I remember being a teenager at that time: Jack Ma’s $20 million scholarship rewarded $200 that year

　　"Try it, maybe you can get your passport." In 1985, Australian Ken Morley encouraged a Chinese teenager who had never been abroad and invited him to travel to Australia.

　　In 1985, Ken invited Jack Ma to travel to Australia. This is the first time a young man named Jack Ma went abroad. Jack Ma said that his trip to Australia has completely changed himself. Jack Ma became pen pals with Australian Ken at the age of 16. When he was studying at Hangzhou Normal University, Ken provided him with a total of about $200 in support. Today, Jack Ma returns to Ken's help with his $20 million scholarship program.

　　35 years later, he once again came to Ken Morley's hometown. On February 3, Jack Ma told the teachers and students on the scene for the first time at Newcastle University: "That trip to Australia really changed me"; "The 29 days in Newcastle were crucial in my life. Without those 29 days, I would never think like today."

　　Ken, who invited Jack Ma, died in 2004. His son, also the pen pal of the young Jack Ma, spoke on behalf of the Morley family and thanked him: "If my father was still alive and saw Jack Ma donating to Newcastle University and committed to creating a sustainable future, he would be very proud and moved."

　　On February 3, Newcastle University in Australia announced that it had received $20 million in establishing a scholarship program through the Jack Ma Charity Fund. This is a well-known donation Newcastle University has ever received. Jack Ma said the scholarship will be used to "support those who want to see the world by themselves, experience it, and think about it with their own heads." The "thinking" of being changed is why Jack Ma returned to Newcastle to establish the Ma-Morley scholarship.

　　It was David who met Jack Ma by chance on the shore of West Lake in Hangzhou that opened this love that has continued to this day. In 1980, Morley and his family came to China for a trip and met Jack Ma, 16. After that, they kept communicating, and Ken carefully modified the English for Jack Ma in each reply. Ken specifically reminded Jack Ma to "leave the space larger in letters" so he could write down his revisions.

　　Jack Ma regards Ken as a mentor who once opened the window of the world for him. He recalled to the teachers and students of Newcastle University: "Every time we meet, we debate a lot of things. Ken will say: Jack, you are talking nonsense! He knows how I speak, knows that I will do something different, and he always supports me with his great curiosity and kindness."

　　Ken has never attended college, but often talks with Jack Ma about Newcastle University. Ken also provided support to Jack Ma, who was studying at Hangzhou Normal University. He sent Jack Ma a check every 6 months, and in more than two years, he sent a total of about 200 Australian dollars.

　　Now, Jack Ma returns to the guidance and support he once gave to Ken with a $20 million scholarship program. He said: "I don't know why, if I'm lucky enough to succeed, I always think I'm going to do something for Newcastle University because this is a university that Ken often mentions." Jack Ma said he has always hoped to be a person like Ken one day, helping and supporting young people he doesn't know at all and just meets on the street.

　　The first round of the Ma-Morley scholarship will provide 30 places, of which 20 places will fund the cost of students during their degree study period; 10 one-time scholarships will fund students' participation in educational exchanges, internships or overseas experience programs. Application details will be announced in mid-2017, with Newcastle University students who started their degree in 2018; the program will enter a full-operation phase by the third year and will fund 90 students each year. Newcastle University President Caroline McMillen also told several Australian media that scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to intern at Alibaba.

　　Jack Ma will personally review the scholarship plan every five years, but he told the teachers and students on site: "The students who received the scholarship are not the ambassadors of Morley and me. We hope that they will become ambassadors who promote courage, responsibility and wisdom." Jack Ma defines this scholarship as a plan that focuses on the future, allowing more young people to go out of college and their country - just like the teenager Jack Ma, go around the world and have a broader international perspective through these experiences.

　　In this speech that runs through memory, Jack Ma always mentioned Ken's support and inspiration for him, and the changes that the Morley family brought to him. The 40-year friendship is the origin of the scene that happened today at Newcastle University in Australia, and this friendship will continue with the young people helped by the Ma-Morley scholarship. Just as Newcastle University President Macmillan said in his speech on the spot: What was announced today is a story about family and friendship. What a fascinating story, it lets us know that a simple act of kindness can last for decades into a friendship that lasts forever.

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