Kenneth Wun '96
I give to IGS out of love. IGS is the place where I fell in love with learning. In a world where the pace of change is unforgivingly quick, IGS gave me the only thing that is more enduring than knowledge, the love of learning. IGS ignited this love in me by nurturing an idea lab and action tank outside of the classroom where undergraduates like me could gain a sense of safety to explore the world of ideas and their real-life applications.
IGS accomplishes this marvelous feat through its greatest treasure, its people. I still remember as an undergraduate student interviewing an IGS visiting scholar, who was one of the top political strategists in the country, for a paper I was doing on the effects of legislative term limits. He took me seriously enough to listen to me, challenge my ideas, and debate with me. Here I was, not quite old enough to drink, locking horns with one of America's top political minds! It was exhilarating.
With the guidance of unfailingly helpful and endlessly patient IGS librarians, I took the interview, turned it into a draft, and discussed it with a Ph.D. student, who was himself an emerging national expert in his field. He gently challenged the ideas in my draft and gave me new perspectives to consider. At first I mildly resented the competing thoughts. Then the more I got used to the bombardment of opposing views, the more I became energized by the challenge and the sheer fun of making sense of shades of gray that life serves up.
My gifts to IGS are my small ways of thanking the Institute for instilling the love of learning in me. In a time of declining state support for higher education, my donation allows IGS to continue to sow the seed of love for learning in the next wave of students.
As a political science undergraduate, Kenneth Wun, Class of 1996, was an intern in the State Capitol as part of what is now called the Platinum Cal in Sacramento Fellowship Program, administered by IGS. After graduation, Ken received the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs and earned a Masters in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. He is now a Portfolio Manager at BRIDGE Urban Infill Land Development, a real estate investment fund based in San Francisco.
