David Chung's Final Push
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Greetings, friends and family!
For those of you who do not know me, I am David Chung, a student pursuing a Bachelor of Music Degree in Voice Performance at the Biola University’s Conservatory of Music who is visually impaired. By the grace of God, I will be graduating from Biola University next semester. I thought that studying at this institution of higher learning that I call my home was an impossibility, let alone graduating from Biola, because I am an undocumented student due to no fault of my own. Students who are undocumented have difficulty financing their education because most scholarships are reserved for U.S. Citizens. Moreover, students who are in my situation cannot take out loans; however, God lavished me with His extravagant grace when He provided over $140,000 in scholarships, grants, and countless number of financial gifts from those who are in love with Jesus so that I could study at Biola for the past seven semesters!
As I reflect on my time at Biola, I am so grateful that I have grown as a man, as a singer, and as a disciple whom Jesus loves. For instance, God gave me a wonderful opportunity to live on campus this term. This is the first time in which I am living away from my parents, and I am absolutely loving my experience! I am learning skills that I need to take care of myself at a rapid rate, and there is no better place to learn these independent living skills than at Biola, where people see me as a complete, whole person in Christ. One skill that I have mastered about which I am very proud is doing my own laundry. In the visually impaired and blind community, doing one’s laundry is seen as a nightmare, especially sorting through different colors of clothes. I am thankful that I have had friends who have come along side of me to help me to develop a system that I could use to overcome this challenge. Now, I do my laundry on my own as if it were nothing!
In addition, I have made huge progress in my vocal development. When I first came to study with Professor Richard Zeller, I had an enormous amount of physical tension that I could not release because this is one consequence of being visually impaired. Moreover, although I had a good instrument, I had trouble singing with a free, stage sound. Throughout my studies, I have seen dramatic improvements in both of these areas. For example, Mr. Zeller has given me tools that I can use to determine when my body is tense, when it is relaxed, and he has given me exercises that I can use to experience relaxation. Also, my voice has freed up immensely, which has resulted me being able to sing with power and to soar to the extreme top of my range. Although I still have room to improve, I am thankful that God has allowed me to study with someone who not only has world class technique, but who also lives out the gospel through his life.
Most importantly, I have grown as a disciple of Christ. One class that has had a huge impact on me is my Jesus’ Life and Ministry Class. In this course, I learned the importance of receiving grace from Jesus the servant so that, empowered by His grace, I could fulfill Jesus the king’s demand of holiness. As I have begun to put this concept into practice, the grace of God has enabled me to forgive others, it has set me free from the chains of sin, and His grace has given me new appreciation for His commandments.
To celebrate the completion of my undergraduate studies, I will be giving a senior recital next semester, which will be approximately fifty minutes of music. This recital will be extra special because every piece that I will be singing for this recital will be sacred. In essence, this recital will be a worship service in a concert hall setting. In order for me to perform on that stage, I need your help. I have to raise about $2250 to pay the remainder of my tuition that my scholarships and grants do not cover. In addition, I am attempting to fundraise the cost for room and board as well, which comes out to be approximately $5750. Living on campus again next semester would be a tremendous blessing because I could spend more time building lasting friendships, further develop my independent living skills, and avoid long commutes from home. There are a couple of ways that you can help me. First, please pray that God would enable me to relax and fully trust in his goodness during this process. Second, if you can share this link on your social media platforms and raise awareness of my journey, that would be awesome. Finally, if you feel led to contribute financially, I want to let you know that any amount helps. Because I have seen God provide for me so many times before, I am confident that He will come through for me again and this will be a Christmas gift that I will never forget! Thank you so much for your willingness to walk with me through this process.
Much Love in Christ,
David
For those of you who do not know me, I am David Chung, a student pursuing a Bachelor of Music Degree in Voice Performance at the Biola University’s Conservatory of Music who is visually impaired. By the grace of God, I will be graduating from Biola University next semester. I thought that studying at this institution of higher learning that I call my home was an impossibility, let alone graduating from Biola, because I am an undocumented student due to no fault of my own. Students who are undocumented have difficulty financing their education because most scholarships are reserved for U.S. Citizens. Moreover, students who are in my situation cannot take out loans; however, God lavished me with His extravagant grace when He provided over $140,000 in scholarships, grants, and countless number of financial gifts from those who are in love with Jesus so that I could study at Biola for the past seven semesters!
As I reflect on my time at Biola, I am so grateful that I have grown as a man, as a singer, and as a disciple whom Jesus loves. For instance, God gave me a wonderful opportunity to live on campus this term. This is the first time in which I am living away from my parents, and I am absolutely loving my experience! I am learning skills that I need to take care of myself at a rapid rate, and there is no better place to learn these independent living skills than at Biola, where people see me as a complete, whole person in Christ. One skill that I have mastered about which I am very proud is doing my own laundry. In the visually impaired and blind community, doing one’s laundry is seen as a nightmare, especially sorting through different colors of clothes. I am thankful that I have had friends who have come along side of me to help me to develop a system that I could use to overcome this challenge. Now, I do my laundry on my own as if it were nothing!
In addition, I have made huge progress in my vocal development. When I first came to study with Professor Richard Zeller, I had an enormous amount of physical tension that I could not release because this is one consequence of being visually impaired. Moreover, although I had a good instrument, I had trouble singing with a free, stage sound. Throughout my studies, I have seen dramatic improvements in both of these areas. For example, Mr. Zeller has given me tools that I can use to determine when my body is tense, when it is relaxed, and he has given me exercises that I can use to experience relaxation. Also, my voice has freed up immensely, which has resulted me being able to sing with power and to soar to the extreme top of my range. Although I still have room to improve, I am thankful that God has allowed me to study with someone who not only has world class technique, but who also lives out the gospel through his life.
Most importantly, I have grown as a disciple of Christ. One class that has had a huge impact on me is my Jesus’ Life and Ministry Class. In this course, I learned the importance of receiving grace from Jesus the servant so that, empowered by His grace, I could fulfill Jesus the king’s demand of holiness. As I have begun to put this concept into practice, the grace of God has enabled me to forgive others, it has set me free from the chains of sin, and His grace has given me new appreciation for His commandments.
To celebrate the completion of my undergraduate studies, I will be giving a senior recital next semester, which will be approximately fifty minutes of music. This recital will be extra special because every piece that I will be singing for this recital will be sacred. In essence, this recital will be a worship service in a concert hall setting. In order for me to perform on that stage, I need your help. I have to raise about $2250 to pay the remainder of my tuition that my scholarships and grants do not cover. In addition, I am attempting to fundraise the cost for room and board as well, which comes out to be approximately $5750. Living on campus again next semester would be a tremendous blessing because I could spend more time building lasting friendships, further develop my independent living skills, and avoid long commutes from home. There are a couple of ways that you can help me. First, please pray that God would enable me to relax and fully trust in his goodness during this process. Second, if you can share this link on your social media platforms and raise awareness of my journey, that would be awesome. Finally, if you feel led to contribute financially, I want to let you know that any amount helps. Because I have seen God provide for me so many times before, I am confident that He will come through for me again and this will be a Christmas gift that I will never forget! Thank you so much for your willingness to walk with me through this process.
Much Love in Christ,
David
Organizer
David Chung
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
