Our Maryknoll Sisters left New York nearly a century ago to help “make God’s love visible” throughout the world. They started their work in China and eventually spread their mission throughout the continents of Asia, South America, Africa, and more. For Lily Lu, Maryknoll School’s Mandarin teacher for the last 31 years, she believes God’s desire for her was to be a bridge between the East and West. As a teacher, adjunct professor, and artist, her belief in noblesse oblige has helped her to accomplish that objective.
Born in China, Lily attended school both in Beijing and Taipei. After graduating from high school, she attended the Free Pacific English Institute in Saigon, Vietnam to perfect the English language. Soon, she moved to the islands and studied painting and drawing at the University of Hawaii, where she earned her undergraduate degree. After working as a fashion illustrator for The Ritz, Lily began focusing her energy on teaching Mandarin as a lecturer at the UH Principal of Guang Hwa Chinese Language School and as a part-time teacher at Maryknoll, Punahou, and Kamehameha Schools. Eventually, she chose Maryknoll to be her home and has been here ever since.
Lily has accomplished much in her life. She played an integral role in the creation of the First Chinese Church of Christ on Oahu. In addition to this, she received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year award from the Hawaii Association of Language Teachers in 1999. She is most proud of her two sons. One of them currently works as a senior designer for Yahoo and the other is a police officer with the Hawaii Police Department.
Today, Mrs. Lu enjoys reading, listening to music, and traveling with her husband. She has many wonderful memories of Maryknoll School, including the various ways in which students have celebrated Chinese New Year and the accomplishments of her former students that have excelled after leaving Maryknoll School. In particular, Arron Wong was valedictorian for his class at UCLA, while some of her students attended the Hong Kong Technical College for Schooling. One student even started a successful lighting fixture business in Guangxi, China. In all, what she enjoys most is former students coming back to visit her after being away from Maryknoll School for many years. Even today, Mrs. Lu meets Maryknoll graduates for lunch in Chinatown for dim sum and talk-story sessions.
Mrs. Lu has lived our motto of Noblesse Oblige. Through the efforts of people like Lily, Maryknoll now offers Mandarin to students from kindergarten through the 12th grade. She has helped to build relationships between ourselves and the people of China through her support of both cultural and educational exchanges in the years that she has worked as a teacher here at Maryknoll School. With our new sister school in China, her vision continues to grow for Maryknoll School and we are truly grateful to her.