TAIPEI (The China Post) — The National Chia-Yi Senior Commercial Vocational School (嘉義高商) celebrated its stunning record of having 69% of graduates admitted into national universities.
Among these students, two of the graduates Hsiao Yi-pin (蕭依蘋) and Tsia Chia-ju (蔡巧如) were admitted into the National Taiwan University (NTU, 國立台灣大學) and National Tsing Hua University (NTHU, 國立清華大學). Their stellar performances were applauded by the school principal who hosted a press conference to congratulate them and praise their achievements.
Hsiao, who is a second-generation Taiwanese was revealed to have lost her father when she was younger. However, she continued to work hard in school and later achieved her goal of getting into the Department of Accounting at NTU.
According to Chinese-language media reports, Hsiao’s mother is a new immigrant from China and her father died of Myocardial Infarction (心肌梗塞) when she was in third grade.
The financial burden of the family fell on her mother who ran a roast delicatessen and did her best in raising Hsiao and her younger brother who suffered from a rare form of disease.
Hsiao, who had always performed well in school was in honors classes for math and sciences when she entered junior high school. When she graduated from junior high, her grades were good enough for her to be accepted into the National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School (嘉義女中). However, due to her family’s economic situation, she gave up on the school and chose to study at the National Chia-Yi Senior Commercial Vocational School for the NT$50,000 scholarship.
In addition to maintaining her studies, she also helps with housework and takes care of her younger brother, while also saving part of the scholarships she received for future university expenses and tuition; the rest she used to subsidize her family, which was greatly appreciated by her mother.
Now, Hsiao has successfully been admitted into NTU, becoming the first student to be accepted into the Accounting Department of the university since the high school’s founding.
She is also the third student to be accepted into NTU in the school, and her accomplishments were met with praise and admiration from all parts of the community, especially her mother, who posted a red notice on the door of her roast shop to share her joy with customers.
Hsiao expressed hopes to successfully obtain an accounting certificate in the future and help more children of new immigrants complete their studies.