The Impact of FIUTS in Times of COVID for Margaret Tu- a Student and a Mother

Margaret at W day in 2015

Margaret Tu has multiple names. She uses Margaret as an “easy-to-pronounce” name for English-speaking people, Yun-Pu is her Han Chinese name, and her name in her Pangcah tribal culture (a Taiwanese indigenous people) is Nikal Kabala'an.

Margaret first came to UW in 2015 to complete a 9-month master’s program in intellectual property law. She was involved in many ways as a master’s student, including participating in FIUTS programming and in being part of a tribal court clinic where she went to the Tulalip tribe in Washington twice a week to serve as a public defender. She found it really interesting to consider her own identity as an indigenous person in Taiwan, and use it as context to examine the differences in rights and legal structure between groups in Taiwan and in the US. She became really inspired to seek a Ph.D. in law but decided to go to her home country for some practical experience and to find financial scholarship assistance.  

Margaret at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in Pangcah dress, 2016

After returning to Taiwan, Margaret became involved with the Council of Indigenous People (CIP) in Taiwan, helping to facilitate legal reform. She explains that “In Taiwan, there are 16 indigenous ethnic groups recognized by the Taiwanese government, which are composed of around 700 tribes, but only comprise about 2% of the population of Taiwan. The multiculturalism of Taiwan is one thing that distinguishes us from China. The writing system for indigenous languages in Taiwan is really new. We have traditionally passed on wisdom through song format and did not have written language. Most of the younger generation these days cannot speak the various indigenous traditional languages because, during the occupation, the elders could not speak their traditional languages without risking being punished.”

Margaret was in Taiwan for 5 years, and in the intervening years had two daughters. The whole time, she remained subscribed to the FIUTS weekly newsletter because it kept her feeling connected to UW and the FIUTS community.  She really wanted to do a Ph.D. in law at UW but was nervous about the anti-Asian hate crime she had heard about triggered by COVID, especially since this time around she would be bringing a young family. By reading the FIUTS newsletter throughout the whole period, she was reassured, because through it she could tell

“FIUTS and UW are trying to make a safe environment, and care about the experience that international students have. I also appreciated the info about mental health and other kinds of support.”

Margaret and her two kids in front of Husky Stadium, 2021.

She was encouraged to go through with coming to UW, and after a year of remote study from Taiwan she shares, “it’s a really different experience with a young family, but living in family housing, there are families from around the world” and she deeply feels an environment that is friendly to her kids and encourages them to interact, even though they barely speak English yet.

Looking forward, Margaret is helping FIUTS shape programming for families with children and is excited to be involved in FIUTS programming once more. She will also be performing at CulturalFest sharing about Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, and singing “LiúLàngJì” (流浪記): composed by Panai Kusui, an indie-singer/activist in social movements of Taiwan’s Indigenous People’s right to self-determination.

Margaret is just one of more than 1,900 new international students FIUTS welcomed to the UW this fall. International students have come so far and worked so hard to be in Seattle and to pursue their dreams at UW. As a community, together we can support their strength and meet their enthusiasm. A gift of just $30 can welcome a student to Seattle with a free local experience.

Please make a donation to FIUTS today. Together we can ensure students are welcomed, engaged, and supported as we all navigate the next year.