前言：
之所以能得出“两年半”这个数据是因为自从自己到了曼大后这个念头就开始在脑中盘旋，到现在大三上学期快结束了，正好是两年半。以高中时对自己影响最深的英语老师的名义在自己的高中成立一个奖学金这件事这两年半来都在人生清单上名列前茅，但原本没想着这么早正式提出来，一是之前总觉得等Mike退休了再提比较好二是自己暂时还没靠本事赚到足够大的一笔钱作为启动资金，但如今觉得以一位还在学校工作的老师的名字命名一个奖学金既是对老师本人的答谢也是对这位老师的学生们莫大的鼓舞，而且就算筹备的过程一切顺利也一定会花掉不少时间（更何况这个过程十有八九不会一切顺利），到那时我估计早就搞到钱了（笑）。所以在天黑得太早的冬令时傍晚早早地从自习室回到宿舍，给Mike发了邮件征求他的意见。
正文：
Dear Mike,
This is Mary (again). Greetings from Manchester and I hope you are doing well at perhaps one of the most hectic times of the year. I know you are busy and I hope I am not bothering you but I do wish you could set aside some time to consider this; after all it has been on my mind for perhaps the better part of the past two and a half years, and since university graduation is around the corner I decided that it is better to share this idea of mine with you sooner than later so that both you and I would have time to consider what it may mean for you, for past, current and future students, and for SCIE as a whole.
I am writing to explore the possibility of starting a scholarship at SCIE in your name. You may wonder why something like this would still be necessary with all sorts of external awards lavishing SCIE students year after year, but what I have in mind is an initiative that functions in ways that are similar yet different to said external awards. While most scholarships available to our students - and indeed most scholarships for high school students across the world - are awarded on the basis of academic excellence in general, I am thinking of one that is reserved for those who demonstrate exceptional dedication and contribution to the fields of languages and literature, be it Chinese, English, Spanish, French, Japanese or any other combination of syllables, words and sentences that form poetry, prose and drama. Academic excellence “in general”, in today’s world, is effectively the equivalent of academic excellence in STEM and business fields, with significantly more attention and opportunities given to students who excel there. Even within the broad category of humanities and social sciences, there is more focus on so-called “concrete” subjects such as history and psychology than languages and literature, which can never, and should never, be dismissed as supplementary and, worse still, inferior to those aforementioned “noble pursuits”. Starting a scholarship at SCIE that caters exclusively to students who shine in the disciplines of languages and literature and in turn make them shine back will not only empower such students and teachers at SCIE but also, I hope, set a precedence for other schools and organisations, encourage them to follow suit, and advocate for the acknowledgement and recognition of languages, literature, and students whose academic aspirations lie in those areas.
Now that I have explained why I wish to start such a scholarship, I would like to make clear why I wish to do it in your name rather than my own. The reason is simple: without you I would have never had written half as well and as much as I do today, and since writing is an essential part of who I am, without you I would not have been who I am today. Since I owe so much of my love to writing, to English, to Chinese and to languages and literature as a whole to you and your lessons, passing on this love to future generations of students who share my passion is, in essence, passing on your ideas, influences and inspirations that have touched not just me but everyone who has been in your classroom. The “Mike Dawick Award”, as I would refer to it at the moment, would ideally function as a profound tribute not just to you (or I) but to all those who contribute to languages and literature, be them poets, part-time English tutors, winners of literature essay competitions, those who score “Top in the World” or “Top in China” in CIE exams in language and/or literature papers, or anyone who adds to the picture in any way. I want this award to bear witness to their efforts and act as proof that they are seen, acknowledged, and rewarded accordingly.
I am fully aware of the logistical challenges such an endeavour will inevitably face, and I admit that at the moment there are still quite a few problems waiting to be solved and details to be finalised. I have not yet secured the initial funds required to kick start such an award (but if I am awarded a scholarship by any one of the graduate programmes I apply to then it will likely come from there), and I am not sure whether I am prepared for the bureaucratic and systematic obstacles this initiative may entail. Yet I still choose to bring this up with you, this idea that has been with me since shortly after I started university, as it is impossible for me to ignore it, just like it is impossible for a traveler trudging through the dark with only a bright lantern to ignore that lantern. Now that I am on track graduating from university and will likely be pursuing an education-related graduate program, the time is ripe. I hope you would give this thorough consideration, and it would be my absolute honour if you are willing to have such a scholarship launched at SCIE in your name. I look forward to your reply, to working with you on turning this idea into reality, and to the day it comes true, if and when it does eventually.
Thank you and all the best to you and everyone at SCIE.
With hopes, passions and best wishes,
Lu Liu (Mary)
7 November 2024
后语：
他暂时还没有回我，大概他一如既往地忙吧（听说这两天家长会）；说实话我心里没底的很大一个原因是始终很难把他那淡泊名利埋头工作心静如水的形象与一个以自己同名的奖学金联系在一起。我已经做好了最坏的打算，尽管所谓“最坏”其实也坏不到哪里去，估计就是婉言谢绝的同时表示对我这份心意的感谢；我猜这或许是他一贯的行事风格会干出的事。但发出这封邮件后心情竟从笼罩了将近半个月的阴云中稍稍探出头透了口气，宛如今天上午曼城一周以来首次露面的阳光，尽管还是淡淡的，毕竟硬生生捂了两年多后我总算鼓起勇气把这个盘踞脑中许久的想法公开说了出来，告诉了最相干的那个人。无论最后能不能成，我都希望这个提案本身就能起到激励一代又一代语言文学学生们的作用；如果我最后因为种种原因没能成为主办这个奖学金的人，希望有人能替我接下这个挑战，希望接下这个挑战的人也能用Mike的名字命名它。——如此，当年终日在水围的池塘旁发呆的那个叛逆消沉的十七岁少年便也能在二十多岁时对自己校友的身份问心无愧了。
PS：
这个公众号的首篇推送发表于2017年11月8日。在此让我们祝某个无需命名的小公众号七岁生日快乐。
