Engineering talent tends to run in families — and for the Ying family, the engineering spirit also lies at the heart of a gift that will long outlast themselves.
Yvonne Ying (EngSci 9T6), Irene Ying (ChemE 0T4) and Ivan Ying (ChemE 0T5) all graduated from U of T Engineering before going on to complete medical degrees: Irene and Ivan studied medicine at U of T, while Yvonne went to the University of Calgary. Their older sister Ethel Ying is also a physician, having graduated from U of T’s Faculty of Medicine (now known as the Temerty Faculty of Medicine) in 1997.
Recently, all four siblings came together to create two new annual student awards in honour of their parents: the Pamela & Wei Ming Ying Engineering Award and the Pamela & Wei Ming Ying MD Award. Both awards are based on financial need, and both will be matched by funding from the university itself.
“Our father has a PhD in engineering, and he was a professor of mechanical engineering in Singapore and Hong Kong,” says Yvonne.
“Honestly, I think he’s a little disappointed that we all became doctors instead of engineers,” says Ivan.
“But I do think having an engineering background helps a lot in the work we do. If you think of a project like the fourth-year plant design course we take in chemical engineering, it’s all about teamwork and problem solving. That’s good preparation for the day-to-day work of medicine, and many other fields as well.”
Irene says that while she was always interested in using mathematics and science, her decision to choose U of T Engineering was in no small part influenced by the experience of her older sibling.
“I liked the practical aspects of it, the chance to use my knowledge to take on big challenges,” she says.
“But I also remembered the parties that Yvonne used to have at our house while I was still in elementary school: dozens of her friends from U of T Engineering would come over, and they’d stay all night. I was impressed by the camaraderie, by how tight-knit this group of people was. I knew it was a community I wanted to be part of.”
“It’s true, so many of them have become lifelong friends,” says Yvonne.
“We’re still getting together for dinner, even though we graduated decades ago. It’s those foundational bonding experiences, like the plant design course that Ivan mentioned, that keep you connected.”
All three alumni say that one of the purposes of the new awards is to help ensure that future generations will get to have the same formative experiences they did.
In creating them, they are honouring not only their father’s legacy as a professor of mechanical engineering, but also their mother’s beliefs about the importance of giving back.
“Our parents have always emphasized the importance of education and of being grateful for the opportunities we’ve had,” says Yvonne.
“We are very lucky to be from Toronto and to have a great educational institution in our back yard. It’s been the foundation for the careers we’ve had since.”
It’s not the first time the Ying family has donated to U of T: their names are also featured on a bench in the Myhal Centre, a chair in Convocation Hall, and even on the paving stones outside Front Campus.
But these awards are particularly special, so much so that they kept them secret from their parents — revealing them only as a Christmas gift this past winter.
“At this point in their lives, they already have everything they need, and they’ve been clear that they don’t want more things,” says Irene.
“A gift like this is far more meaningful, because it will keep on giving in perpetuity.”
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