This student’s incredible hardships helped establish her strong values of hard work and education. We’re thrilled to award Ya Xing Li the 2020 Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disability Scholarship, which she will use to complete her master’s program in accounting at the University of Houston.
Ya Xing Li
Ya is the recipient of our Flora Marie Jenkins Scholarship. She recently earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Houston, and she begins her master’s program there this summer. She plans to obtain her CPA and eventually teach accounting.
For Ya, education is everything. Her father is disabled, and Ya’s mother abandoned her when she was very little. Born with a tumor in her leg, Ya needed medical treatment that her relatives loaned the money for. Throughout the years, Ya has supported her father and herself through hard work and determination.
After her family immigrated to the United States, Ya found herself in a new country with a new language and minimum-wage jobs. She struggled to make ends meet, even sleeping in her car at some points, but, despite the overwhelming challenges, she committed herself to her education. She worked her way up to honors courses and, eventually, admittance to the Honors College at the University of Houston — all while working full time.
For Ya, the scholarship means an education. When she found out she’d won, Ya says, “I almost screamed. I was so surprised and very grateful. I can’t thank Marc Whitehead and Associates enough.”
It was an inspiring teacher, Dr. Carlin, who helped Ya settle on her future path and who has helped her along the way. As Ya wrote in her moving essay, “I admire Dr. Carlin because she eliminated the word ‘impossible’ from my vocabulary.” Ya has found many supportive teachers at the University of Houston who’ve taught her an important lesson: “School is not just to teach you knowledge but also to teach you how to be a better person,” she shares.
Ya knows that her education is the key to her future. “With a degree, I know what will be possible. I think about what’s most important — getting a job is most important — and I think about how I can achieve that,” she says. “Education drives me forward. Having a degree, no one can take that away from you.”
You can learn more about our scholarships and other resources online at College Scholarship.
Terms and Conditions:
Entry materials will not be returned to you. By submitting an entry for the Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disability Scholarship, you acknowledge that if you become a scholarship recipient, Marc Whitehead & Associates will own all rights to publish and promote the submission.
Publicity:
All applicants agree that they consent to the use of their name and city/state of residence, as well to the use of their likeness (as in a photograph) and award information.
Marc Whitehead & Associates’ RIGHT TO MODIFY, SUSPEND OR TERMINATE. In the event Marc Whitehead & Associates is prevented from continuing with the Scholarship Program by any event beyond its reasonable control, then Marc Whitehead & Associates shall have the right in its sole discretion to modify or terminate the Scholarship Program.
