One Man's Dream: Luke Lin

Luke Lin Introduction to the Project Luke’s Personal Profile Key Events in Luke’s Volunteerism Testimonials of UWP Students Home My Culture Connect Introduction to MCC The Organization Chart Skype Session Project English Vocabulary Contest English-learning Videos Free English-learning Lessons Home Renshi Academy Introduction to Renshi Academy Experiences and Resources How Renshi Academy Works Renshi English-learning Programs Home Interviews Interview with Luke Interview with Three People Interview with Mr. Tsai Interview with Educators at Jhonghe Interview with Educators at Dahsin Interview with the Abbess of Ming Harng Temple In-depth Interview with Luke Home Wanhe and Luke The Opening Ceremony of Wanhe International Village Making Dreamcathers Reader’s Theater Wanhe’s Charity Sale Home Events and Thoughts about Luke Cyberfair Presentation Luke’s Tree A Teacher’s Thoughts about Luke The Principal’s Thoughts about Luke Home Wanhe Cyberfair Team Team Members Afterthoughts of Team Members Feedback of Students’ Parents Copyright Permission Powerpoint Presentation Narrative Home
	An Interview with Luke

	An Interview with Luke by Chi-lian Hong
	This morning I was happy to go to school because it was the first time we went to Jhutang to interview Mr. Luke Lin. I was in Teacher Winnie’s car. It didn’t take us long to get there. Luke walked to the Kai Tian Temple, where we parked our cars, to take us to his studio. I was very nervous when it was my turn to ask him questions. I told myself to stay calm. Finally, I mustered up my courage and asked him questions. My first question for Luke was: what made him promote English education in rural areas? He said that it had to do with his background. He was born and raised in the countryside. Because of the lack of outside stimuli, he thought he was not a smart student. It was not until he grew up, that he realized that the real problem was the lack of learning opportunities. Now, he hopes to do something to help those who are in the same situation. Luke comes from Taibao, Chiayi. When he was little, he was very shy and introverted. He seldom talked. His personality changed after he went to Chiayi Teachers’ College where there were a lot of new things going on. He started to have a strong interest in the English language. There was one problem, though, with studying English. He didn’t have opportunities to speak it. He decided to look for opportunities himself. Wherever he saw foreigners, he tried to talk to them in English. After many such opportunities to practice, his English began to improve. The more he practiced, the more comfortable he was with the language.

	Luke volunteered to teach English at the Ming Harng Temple. He found that students’ levels varied. He then decided to make videos for students of different levels to watch at home. He also founded My Culture Connect to help more people study English. He said there were two good things about online learning. First, you can study on your own. Second, it takes care of the problem of individual differences. In the future, he would like to share the resources he has made with more elementary schools and help those who are motivated. Luke said, “Language is a wonderful tool.” Because of his good language skills, he was able to help Up with People students when they traveled to Changhua. He helped take care of about one hundred foreign students. I found it amazing! Luke grew up in the countryside, so he knows that students in rural areas don’t have opportunities to interact with the outside world. He has tried hard to help those reach out to the global community and talk to international volunteers. It allows them to see different cultures and learn English. We talked to Luke for a long time and we heard many stories. We took a group photo with him. We said goodbye to him and headed back to school.


	An Interview with Mr. Luke Lin by Hwai-en Chen
	Today we would go to Jhutang to interview Mr. Luke Lin. We got together at the Kai Tian Temple. Luke led us into a small alley, next to a traditional house, and very quickly we were in his studio. Luke has volunteered at our school to set up sessions for us to talk to international volunteers for some time. He was no stranger. When we got ready, we started to ask him questions. Yi-ting was the first person to ask. Once Luke started to answer, he couldn’t stop. It was obvious that he was an enthusiastic and idealistic person. It took him at least 25 minutes to answer a question. Finally it was my turn. I asked him why he quit his teaching job. He said he quit because he was not happy teaching at a school. He said he wanted freedom so that he could pursue his own dreams. Helping others made him a happy person, so he founded My Culture Connect to help kids in rural areas. This was what he wanted to do the most. He enjoyed the process. His motto was: achieving his personal growth by helping others. We said thank you before we left. He walked us to our cars. I feel even though he looks like a gentle person, he possesses great strength. Luke has a lot of dreams and he is a good and principled man.


	One Man’s Dream: Luke Lin