<div>Hello, I am <strong>Chan Hyuk Park</strong> from South Korea, and studying mathematics at the <strong>University of Cambridge</strong>.
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<div>I am a <strong>first-generation student</strong>. Despite growing up in poverty, I was accepted into Cambridge—but I had to turn down the offer because I couldn’t afford the tuition fees. 
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<div>I tried again—doing everything I could. I was accepted once more, and this time, I made it through the first year. But <strong>without tuition for the second</strong>, I may have to leave again.
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<div>After my father’s business failed, I grew up in <strong>deep rural poverty</strong>. In a small, unheated room—often without electricity or internet—I studied alone—and made it to university. But then <strong>COVID hit</strong>. I had finished high-school with government aid, but couldn’t afford to stay in university. Although eligible for exemption, I enlisted in the military which provided me food and shelter, and a small salary to support my parents. 
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<div>Raised with Christian values, I believed in <strong>meaning over money</strong>. That belief sustained me—even when I resented being poor. Still, I often resented being poor.
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<div>But in the military, supporting operations in Afghanistan changed my view on hardship: <em>it’s the default for many.</em>
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<div>I saw how many people live in pain—so much that hope feels out of reach. I couldn’t accept that. <strong>No one should be denied the right to dream.</strong> I wanted to prove things can change. That even one person, starting from nothing, can make change possible. I chose to take on the impossible—and study abroad.
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<div><strong>I worked by day and studied by night</strong>—giving up meals, sleep, and comfort to stay focused. Within a year, I was offered a place at Cambridge. 
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<div>But I still couldn’t afford it. Most funding excludes Korea, as it's considered a developed country. In the end, <strong>I had to give up my place.</strong>
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<div>Then, one scholarship opened up—a highly competitive, merit-only award for a handful of top students in Korea. It was my last chance. I couldn’t walk away from it. I pushed even harder, applied again, and was re-accepted to Cambridge. I reached the final shortlist of five. But in the end, I wasn’t selected.
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<div>On the verge of giving up, I realised I wasn’t alone in the belief that <strong>everyone deserves a chance to dream.</strong> Someone offered to sponsor me after reading my story. Grateful and surprised, I prepared to leave for the UK. But the night before my flight, I was told they could no longer help—due to an unexpected business crisis.
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<div>I was more devastated—but I didn’t forget the kindness behind that offer. It reminded me that <strong>the world still holds hope</strong>. So I boarded the plane with one thought in mind:
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<div><em>Let’s just try. Let’s face it head-on.</em>
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<div>That’s how I started to live in Cambridge.
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<div>With the money I’d saved and a loan, I made it through my first year. But I needed funding for the second. I applied to internships, but most rejected first-years—deepening a fear I’ve always carried: that I don’t truly belong in this society.
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<div>Even in doubt, <strong>life here has been more fulfilling than I ever imagined.</strong> Studying with peers from around the world, I feel alive. 
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<div>And here, opportunities do exist: <strong>Just one year in quant finance can earn what would take my father ten</strong>. So I made a promise —I will survive and succeed here.
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<div>But now, I’m standing at another cliff: <strong>I cannot afford my second-year tuition.</strong> I’m reaching out for help - not just to finish a degree, but to prove that <strong>poverty does not have to kill dreams.</strong> 
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<div>I’ve tried to live by that belief myself, teaching underprivileged students and offering lessons they could afford. I want to pass this hope forward. To the students I’ll teach, to someone else who once stood where I stand now.
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<div>Thank you for reading my story. <strong>Be part of the next stage by joining me on the journey.</strong> Even the smallest donation or sharing of this story can help me ﬁght one more year.
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<div>In hope,
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<div><strong>Chan Hyuk Park</strong>
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S. Lee (Offline, 16 Aug)

J. Seong (Offline, 4 Aug)

J. Park (Offline, 30 Jul)

H. Lee (Offline, 29 Jul)

Anonymous

Juhi James

Edward Pinnegar

Chloe Burke

Thomas Creamer

Benjamin Woolf

I may have grown up poor, but my dreams never were.

I may have grown up poor, but my dreams never were.

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