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Where does someone find happiness? Many of us go through our lives seeking
happiness, while sometimes we find it in the most surprising places. A month
ago, Janet Zang and I entered the gates of Tongjiang County Vocational Middle
School. Having lived in a city all my life, I was quite surprised by the
condition of the classrooms in this village. Over 50 students crowded into one
classroom and sat at cramped desks, with paint peeling off the walls and
blackboards faded with age. The faces of the students also bore the marks of a
harsh life. However, looking into their eyes, I could see a great desire to
learn as they recited the lessons together.
After introducing ourselves, we asked the children questions about the English
alphabet, numbers, and greetings. Those who answered the questions correctly
got prizes. When we had some left over, we played a game of musical chairs to
give out the rest. Some of those who didn't win were sad and disappointed. I
told them, "You know, there are some who are luckier than others. But in the
end, what we can be certain of is studying hard and doing what is right. Hard
work is much more powerful than luck."
As we left, the middle school students warmly thanked us and waved goodbye. I
asked the president of the school, "How much could they have gained from just a
one–hour lesson?" He looked at me and said, "Yes, it was just one hour, but for
thse children, it was more than that. One hour, a few minutes... Sometimes, the
little things can influence their entire lives." Where does someone find
happiness? After my trip, I beleive happiness is when we appreciate what we
have, reach out to people, live with hope and share it with others. It's a
lesson I learned well from those children who will forever occupy a special
place in my heart.
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Shanghai Adolescents Science and Technology Innovation Fair was held during
March 25-26 at the No.2 Affiliated High School of China East Normal University.
This year, the fair is focused on 'Saving, Innovation and Development' to
promote not only creativity but also a strong sense of social responsibility
among students. "The young talents are the future of science and technology
innovation, which inspires us to sponsor this program since 2002," said Robin
Martin, General Manager of Intel Products Shanghai in his key note message at
the fair opening. Five Intel employees judged the student projects in the
engineering and computer science categories. "I'm very glad to see that so many
students are so eager to present their works," Danny Din, from IT Flex, said,
"It's a great Event." Winners of this Shanghai fair will compete with other
contestants in the China National fair and Intel International Science and
Engineering Fair (ISEF) in the United States. Intel continuously reinforces its
commitment to education and helps more young talents to take a further step
into the field of science and technology.
In 2006, a group of Intel Zizhu employees volunteered to teach PC skills
to teachers from the Aixin Primary School in Shanghai's Minhang District. They
also donated RMB 14,000 in new books and renovated the school's shabby library.
Every two weeks and often on weekends, the Intel volunteers journeyed to that
distant school of 20 teachers and 800 students from migrant families.
"Some of our teachers have literally never touched a computer before in their
lives. These Intel volunteers are teaching valuable PC skills for free, helping
to bridge a huge digital gap and connect our teachers and their students to the
much bigger world." said Songye Zhang, headmaster of Aixin Primary School.