The Presidential Education Award recognizes students who overcome difficult circumstances to excel academically. This May, 56 students received the recognition, including four in New Taipei. The mayor of New Taipei reached out to the four students online to congratulate them for the award and to encourage them onward in their studies. Formosa News'' Stephany Yang reports.

Four students in New Taipei City received the Presidential Education Award this year. On Aug. 3, New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih met the students virtually to congratulate them.

Teng Yen-ling, a student at Wu Hua Elementary School, suffers from phagocytosis(fageosytosis) syndrome and Kawasaki disease. She has filmed health education videos to encourage patients at the Foundation for Rare Disorders. She’s also written a picture book to encourage children who have diabetes.

Teng Yen-ling
Wu Hua Elementary School student
I developed diabetes when I was five years old. Of course, life is harder as a sick person than an ordinary one. But through it all, I experienced many things that ordinary people can’t experience. I also experienced happiness and learned gratitude. The mayor ordered 60 copies of my work. Through this picture book, I want more people to see the experience I write about, that of living with diabetes for seven years. The story of my life is in here, and I hope it can be seen by people who are sick and people who are not sick.

Lin Keng-hung, from Wu-Fong Junior High School, discovered he had leukemia in the seventh grade. He’s been receiving treatment for nearly a year now. Even as he fights the disease, he continues to work hard at school.

Lin Keng-hung
Wu-Fong Junior High School student
The Presidential Education Award made me realize that I have to express concern for the people and things around me. I need to care about the issues of our society.

Tu Yu-chun of Juguang Elementary School has a mitochondrial defect, which caused developmental delays. But that hasn’t stopped him from participating in class discussions or volunteering at the library and or in charity work.

Tu Yu-chun
Juguang Elementary School student
The gift I chose was a translation machine, which can help me learn English.

Hou Yu-ih
New Taipei City mayor
As mayor, I’m very happy to see
I am really happy to see that New Taipei City has such students. Facing difficult life experiences, they have never given up, never stopped being in themselves, and never stopped moving forward to a beautiful future. They are our role models.

The Presidential Education Award recognizes students at all levels of education, who overcome adversity to excel academically. This year, a total of 56 students were awarded.