This morning was an especially memorable morning. It started out with a 6:45 am motorbike ride that led me 40 minutes away from home. Wondering why I was going so far, I arrived at a restaurant called Boomerang, and met Albert Ting for breakfast.
If you don't know the last name Ting, look it up. This family is one of the most amazing and hardworking families and I had the opportunity to meet one of its members. And it was all through the Fay School connections.
This summer, when working at Fay, I asked the school if there were any alumni in Vietnam that I could contact for my upcoming trip. Fay has a very strong web of connections, particularly in Asia. I was lucky enough to be set up to meet Albert Ting, an trustee and alum, who is from Taipei, and has work in Ho Chi Minh City.
I wondered why he had me meet him so far out of the way, but when I began talking to him, I understood why. He and his family helped create the infrastructure of Ho Chi Minh City. Starting many years ago, the Ting family began to create hundreds of jobs, resolve hyperinflation, and even fix the prominent electric problem of the entire city. They created roads, opportunity, constructed buildings, and what I found most impressive, some of Vietnam's leading schools.
Most likely, I sounded absolutely foolish when responding to his story. I had absolutely nothing to say. I was floored by the fact that one family was capable of achieving so much. No, they didn't do it alone, but the leadership and generosity they wielded moved mountains. Ho Chi Minh City would not be the rapidly developing city it is without this family.
One part of what Mr. Ting said to me stuck the most, and to me, was a tribute to both his values and The Fay School. The restaurant we ate at was set over a body of water, shaped like a crescent moon. Everything surrounding us was extremely modern and developed. Describing everything, Mr. Ting talked about his contributions to his surroundings. Then, he pointed to the center of the lake, where the water arched in. There was a big forest in the middle, with a lot of native trees and vegetation. He explained how when developing the area, they wanted to keep that part of the land just like it was from before the development took place. "Vietnamese people tend to forget. We wanted to keep that part so they remember what life was like before all of this came along." I was in awe by his value of remember where you come from, and made me think about his continuous generosity and connections to The Fay School. Remembering where you came from is so valuable, and something that I was reminded of this morning.
I think being able to meet Albert Ting shows both the strength and the values the Fay School holds. Mr. Ting and I are years apart in age, and miles apart in location. Yet somehow, we were able to meet and relate on a level that was so unbelievable and I will value for my whole life. I only hope one day that a Fay student reaches out to me to learn the impact I have had on a community, and if it is even one-one hundredth of the scale of the Ting family, I would be proud.
Mr. Ting invited my abroad class and I to visit his two world-class schools, and I whether I go alone or with my peers, I am so excited to see what he has created for Vietnam. I want to see the light The Fay School shed on the schools as well, as he said that parts of the schools were inspired by Fay. I think that speaks to the school we both attended.
Mr. Ting also gave me a book before I left him. The book contains the steps to building a sustainable and livable city. Essentially, it is the blueprints to everything the Ting family created. This infrastructure and family is used as examples in Harvard Business, and has set a precedent around the world. To say I am still in awe is an understatement.
I will never stop bragging about the connection I have because of Fay. I hope to one day be able to contribute to society in the capacity as the Ting family. My interest in the Ting's achievements is insurmountable; I am so unbelievably grateful of the opportunity I had and I hope to keep this connection for many years to come. This morning was a fantastic morning and the restaurant we went to was out of the way, but worth it because it was right in the middle of all of the Ting family's amazing work.