A Thankful Student's Perspective on Giving

Jerry Tsai

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When asked to speak at the May 29 We’re All UC Faculty/Staff Campaign event, 2008 graduate Jerry Tsai was thrilled at the opportunity to take a look back on his academic endeavors and openly acknowledge the positive impact UC faculty and staff had in his success.

As a former homecoming king, former student body president and current president of Sigma Sigma, the political science major has received countless honors and has been relentlessly involved in campus activities. Tsai is one of three recipients of this year’s Presidential Leadership Medal of Excellence- the highest honor available to undergrads- for his exemplary record in academics, leadership, character and service.

After graduating from Marysville High School just outside of Columbus, Tsai remembers how he struggled when it came to choosing a college.  But with a nudge from his parents and the financial assistance of scholarships, Tsai decided on UC.  “With the Cincinnatus Scholarship, UC provided the most financially feasible collegiate choice of all of the schools I applied to,” he said.

Addressing UC faculty and staff at the We’re All UC event, Tsai said, “It is because of the support that many of you provide to this institution through the Faculty/Staff Campaign that some of the nation’s most talented young minds come to UC!”

Tsai believes this support also allows these exceptional students to excel both in and out of the classroom.  Through funds provided during the 2005 faculty/staff campaign, Tsai received the McMicken College Faculty and Staff Scholarship. “This allowed me to focus on how I could contribute to the betterment of UC instead of having to work to pay for tuition, groceries and rent,” he said.

Tsai may one day enroll in law school and will surely flourish in his eventual political career, but first he will head to Las Vegas to serve two years in the Teach for America program, where he will work with low-income students.

“Someone much wiser than me once said there are three ways an individual can give back -- their time, their talents and their treasures. Some may argue that giving back in one or two of those arenas is sufficient, but I would argue that they’re dead wrong,” Tsai emphatically declared. “In order for giving back to be truly impactful, it must be done in all three arenas and that’s one of the reasons that I’ve begun giving monetary gifts to the University, though I have yet to graduate.”

Tsai admits his gifts thus far have been modest, but he says the mere fact that he is participating is more important.  He genuinely believes the 2008 We’re All UC Faculty/Staff Campaign plays a fundamental role in the success of the University and in the lives of its extraordinary students!