Brown Annual Fund

Financial Aid

For Thomas Yim ’15, the recipient of the Kenny and Patty Gaw International Brown Annual Fund Scholarship, financial aid is about more than access to education. He says that by supporting financial aid, Brown Annual Fund donors “are playing a critical role in social change.” Thomas, an International Relations concentrator from Hong Kong, emphasizes the importance of empowering students from all backgrounds with the knowledge and skills necessary to have an impact on society. “Having these different perspectives is very important in that you can put your interests in a wider context and think about what you want to do with your strengths and how you want to benefit society after you graduate.”

Thomas sees activities outside the classroom as an integral part of gaining the skills necessary to create change, “I think the most special thing about Brown is that the students are very well rounded. They don’t just focus on their academics. I want to have a very broad, liberal education, through which I can develop myself holistically, be immersed in a new culture, and do extracurriculars. I think that is the best way to prepare myself for the world.” Thomas has taken on several extracurricular activities including Model United Nations, debate, taekwondo, field hockey, and volunteering at a local youth development organization.

This summer he'll take a hands-on approach to social change by empowering children a world away from College Hill. Thomas and a high school classmate were recently awarded a "Projects for Peace" fellowship to fund the construction of a library in Bangladesh as well as the purchase of books printed in both Bengali and English and two computers with internet service. The partners have developed a curriculum to encourage optimal use of the resources by the students, parents, and the teachers. Thomas will be on-site to facilitate workshops that underscore the importance of learning and the role of education in the development of a society because, in his words, "education is an indispensable way to peace."

Thomas is very grateful to the generous Brown Annual Fund donors who have given him the opportunity to attend Brown. He says that he is motivated to succeed “knowing that my education is funded by other people who have faith in me.” He wants Annual Fund donors to know that “maybe in the very short term you cannot see the impact, but I think what you are doing is [in the long term] very, very impactful.” For his part, Thomas plans to use the opportunity that he has been given to ultimately do “something meaningful that will benefit society.”

Nearly half of all Brown undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. These talented and deserving students depend on you to give them the opportunity to contribute to and participate in a world-class learning environment. Click here to make a gift through the Annual Fund to support financial aid at the University, enabling motivated students from a variety of backgrounds to succeed at Brown and beyond.