Keeping National Chung Cheng University (CCU) company for many years, Friends of National Chung Cheng University, an association formed by a group of people who support and care about CCU, has reached its 21st anniversary this year! On January 8, 2023, CCU held the 2023 annual general meeting with president’s handover and awards ceremony, while Ms. Shu-Mei Lu, business manager of Mercuries Life Insurance, took over as the president. Bidding farewell to the Covid-19 turmoil of the last three years, Ms. Shu-Mei Lu hopes to recruit young talents of the younger generation, encourage Friends of National Chung Cheng University to step out, break through the haze of the pandemic, and strengthen the relationship between the school and the community as well as bring more possibilities to the development of CCU’s school affairs.   

During the past year, Friends of National Chung Cheng University has not only supported CCU’s students’ team to participate in iGEM, but also donated CCU Department of Finance’s Xin Chuan scholarship, and even pledged the donation of one hundred and fifty thousand NT dollars on the Education Donation Ceremony on CCU’s 33rd anniversary. Dr. Zhang-Hua Fong, President of CCU, expressed his appreciation to every president and member of Friends of National Chung Cheng University for not being affected by the pandemic, but still generously supported the education of disadvantaged students. 

Taking over the role of president from the 20th president of Mr. Chin-Yuan Lu, Ms. Shu-Mei Lu, the new president of Friends of Chung Cheng University, was born and raised in Chiayi County. Her father was in debt as a guarantor for a loan, as a result, Ms. Shu-Mei Lu attended evening high school after she graduated from secondary school, working part-time whilst studying at the same time to help pay the debt. She also once went to China for work, and then she came back to Taiwan when she was in her 20s. Finally, through the recommendation of a friend, Ms. Lu switched to the insurance industry and has stayed in the industry for 27 years. 

Ms. Shu-Mei Lu stated, the reason for choosing the insurance industry is that she didn’t want to make money only with labor at a young age; instead, she believes that earning money with one’s own skills is what makes it long-lasting. However, being a salesperson wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Although she experienced numerous setbacks, even complained and wailed while riding on her motorbike, she still held the belief of “helping others and making people feel secure” and chose to continue working in the insurance industry. For Ms. Shu-Mei Lu, it is important to serve each customer with heart and accompany them through every stage of life. As the saying goes, the greater the effort, the sweeter the reward. Lastly, she concluded that “my friends are my clients, and my clients are my friends and family.”

In addition to the successful career she has achieved in her thirties, Ms. Shu-Mei Lu does not forget to complete her bachelor’s degree. She believes that life is about learning continuously, and therefore she encourages members to pursue lifelong learning as well as make good use of CCU’s abundant educational resources. CCU’s school authorities stated that Ms. Lu has served as section chief, secretary-general, vice-president, and other various positions over the past nine years since she joined Friends of National Chung Cheng University. Therefore, it is undoubtedly to say that Ms. Lu has complete seniority and is thus highly anticipated for bringing a new look to Friends of National Chung Cheng University.

The part of Friends of National Chung Cheng University that I feel the most different about is that everyone dedicates to contribute due to the matter of education. The selfless devotions made by previous presidents especially touch my heart.” Ms. Shu-Mei Lu stated, because of the pandemic, people’s connection with each other seemed distant and indifferent in the past 3 years. For this reason, her priority for the coming year as president is to lead Friends of National Chung Cheng University to become prosperous and diverse, appoint senior members as constructors, and welcome young people to become committee members of Friends of National Chung Cheng University. In addition, she also plans on the return of parent-child sketching competitions in the hope of bringing people back to the beautiful campus of CCU.