Huili Wang

There is little a parent would not do for their child, and Huili Wang is no exception. When her son was born with congenital hearing loss, she knew she would do whatever she could to help him live a full life. She didn’t, however, expect that journey to take her from China.

“I helped him a lot with his rehabilitation,” Wang remembers. “I couldn’t find better training resources for him or myself, so I decided to learn more about his condition.”

Now a master’s student in UNC Greensboro’s Communications Science and Disorders Department in the School of Health and Human Sciences, Wang is on her way to understanding her son’s condition, as well as speech language pathology in general.

For her, the decision to come to UNCG from Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong Province, was an easy one.

“UNCG already had a good reputation in speech language pathology: 30th in the nation! The fact that Greensboro isn’t a very large city just sealed the deal.”

An easy decision didn’t mean an easy transition. Wang lives with her two children in Greensboro, and balancing motherhood with a hectic five-semester plan of study – which includes 78 course hours, 400 clinical hours, papers, projects, and professional presentations – is hardly easy. But Wang receives ample support.

On top of an understanding cohort of professionals and a department of devoted faculty, Wang received the Mina Weil Scholarship for Foreign Students to help offset the financial stress of international study. Mina Rosenthal Weil, of Goldsboro, had been a long-standing supporter of Woman’s College and the exemplary education women could achieve there. Established by the late Gertrude Weil in honor of her mother, the scholarship supports international scholars at any level and in any discipline. Wang is grateful for the support so far from home.

“My schedule is always very busy, especially with clinical hours. This scholarship helps me travel to all of the off-campus locations I need to complete this critical part of my degree.”

Wang still has plenty of work ahead of her as she envisions her future.

“I want to help my son and other communication-impaired people in China and the United States. When I graduate, I will continue on this path, completing a clinical fellowship to achieve my national license before returning for my doctorate in communication sciences and disorders.”

For Wang, her children came first, but the desire to give her son the best life he could have inspired her. Soon, Wang will provide that life not only to him but to countless others around the world.

Story by Michelle Danner-Groves, Donor Relations