【推荐1】Known as the wife of the outstanding Professor Stephen Hawking for 30 years, Jane Hawking came to more people’s notice thanks to The Theory of Everything, a 2014 Oscar-winning film based on her book Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen.

Jane became interested in Hawking during middle school. She was impressed by his brilliant wisdom, and the two fell in love. Though he was told by the doctor to have a serious disease and only two years to live, Jane still married him in 1965.

Jane’s parents were rather surprised, but they supported her very much when she married Stephen Hawking. “And, of course, there was Stephen and his talent. Stephen had been given two years to live so I thought I could give two years of my life to this person I loved. I wanted to help him achieve his ambitions. And then, there were my tiny children. They kept me going,” Jane said.

Jane took on her role as a wife and assistant, taking her husband to conferences worldwide. As Stephen’s illness developed, Jane chose to seek her own academic career. She wanted to be in a position to provide for her family, so the first thing in the morning she took the children to kindergarten, and then hurried to the university library. She gained her PhD two days before her third child was born.

Jane became a lecturer in modern languages. And now she is retired, focusing on her creative writing. She is working on her latest novel, to follow up her second one, which was published in August, 2018.

【推荐2】Jeff Yoo, 35, from Canada started to post his climbing videos on Instagram in 2017 to share them with others. However, he closed his account to focus on his full-time work as an emergency doctor near the beginning of March 2020.

Yoo uses social media as a mental escape from stress working in the emergency room and to connect with other climbers around the world. But during the first COVID-19 wave, he and other climbers were criticized on the Internet for continuing to climb during the global lockdown. “At that time, social media contributed more stress to my life. Every time I opened the app, it added more stress to my already stress-filled life,” Yoo said. But due to his desire to continue sharing his passion for climbing and connect with others, Yoo reopened his Instagram account two or three weeks later.

Unlike most accomplished and full-time climbers who had begun training at a young age, Yoo got into the sport at the age of 25. Yoo thought that his story could serve as an example to prove that it’s possible for people who work other full-time jobs to also climb and go on wild adventures.

More importantly, Yoo, who was born in Canada with parents from South Korea, has always struggled to be a positive role model for younger ethnic minorities in his community. They often do not have equal opportunities to participate in organized sports or outdoor activities like climbing. “Asians are often misrepresented in North American culture and TV and I hope that my abilities in climbing and contributions as a doctor will positively represent Asians,” Yoo said.

【推荐1】An Incredible Journey

Ian William Halliwell was born on the 24th of April 1958, in Wigan UK. Just like most people have dreams, so did Ian.

Ian started playing Golf in 1972 and has been a keen golf player throughout his life. He participated in golf tournaments in many countries, dreaming of trying to get in the Senior Tour. But life has other plans.

In 1996, Ian was diagnosed with a brain tumor on his left side. As a result of the disease, his right-side hearing was lost. The talented player had to put a hold on his passion for a while. However, he knew he would come out stronger. In 1997, after going through two major surgeries, Ian recovered from the deadly illness.

But another disease completely turned his life over. In 2006, he suddenly had a stroke (中风) which was so critical that it ended with him being severely disabled to the extent that the doctors told him that he might not walk ever again, let alone playing Golf.

Upon realizing that he has lost the chance of playing the Senior Tour, he was heartbroken. But it wasn’t powerful enough to destroy the high-spirited individual. Ian took it as a challenge. He not only decided to start writing but also creating stroke awareness and promoting Golf for the disabled.

With the optimistic thinking of “A disability is not an inability,” Ian became a part of the British Inclusive Golf, which works to bring together the disabled and non-disabled players and create golf-related events.   

Ian has donated a large number of his life earnings to The Stroke Association. While spending a huge deal of time creating vast funds for the organization, Ian has played a huge role in enlightening others on how his recovery was aided by Golf, promoting the affected ones to make sure of the effective sport.

Ian has authored the book “The Social Golfer,” published in 2008. The book has successfully raised a total of £ 20,000, which the former golf player has donated to The Stroke Foundation. Ian also wrote “Living the Dream,” published in 2012. The book was an extension of the journey of his recovery, intending to inspire the readers.

Ian is a man of bravery. How he fought to recover from the deadly illness, followed by the stroke, is nothing but an incredible journey that is an inspiration to people.

【推荐2】When Ann was 13, she was accepted into a university to study medicine. Shortly after getting the acceptance letter, she shared the exciting news on the Internet. “I graduated from highschool last year at 12 years old. One year later, I was accepted into a university at 13. I’m a junior at college,” she wrote. “I’ve worked so hard to reach my goals and realize my dreams,” she added, going on to credit her mother because her mother gave Ann all her support.

“Mom, I made it,” Ann wrote. “I couldn’t have done it without you. You gave me every opportunity possible to be successful. You are the best mother a kid could ever ask for. You always believed in me. You allowed me space to grow and make mistakes without making me feel bad. You allowed me the opportunity to experience the world.”

The teen is currently a student in two undergraduate programs studying biological sciences in two universities. She has extremely good time management skills and is very disciplined(自律的).

Ann doesn’t only focus on the classroom when it comes to her education. In 2021, she became the youngest inter (实习生) ever at a government department. Ann said the dream started early for her. Her final goal is to become a flight surgeon(外科医生) and work with astronauts.

Ann’s impressive achievements don’t even stop there. She also founded an organization for girls of color who are interested in exploring careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

You may think you’re too young to do anything. But from Ann’s story, I think you need to change the view. With her effort, Ann has proved that one can do anything if they can do what they can to do what they want to.