Ruo Zhang, who is known by her friends as “Zoe”, grew up hoping that she would someday visit the United States of America, which she had read and seen so much about on television, in movies, books, and magazines. Zoe explained to the audience at the Missouri State University 2011 Endowed Scholarship Dinner, that she had no idea the wish would eventually come true and she would be living and receiving an education in the United States because of the generosity of a stranger.
Zoe grew up in the rural countryside outside Luyang District in Hefei, China. Hefei, which has the population of Detroit, Michigan, is considered a “smaller town” in China, and, until recently, it has been considered under-developed and primarily an agricultural region. Zoe’s parents nurtured a love of learning within her, and she took an early interest in other languages. Zoe notes that for an odd reason she was always drawn towards the English language and that was one of the things that built such a desire within her to someday come to the United States.
After graduating from Hefei No. 1 Senior High School, Zoe knew she wanted to pursue a college degree, preferably as part of a western education program. Her educational aspirations first took her to Dalian, China, nearly 1,200 miles away from Hefei, where she enrolled in Liaoning Normal University as part of the LNU – Missouri State University College of International Business Program.
While studying there, Zoe became aware of the exchange opportunities offered to students that are part of the LNU-MSU partnership. This single exchange sends several hundred students to the Missouri State University Springfield Campus annually, and also provides Springfield students the opportunity to study at LNU. This was the chance Zoe had been hoping for, but she just wasn’t sure it was financially feasible.
Then she came across several donor-funded scholarship options through the Missouri State University Foundation that were available to international students. One of those available awards was the Wilbur Bridges Scholarship for International Students, which is offered to an exceptional international student hoping to study at Missouri State. This award was established in 2008 by Mr. Dejan Dimitrijevic, a 2001 graduate. The award was created in honor of one of Mr. Dimitrijevic’s favorite professors at Missouri State, Dr. Wilbur Bridges, who is now an Emeritus faculty member in the School of Accountancy.
Zoe was awarded the Bridges Scholarship for the 2010-2011 Academic School Year, and it allowed her to continue her educational journey 7,300 miles from home in Springfield, Mo. Zoe explained that the Bridges Scholarship made all the difference, allowing her to come to college in the U.S. and serving as a motivation for strong academic performance. She explained at the 2011 Endowed Scholarship Appreciation Dinner that anytime she gets discouraged, whether it be from late night study sessions or massive class projects, she just thinks, “someone that didn’t know me, believed in me enough to invest their own money in my future. It is inspiring to know that there are people that believe in students from half-a-world away and are willing to support our academic development.”
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