As autumn turned to winter, 33 ceremonies for the Tzu Chi New Shoots Scholarship were held across Taiwan, recognizing 9,400 students for their perseverance in education.
Many of the awardees come from families facing illness, separation, or long-term financial strain. Yet in the midst of these pressures, they continue to study diligently, shoulder responsibilities at home, and quietly reshape their own futures. For them, receiving support is not an endpoint, but a beginning—the point at which they can start thinking about how to give back.
The eldest daughter holding a fragile home together
In New Taipei City’s Sanchong District, a first-year university student, Ssu(alias) grew up learning to shoulder the responsibilities of her family.
When her parents divorced when she was in elementary school, her mother brought her and her two sisters from Hsinchu to Sanchong, hoping for a fresh start. Instead, the years that followed were filled with pressure. Over time, her mother developed anxiety, phobias, and major depression. Unable to work, she relied on government benefits and assistance from Tzu Chi to keep the household afloat.
As the eldest child, Ssu understood early that her mother and sisters needed her. After school, she would prepare meals, clean the house, look after her younger sisters, and help them with homework. This became her daily routine for years.
Her mother shared that her daughter speaks little but acts a lot. No matter how difficult life becomes, she does not complain and takes responsibility quietly. For a mother struggling to cope with her own illness, this reliability is a source of deep comfort; she feels that without her eldest child, the family might not have endured.
Despite the demands at home, Ssu has never allowed her grades to slip. From her second year in high school, she received a “Learning Excellence Award” for three consecutive years. Now at university, she stays fully focused in every class, knowing that once school ends, she returns to caregiving and housework.
Tzu Chi volunteer Hsiu‑Wu Li (李秀鵞), who has accompanied the family for many years, has seen this pattern up close. Teachers describe the young woman as attentive and proactive, someone who even helps classmates with their questions. At home, she seamlessly transitions into being her mother’s main helper. Volunteers feel both admiration and concern; at an age when many peers focus only on themselves, she is already carrying the weight of a household.
At the October 25 New Shoots Scholarship ceremony at Sanchong Jing Si Hall, Ssu walked onto the stage with a shy but steady smile to receive her certificate. She expressed her thanks to Tzu Chi and all who have helped her family, and said she wants to turn that love into strength—to study well and contribute to society in the future.
She has already planned how to use the scholarship funding: buying textbooks, paying certification exam fees, and covering transport and meal costs, in order to reduce her mother’s burden.
Studying hard as a way to repay a mother’s sacrifice
In central Taiwan, another new university student, Wei (alias), received a New Shoots “Progress Award” this year.
As a single parent, his mother raised him and his brother. Each day, she woke up at 3 a.m. to work in a school kitchen, bringing the boys along to sleep in a corner until it was time for them to go to class. In the evenings, she made dumplings at home to supplement the family income, with Wei helping by her side.
Tzu Chi volunteers from Chiayi began caring for the family in 2013, encouraging Wei's mother to stand on her own. Three years ago, she started a small eatery, gradually building up her own business. Over these years, volunteer Lin Hui‑Min (林惠民) often saw Wei helping in the shop after school, squeezing in homework whenever he could.
His hard work paid off. He was admitted to a national senior high school and graduated third in his class, proving that poverty did not define his academic potential.
Some words from his school days stayed with him. During elementary school runs on the track, a teacher told him, “Just hold on a little longer, and you’ll reach the finish line.” He treated this like a motto. In junior high, his homeroom and English teachers reinforced another idea: studying is a chance to change one’s life. Those simple statements gave him the courage to believe his efforts could lead to a different future.
He still remembers his first encounter with Tzu Chi—volunteers bringing vegetarian snacks and festive gifts. That year, he received the New Shoots “Perfect Attendance Award.” Now, as a university freshman, he has set new goals: no lateness, no early departures, no casual absences, and a place among the top ten students in his department.
His mother is proud of his maturity. For her birthday, he writes cards by hand; when he makes mistakes, he also writes to apologize. He does not talk much, she said, but expresses sincerity through action.
For his part, Wei is keenly aware of his mother’s hardship. He sees doing well in school as his way of repaying her. He also remembers her constant reminder: they are currently receiving help, so when they are able, they must give back. In the future, he wants to donate and give blood as his way of continuing the cycle of care.
His wish is simple: to improve life for his family and, one day, to help others in the same way he has been supported.
