Gratitude from a graduate-to-be - Saint Martin's University

Gratitude from a
graduate-to-be
by Jonathon Hew Len ’12
I
n November 2011, student Jonathon Hew Len ’12 addressed the audience of the 2011 Saint Martin’s University Gala.
His emotional remarks inspired guests to “raise the paddle” in support of scholarship funds. Even celebrity chef
Mario Batali, after listening intently from the stage, was moved to pledge $15,000. Within minutes of Jonathon’s
speech, more than $150,000 had been raised for Feed-A-Mind Scholarships, breaking the Gala record. Here Jonathon
shares his remarks:
My name is Jonathon Hew Len, and I am a senior at Saint Martin’s, majoring in criminal justice.
For those of you who may not know, I am the student body president here at Saint Martin’s University.
I am joined this evening by some of my fellow Saint Martin’s students, who stand before you,
scattered throughout the audience.
It is an honor and privilege to be here tonight. I have a story to share with you this evening. A story
that, I hope, will express the importance of this event and my gratitude to you all.
I grew up in Hawaii. For most of my life, I was raised — along with my younger sister and brother
— by a single mother. Growing up, I watched my mother do things only Super Woman could do.
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it was out of our reach. Regardless, I applied to many different
universities, and got accepted — but didn’t receive any funds to
help me afford to go to those universities.
There was one university, though, that took a chance on me.
Saint Martin’s offered me enough support to make my attendance
possible. I am so grateful and proud to be a member of the Saint
Martin’s community. My dreams of attending college have been
reached, and never would I have imagined that I would be
speaking before you all tonight. Your donations to scholarships
have given me the opportunity to further my education, the
opportunity to grow as an individual and, most importantly, the
opportunity to help support my family after I graduate.
Words cannot express my gratitude to you all. My three-and-a
half years here have been the best times of my life. In the beginning,
I struggled with school and with taking the initiative to
participate in campus life, but as the years went on, I developed
as a leader and became actively involved — from participating
in clubs, to working in Residence Life, to working up the ranks
in student government and, finally, to becoming student body
president. Saint Martin’s has helped define the man I am today.
So, tonight I would like to thank you all again. You have given
me so much.
Tonight we have among us other scholarship recipients who have
their own story. Each of our stories is different, but we do share
one thing in common: Our stories have led us here to Saint Martin’s
University. A place that we all can call our home.
Lastly, I would like to leave you with a promise: I do not have
the money now, but I know in the future I will be sitting at one
of these tables donating money for scholarships to students and
giving back to a place that gave me a chance. u
She kept a roof over our head, took care of all three of us, worked
while we were at school, picked us up from school, fed us homecooked
meals every day, and still had time to read and tuck all
of us in at night.
Thank you.
From a young age, I realized that my mother couldn’t do everything
on her own, so I tried to help here and there around the
house. As I got older, I realized how important education was. I
began to understand how furthering my education might allow
me to not only help myself, but my family, too. My mother took
care of my siblings and me for 15 years, until her alcoholism
began to profoundly affect our family. She held so much weight
on her shoulders for so long and really could not care for us as
she once did, so my sister and I moved in with my grandmother.
My grandmother supported me and gave me that extra push
I needed to apply myself in school. College was always in my
mind, but I figured I would never get to go because, financially,
Jonathon Hew Len, center, celebrates the 2011 Gala with fellow
students who served as volunteers for the event.
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