Tell us about a professor who inspired you.
Professor Wen-hsin Yeh taught the first Chinese history class I ever took. I was so moved that before I even completed her class, I changed my major to Asian studies. More importantly, she encouraged me to expand my horizons beyond just books, and to study abroad for a year at Beijing University. That experience transformed my personal and professional life.
Years later, I made my first major gift to Berkeley to establish the Huang Scholars Program, which matched students from any major with language study and internship or research opportunities in Greater China. The program provided a stipend for the students, most of whom could not afford such an experience on their own. This time around, Professor Yeh helped me think through how the program could work. Her influence once again gave even more Cal students a chance to expand their experience beyond the Berkeley campus.