聖地牙哥台大情

I have always had a passion for Taida early graduates. We are a unique group, with so much in common. We
come to the United States to pursue our dreams of education, careers, and life -- courageously conquering a
myriad of challenges through diligence, intelligence, and luck, achieving great success.
As Taida Early Graduates, we share heritage and background. Many of us left Taiwan with little but our hopes
and aspirations. We had to make ends meets, arriving in a new world with few possessions. We worked to
support ourselves. We become independent, leaving family thousands of miles away, exploring a strange,
new world that required endless adjustments to new ways of life, culture and traditions. We were able to
enrich our lives with the tremendous opportunities in the United States -- in education, business, and culture
thanks in no small part to the tremendous preparation we received at Taida. As we gather with fellow Taida
Early Graduates, we see many prominent professionals in areas as diverse as Science, Business, Politics, and
Agriculture - all walks of life - standing out in the United States and worldwide. We experienced a whirlwind
of political change before, during and after our Taida study years which has profoundly affected who we are
and how we view the world around us - past, present, and future. Now as we enter a new phase of our lives,
we share in common a desire to continue our senior years in a happiness, health, and prosperity with our
loved ones.

Because of this shared life path, we are truly a family -- brothers and sisters in our Taida and subsequent
experiences.

Because of my overwhelming positive experiences at previous reunions, when I was asked, I agreed to chair
the 2008 San Diego Reunion. While the previous coordinators related the tremendous amount of work
required to plan and execute a Taida reunion, there is nothing quite like doing it to learn just how much work
there is.

Because of the myriad efforts required to hold a reunion, I would especially like to acknowledge the contributions
of the many people who made this reunion possible. In addition to all the great volunteers in our executive
committee, I am glad we also had younger helpers- Taida graduates currently at UCSD to be Web Master
and Excel spreadsheet recorder, 1964 graduates in charge of the evening program, my two sons for computer
support, volunteers from out of California with many encouragement from for and near, last but not the least,
my vice chair, who is always there. One of the particular challenges arose from the fact that there is not a
San Diego chapter of the Taida graduate association. Yet after some organizational challenges and drama,
here we are at the Taida reunion of 2008 in San Diego! Fellow Taida early graduates, family, and friends:
have a good time and enjoy the beautiful scenery, weather, and many attractions but most of all the greatest
fellowship at Taida 2008 San Diego Reunion.

樂愛芬(Sophie Chien) , Chair-person, 2008 Taida Reunion
San Diego, California
March 2008