Overseas Community Affairs Council, ROC (Taiwan) (OCAC) Deputy Minister Hsu, Chia-Ching visited the TECRO Culture Center in Washington D.C. on the morning of June 15 to take part in the Greater Washington Overseas Compatriot Affairs Discussion Meeting. She exchanged opinions with overseas community leaders and awarded the OCAC Professional Medal to four recipients. 60 people attended, including the Deputy Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), Director of the Consular Affairs Division, OCAC council members, OCAC senior advisers, and other OCAC honorary staff, persons in charge of overseas groups, family members of medal awardees and overseas-based OCAC staff were present.
In her speech, Deputy Minister Hsu introduced the four awardees and praised their contributions over decades by speaking out for Taiwan in the Washington D.C. area. She said that Eugenia Henry founded the first biostatistics company in the US, HHL, in 1998. As well as being successful in business, she actively works to enhance links between the government of Taiwan and US business circles to bring into play Taiwan's advantages and enhance Taiwan-US business relations.
Chen Kuei-Ling, has assisted the government of Taiwan promote overseas compatriot affairs work in the Washington D.C. area for many years, making every effort to promote Mandarin teaching and the diverse local culture of Taiwan to nurture young talent. During her time as President of the Taiwanese Association of America, she actively organized the raising of funds for Ukrainian refugees by Taiwanese groups, assisting with overseas compatriot diplomacy and has made a significant contribution to raising the international profile of Taiwan.
Rita Lee has worked for many years at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Washington, D.C. During her time as chairperson, she raised money for victims of the gas explosion in Kaohsiung. She attaches importance to horizontal communication between overseas compatriot groups and has made a tireless effort to promote the unity of the overseas community.
Kent Wang has submitted articles to mainstream US media for many years such as the Washington Times and the Washington Post, issuing more than 200 articles on issues of concern to overseas compatriots. He also calls on the US to enhance relations with Taiwan and to assist Taiwan enter international organizations such as the UN, WHO and ICAO. He has made an outstanding contribution by actively speaking out for Taiwan on the front line in international society.
The awardees took the stage one by one and spoke about how they felt on receiving the medal. The four recipients all modestly said the award was not just for them personally, it was the fruit of a team effort and unselfish and uncomplaining support from their families. The scene was warm and moving and family members and teams all felt proud.
