money. More importantly, a scholarship will give me the time to participate in volunteer activities that I have found so rewarding.
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