{"id":8681,"date":"2026-07-07T13:13:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T17:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/?p=8681"},"modified":"2026-07-07T13:13:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T17:13:46","slug":"at-100-alumnus-gives-back-to-udm-which-helped-shape-his-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/2026\/07\/07\/at-100-alumnus-gives-back-to-udm-which-helped-shape-his-life\/","title":{"rendered":"At 100, alumnus gives back to UDM, which helped shape his life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Don
Chin in 2026 with a student who received the scholarship he set up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With only five dollars in his pocket, 12-year-old Don Yick Chin \u201952 left his grandmother in rural China and traveled alone to America during World War II. He boarded the Empress of Japan in Hong Kong and endured a long and often frightening voyage across the Pacific. After continuing by train across Canada and then on to Boston, he was reunited with his\u00a0parents\u00a0in New York\u00a0City\u00a0and began building a new life in an unfamiliar country.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Armed with determination and a\u00a0Chinese-English\u00a0dictionary,\u00a0Chin saw education as his path to a better future. With the support and generosity of others,\u00a0that path eventually led him to\u00a0UDM.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At\u00a0100, Chin is\u00a0making sure\u00a0future\u00a0University of Detroit Mercy\u00a0students\u00a0have similar opportunities\u00a0through an endowed scholarship.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After arriving in New York\u00a0City,\u00a0Chin\u00a0entered the\u00a0public school system\u00a0and was placed in\u00a0sixth\u00a0grade.\u00a0His inability to speak English made\u00a0it\u00a0almost\u00a0impossible for him to keep up.\u00a0So\u00a0he was reassigned to second grade.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn’t even\u00a0fit\u00a0in the\u00a0desk\u00a0chair,\u201d\u00a0Chin\u00a0recalls. \u201cIt took\u00a0time to be\u00a0promoted to the\u00a0fourth grade.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He credits his progress through\u00a0school\u00a0to dedicated teachers\u00a0who spent extra time\u00a0helping\u00a0him\u00a0learn English\u00a0and\u00a0adapt\u00a0to a new culture.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Don
Chin in 1952<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere\u00a0was much to adjust to, but\u00a0I eventually finished,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At\u00a0Stuyvesant High School,\u00a0an\u00a0elite public high school in\u00a0Manhattan,\u00a0Chin continued to push himself. He\u00a0worked hard to meet graduation requirements,\u00a0including\u00a0studying\u00a0French, even though he was still mastering English.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He persevered and graduated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chin aspired\u00a0to study engineering\u00a0in college,\u00a0but\u00a0faced\u00a0limited options\u2014following\u00a0World War II,\u00a0returning\u00a0veterans\u00a0received\u00a0priority\u00a0for college seats, and admission to local colleges required being at the top of one\u2019s graduating class\u2014something\u00a0difficult for\u00a0someone still learning the\u00a0English language.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, many of the\u00a0colleges in\u00a0New York\u00a0available\u00a0to him\u00a0did not offer\u00a0engineering\u00a0programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

He searched for alternatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0small group\u00a0of people\u00a0stepped\u00a0in\u00a0to help him. Chin connected with\u00a0a\u00a0woman\u00a0who had immigrated\u00a0from Ottawa,\u00a0who\u00a0helped many young people go to college. With her\u00a0direction\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0support\u00a0of a\u00a0Catholic priest and nuns\u00a0from\u00a0a Chinatown parish,\u00a0University of Detroit\u00a0was identified\u00a0as\u00a0a\u00a0potential\u00a0option.<\/span><\/p>\n

They wrote letters of recommendation on his behalf, and\u00a0soon\u00a0he received a telegram inviting him to attend\u00a0University\u00a0of Detroit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With about\u00a0$35\u00a0saved,\u00a0he\u00a0borrowed\u00a0money and bought\u00a0a train ticket to Detroit.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents didn\u2019t understand why I was\u00a0going away\u00a0to school, and they didn\u2019t even say goodbye to me,\u201d Chin recalls.\u00a0\u201cI just packed up and left\u00a0with the money I had saved from working at Chinese restaurants\u00a0in New York.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With limited resources and\u00a0his\u00a0now well-worn dictionary,\u00a0Chin\u00a0arrived at\u00a0the McNichols Campus\u00a0determined to succeed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGoing to Detroit was a chance for me to learn to be an engineer,\u00a0so I could go out and have a\u00a0better\u00a0life for myself,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