From “rebellious youth” to a pillar for his grandmother
In Penghu, Cheng (alias) is a young man who grew up under his grandmother’s care and guidance from Tzu Chi volunteers. In his younger, more impulsive years, volunteers often visited and spoke with him patiently, consistently encouraging him to value his education and inviting him to join activities.
In high school, he helped at a Tzu Chi summer camp as a scorekeeper. Later, as a university student, he served as a study companion in an after‑school tutoring program, supporting younger children with their homework and daily life. Through that experience, he came to better understand the challenges his grandmother had faced raising him, and the persistence it took for her to keep him on track.
At first, his grandmother did not want him to go to university. She hoped he would enlist in the military early and earn a salary to ease the household’s financial pressure. However, through Tzu Chi’s “Assured Schooling Support Program,” he received the support he needed to pursue higher studies.
He is deeply grateful for this opportunity and has promised himself he will work even harder, hoping to become the main support of the family in the future and someone his grandmother can rely on.
A music student finds room to grow
The New Shoots Scholarship is offered to students from elementary through university, with amounts ranging from NT3,000→NT3,000→NT12,000. Among the recipients is Yao‑Yao (alias), a student at a national university’s music department, who has received the scholarship for several years.
She shared that the care from volunteers eased a significant part of her family’s financial pressure. With that help, she could continue learning music without adding as much burden at home.
During summer vacations, she works part‑time to cover her own expenses. The scholarship also helped pay for airfare to a performance in South Korea—a milestone for her development as a musician. She expressed gratitude that this support allowed her to pursue what she loves with peace of mind.
At home, she and her younger siblings follow their mother’s teaching of “immediately giving back.” Each time they receive the scholarship, the three of them each donate ten percent to help others, passing on a portion of what they received.
Ceremonies that ask students to celebrate themselves
New Shoots Scholarship ceremonies are organized with a sense of dignity and care, inviting students to pause and recognize their own efforts.
At the October 24 event held at Banqiao, chartered buses brought students and families from Xindian, Wenshan, Yonghe, Zhonghe, Banqiao, Tucheng, Shulin, and Sanxia districts. They walked through “Peace,” “Health,” and “Wisdom” gates—simple structures built from bamboo—symbolizing blessings for their journey ahead.
Some scholarship recipients also volunteered that day. From early morning, they helped pack small gifts, rehearsed name‑calling on stage, and worked alongside volunteers to welcome other families. Tzu Chi home‑visit volunteer Yi‑Ju Lai (賴怡如) observed the students’ focus and commitment, feeling that they also understood how their small contributions could have an impact on others.
In Taichung, the November 1 ceremony at Taichung Jing Si Hall included a “Central Region New Shoots Youth Development Program School and Department Fair.” Former scholarship recipients put on volunteer vests and spoke with current high school awardees, sharing their own experiences choosing college departments and fields of study.
The Tzu Chi Youth Development Program (慈濟育成計畫), launched in 2020, provides additional funding for young people with special abilities or potential, covering training fees, tutoring, living costs, or accommodation, while also encouraging them to accumulate experience through social service.
That day, 397 students received scholarships, and principals from 14 elementary and junior high schools attended.
Zhi‑Hua Wei (魏志華), principal of Siyi Junior High School, expressed appreciation for volunteers’ long‑term care for students from low‑income families or those with disabilities. He noted that although their family situations are difficult, with steady support, they develop a more positive outlook.
Zhi‑Ming Ko (柯志明), principal of Wenxin Elementary School, also acknowledged that this encouragement helps ensure that children from disadvantaged households do not walk their educational paths alone. He offered his blessings to the New Shoots awardees, hoping they could learn with peace of mind and a sense of assurance.
From receiving help to supporting others
Behind every New Shoots Scholarship is a longer story: years of home visits, listening, encouragement, and the gradual discovery of young people who, despite hardship, keep showing up for school and for their families.
For students like Ssu, Wei, Cheng, and Yao‑Yao, the scholarship is more than financial aid. It is recognition that their efforts matter and that their dreams are worth investing in. Many are already thinking about how to give back—through future donations, blood drives, volunteering, or simply by becoming the stable support their families need.
Their paths remain challenging. Yet each step they take—to study a little longer, to help at home a little more, to serve others when they can—changes the direction of their lives, and, in time, the lives of those around them.
Written by Chun‑Yen Cheng (鄭春燕), Chu‑Ya Yang (楊筑雅), Jui‑Chuan Wang (汪瑞娟), Mei‑Ya Wang (王媺雅), Yi‑Ju Li (李意如), Li‑Yun Chang (張麗雲)
