Scholarship honors sons who helped others first

Elizabeth Ching was sixteen when she left home, escaping a childhood marked by hardship and silence. She married a young Marine and moved to Hawai‘i, a decision she believes saved her life. Though her husband returned from Vietnam wounded and changed, Elizabeth built a life for her two sons, Michael and Phillip, as a single parent. “My children were my best friends,” she says.

Michael worked nights at Safeway to pay for college, eventually earning his degree from UH Mānoa and becoming a loan officer who quietly helped others in his personal life — giving cars and money to friends in need. Phillip, full of warmth and charisma, joined the Navy and was on his way to pick up a college grant when an elderly driver turned into the street. His car struck Phillip in the crosswalk, killing him instantly at age 19.

“It was the most traumatic and horrific experience of Michael’s and my life,” says Elizabeth.

Inspired to ease the burden for future students

Michael later wrote a paper about his brother, describing him as someone who “could walk into a room of 500 strangers and walk out with 500 friends.”

The idea for a scholarship came from the boys themselves. They had seen firsthand the struggles of single-parent households and wanted to ease the burden for future students. Years ago, the family agreed that if any savings remained after their deaths, it should go toward helping others.

Elizabeth, now 87, is fulfilling this wish, designating a portion of her estate for the Michael and Phillip Gillespie Endowed Memorial Scholarship at UH Mānoa. The scholarship will support students who are single parents, or students who are the children of single parents — students who, like her family, have faced challenges but remain determined to succeed.

For single parents wanting a better future

Michael and Phillip’s generosity is already making a difference.

Annise Velazquez, a recent recipient of the scholarship, is a single mother and a junior at UH Mānoa majoring in political science. She recently completed the Paralegal Program at Kapiʻolani Community College and hopes to attend UH’s Richardson School of Law.

“I was so honored and deeply humbled to receive the Michael and Phillip Gillespie scholarship,” she says. “Mrs. Ching’s generosity helped me to continue attending UH Mānoa.”

Annise’s journey is a balance of work, bills, homework, and parenting, all while keeping her eyes on a future she’s building for herself and her son. “Education and aiming for the stars are essential in our home,” she says. “It is not an easy dream to execute, but it is possible when the kindness of people like Mrs. Ching reaches into an often overlooked demographic — single mothers wanting a better future.”

Generational impact

Annise’s son, an 11-year-old who dreams of becoming a teacher, is watching his mother persevere with purpose. “With Mrs. Ching’s generosity, I am closer to receiving my degree, closer to my dream of becoming a lawyer, and closer to providing the best possible future for my son,” she says. “Thank you, Mrs. Ching, from the bottom of my heart.”

Elizabeth’s own resilience and reinvention shape the spirit of her family’s gift. She raised her sons with compassion and strength, and they responded with generosity beyond their years. “You wouldn’t think a young child would even think about these things,” she says, “but they did. They made me look at myself, and I hope recipients of this scholarship will have very successful lives.”

The scholarship is a tribute, and it is a promise that the compassion Michael and Phillip showed in life will continue to help others. Elizabeth’s gift ensures that students like Annise can keep striving to build futures filled with hope.