I am Grateful for the Blessings I Can Share
- Date2024.06.04
- 1093
President Ahn Jin-hee of Soroptimist International of Korea (Orchestral Instruments, Graduate of ‘76) has demonstrated Ewha’s spirit of service and sharing by continuing to sponsor Ewha with a donation of more than 100 million won to the EGPP Scholarship for international students at Ewha as well as the Ewha West Campus construction fund.
For more than a decade since the construction of Ewha’s new dormitory in 2014, President Ahn Jin-hee has been involved in almost all of Ewha’s major projects through her donations. As her most memorable contribution, she recalled the EGPP Scholarship, which supported the education of international student Luu, Tran Thuy Tien for four years. She reflected, “Ewha’s God-given beginning was ignited 138 years ago by the prayers and dedication of missionary Mary F. Scranton and countless others. Those who have received their priceless love have a duty to share it with their neighbors across the world. My neighbors, as I have come to know them through Ewha, are women who have been marginalized from education and other rights.”
President Ahn Jin-hee’s interest in women’s education has led her to sponsor various organizations in need. Soroptimist International, whose Korean branch she has led since April 2024, is the world’s largest international volunteer service organization for women, recognized by the United Nations. Ahn, who chartered Soroptimist International of Korea’s Ulsan Taewha Club before taking office, now plans to charter clubs in Gangwon, North Jeolla, and North Chungcheong provinces, in addition to the 43 regions nationwide with existing clubs, with a view to fulfilling her goal of realizing the potential and dreams of girls and women in need.
President Ahn commented, “I personally believe that it is much more meaningful and powerful for small donations from many people to gather together for a cause, compared to one large-scale donation from an individual. For example, a single word of encouragement from a teacher to a student can be a huge turning point in the student’s life. Isn’t it exciting to think that these little acts of kindness can add up to change someone’s entire life?”
Serving as the choir conductor for the early morning service at the Chungdong First Methodist Church every Monday, President Ahn has adopted “Always, Forever, Grateful” as her life’s credo. She described her first connection with Ewha as a miraculous source of gratitude, saying, “Looking back, it’s a prayer subject of immense gratitude that my parents, who were not Christians, sent me and my sisters to middle school, high school, and university at Ewha.” Ahn smiled as she recalled her first encounter with her husband Jeong Young-tae, former CEO of Korea Petrochemical Ind. Co., which also began with a blind date between Ewha Womans University and Seoul National University during her undergraduate years. She expressed gratitude for the family and children that resulted from these fortuitous beginnings.
“Following in the footsteps of my in-laws, who founded seven churches in Korea, I myself have helped to start three churches to date. My two sons and daughters-in-law, who formed their precious families in the faith, have always respected my values. I raised my children with the mindset that the only thing I would pass on to them is a single Bible, and I’m grateful that they also live honestly in faith and conviction without cutting corners.”
As times and society change, learning itself might begin to take new forms on campus, but the values desired of Ewha students remain unchanged. President Ahn remarked, “We are all products of our parents’ hopes and dreams, and I pray that all Ewha students, both past and present, will embrace the teachings of ‘truth, goodness and beauty’ as a steadfast source of pride and a guiding principle in life.”
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