At UDM, Chin\u00a0lived and worked among the Jesuit community in Lansing-Reilly Hall.\u00a0In exchange for room and board and to help cover his tuition,\u00a0he\u00a0waited\u00a0tables and performed daily tasks\u00a0for the Jesuits,\u00a0while balancing the demands of a rigorous mechanical engineering program.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chin described the Jesuits as\u00a0\u201chighly respected educators who\u00a0advised the\u00a0Pope and\u00a0the\u00a0Vatican.\u201d\u00a0He suspected\u00a0they were \u201cthe\u00a0best in the Catholic Church.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only were they respected, but they were\u00a0also\u00a0resourceful,\u00a0a trait\u00a0they instilled in him.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Chin
Chin in 1950 as a student at University of Detroit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He recalled one priest who, unable to find a food he liked, decided to grow it himself.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTurnips, I think,\u201d Chin\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cHe\u00a0planted\u00a0them\u00a0in the garden, and I helped him\u00a0care for\u00a0them. No\u00a0one\u00a0else ate them except him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Chin applied\u00a0this resourcefulness\u00a0to\u00a0his studies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During his third year, he took part in\u00a0UDM\u2019s\u00a0co-op\u00a0program\u2014one of the oldest in the\u00a0country\u2014which meant working off campus at an engineering firm. To get back and forth, he bought an old\u00a0car\u00a0and taught himself to drive.<\/span><\/p>\n

But while he was learning\u00a0to drive, he\u00a0had\u00a0a small\u00a0mistake.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne day, instead of\u00a0stepping on\u00a0the brake,\u00a0I\u00a0pumped\u00a0the gas and bumped into a parked car,\u201d he\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cThe owner was ready to call the police, but\u00a0I\u00a0pleaded with her to let\u00a0me\u00a0fix the damage\u00a0myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He promised he would, and he kept his word.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chin\u2019s time as a student was not without challenges, but\u00a0he did not hit the brakes when faced with obstacles. His quiet determination,\u00a0hard\u00a0work\u00a0and resourcefulness\u00a0paved the way to his goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

And along the way,\u00a0Chin\u00a0found encouragement, sometimes\u00a0in\u00a0surprising\u00a0places,\u00a0from the\u00a0woman\u00a0who\u00a0trusted\u00a0him\u00a0to\u00a0fix her car, to the priest who listened and\u00a0gave\u00a0guidance, to the professors who\u00a0pushed\u00a0him to\u00a0excel in\u00a0complex subjects like thermodynamics.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This solid\u00a0foundation led to\u00a0a\u00a0successful\u00a0engineering career\u00a0encompassing\u00a0aerospace,\u00a0manufacturing\u00a0and medical technologies.\u00a0Chin worked on defense and\u00a0aviation\u00a0innovations and with firms like\u00a0Bell\u00a0Aircraft.<\/span><\/p>\n

A first-generation\u00a0college\u00a0student,\u00a0Chin\u00a0felt\u00a0his\u00a0story\u00a0could\u00a0open doors for others.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGoing to school meant I was leading the way,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cI\u00a0could show others\u00a0it\u00a0was possible to go to college and get\u00a0a good job\u00a0if you worked hard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Inspired by his example, Chin\u2019s younger siblings\u00a0and\u00a0children followed his path and pursued higher education.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u00a0same spirit of possibility inspired his gift\u00a0to\u00a0UDM.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have\u00a0the money, and I want to do something for others,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chin\u2019s scholarship eases\u00a0the financial burden\u00a0on\u00a0UDM\u00a0students and their families,\u00a0allowing\u00a0recipients to focus on their\u00a0education\u00a0and\u00a0dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe scholarship also\u00a0means their parents will worry\u00a0a\u00a0little\u00a0less about them,\u201d he said. \u201cDon\u2019t\u00a0forget that\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0100 years old!\u00a0I may\u00a0not see students finish college, but\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0still\u00a0important\u00a0to\u00a0help\u00a0someone who deserves\u00a0it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Just as others\u00a0once\u00a0opened doors for him, Chin\u00a0now does\u00a0the same for future generations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scholarship\u00a0recipients\u00a0at\u00a0UDM\u00a0often\u00a0write to their donors,\u00a0something\u00a0that\u00a0resonated\u00a0with\u00a0Chin.\u00a0When his scholarship recipient\u00a0shared how hard she was working and what she hoped to achieve,\u00a0he was\u00a0deeply moved.<\/span><\/p>\n

And when he\u00a0learned\u00a0she shared\u00a0his\u00a0late\u00a0wife Mimi\u2019s name,\u00a0Chin said,\u00a0\u201cIt felt like a\u00a0sign.\u201d\u00a0This affirmed\u00a0his belief that every student\u2019s story\u00a0is important and worthy of support.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like I was sending my wife back to school again,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through his generosity,\u00a0Chin\u00a0ensures\u00a0future Titans can\u00a0write\u00a0their own stories of resilience,\u00a0resourcefulness\u00a0and opportunity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody wants to pass something on to\u00a0the next generation,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cEverybody\u2019s story deserves to be counted.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With only five dollars in his pocket, 12-year-old Don Yick Chin \u201952 left his grandmother in rural China and traveled alone to America during World War II. He boarded the Empress of Japan in Hong Kong and endured a long and often frightening voyage across the Pacific. After continuing by …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":8684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[9,10],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2026\/07\/chin-side3.png?fit=304%2C304&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Kcng-2g1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8681"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8681"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8685,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8681\/revisions\/8685"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}