More than a Scholarship 不只是一笔奖学金
More than a Scholarship 不只是一笔奖学金
◎ Stephanie Bullock
You may have heard of Osceola McCarty. She’s the 88-year-old woman in Mississippi who had worked for over 75 years as a washer woman. One day after she retired, she went to the bank and discovered, to her great surprise, that her meager monthly savings had grown to over $150 000. Then to everyone’s great surprise, she turned around and donated $150 000——almost all of those savings——to the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) for a scholarship fund for African-American students with financial needs. She made national headlines.
你也许听说过奥西奥拉·麦卡蒂。她是密西西比州一位88岁高龄的妇女，曾做了75年的洗衣工。退休后的一天，她去了银行，让她大为吃惊的是，她发现自己每个月微薄的存款已经超过了15万美元。而更令人惊奇的是，她转身就把几乎全部的积蓄——15万美元作为奖学金捐给了南密西西比大学，以帮助经济困难的非裔美国学生。于是，她成了全国瞩目的头条新闻人物。
What you have not heard is how Osceola’s gift had affected my life. I am 19 years old and the first recipient of an Osceola McCarty Scholarship.
而奥西奥拉的礼物如何影响了我的一生，这是你们从未听说过的。我今年19岁，是第一位获得奥西奥拉·麦卡蒂奖学金的学生。
I was a dedicated student, and I had my heart set on going to USM. But I missed being eligible for a regular scholarship by one point on the entrance exams, and a scholarship was the only way I could attend.
我是个很用功也很执著的学生，我最大的心愿就是去南密西西比大学读书。奖学金是我上学的唯一途径，但是在入学考试中，我因一分之差与奖学金失之交臂。
One Sunday, I came across the story in the paper about Osceola McCarty and her generous gift. I showed my mother the article, and we both agreed it was a great thing to have done.
一个星期天，我偶然在报纸上看到了有关奥西奥拉·麦卡蒂和她慷慨捐赠的报道。我拿给妈妈看，我们一致认为这是一个伟大的壮举。
The next day I went to the financial aid office, and they told me there was still no money available for me, but if anything came up they’d call. A few days later, as I was running out the door to catch a ride with my mother to work, the phone rang. I stopped to pick it up, and while I heard my mother honking the horn for me to hurry up, they told me I had been chosen to receive the first Osceola McCarty Scholarship. I was ecstatic! I ran out as fast as I could to tell my mother. She had to call the office again herself to make sure it was true.
第二天，我去了他们的财政资助办公室。他们告诉我说，仍然没有能帮助我的资金，但如果有任何情况，他们会随时电话通知我。几天后，我正匆忙出门，准备搭妈妈的车去工作时，电话铃响了。我停下来接电话，听到他们说我被选为奥西奥拉·麦卡蒂奖学金的首位获得者，而此时妈妈还在不停地按喇叭催我。我感到万分惊喜！我飞快地冲出去，把这个好消息告诉了妈妈。她为了确认此事，又亲自给办公室打了个电话。
I first met Osceola at a press conference——meeting her was like finding family. Osceola never married or had children, so my family has since become her family. My grandma and she talk on the phone regularly and do errands together, and she joins us for family functions.
我第一次见到奥西奥拉，是在一次新闻发布会上，当时我看到她就仿佛见到了亲人。奥西奥拉从未结过婚，也没有孩子，所以我家就成了她的家。我奶奶经常和她打电话聊天，一起做事，她也常来参加我们的家庭活动。
Once we got round to talking about ice cream. We found out Osceola hadn’t had much experience with ice cream, so we all packed into the car and went to the Dairy Queen, where we ordered Osceola her first banana split! She has ice cream a lot now.
有一次，我们在一起聊到了冰淇淋。我们发现奥西奥拉没吃过多少冰淇淋，于是大家全都挤进车里，去了“戴瑞皇后”，为她点了她从未吃过的香蕉圣代！如今她已经吃过很多种口味的冰淇淋了。
Osceola worked hard her whole life——from early in the morning to sunset——washing clothes by hand. I used to drive right by her house every day on my way to school. Of course, at the time I didn’t know it was her house, but I did notice how well kept the lawn was and how everything was clean and neat. Recently I asked her why I never saw her once in all that time, and she answered, “I guess I was out in back, washing clothes.”
奥西奥拉一辈子都很努力——从早到晚都在忙着洗衣服。我以前开车去学校时，正好经过她的家。当然，当时我不知道那是她的房子，但我注意到她家的草坪保养得很好，而且处处都干净整洁。就在最近，我问她为何那段时间里从未见过她一次，她回答说：“我猜我一定在后院洗衣服。”
Now that Osceola’s retired, she sits most of the day and reads the Bible. That is, when she’s not getting rewards. Every time I go visit, she has a new award. She’s even gone to the White House. She is so happy and proud, though not at all conceited. We had to talk her into getting a VCR so she could tape the programs and see herself on TV——she just sits and smiles.
现在奥西奥拉已经退休了。除了去领奖，一天的大部分时间她都坐在家里读《圣经》。每次我去看她，她都会领一个新奖。她甚至还去过白宫。她如此开心、自豪，却从不傲慢清高。我们就说服她去买一台摄像机，这样她就能把节目录下来，在电视上看到她自己——而她只是面带微笑地坐着。
Osceola gave me much more than a scholarship. She taught me about the gift of giving. Now I know there are good people in the world who do good things. She worked her whole life and gave to others, and in turn she has inspired me to give back when I can. Eventually I plan to add to her scholarship fund.
奥西奥拉给予我的远远超过了一笔奖学金。从她那里，我学到了付出的可贵。现在，我知道世界上有很多做好事的好人。她一生都在努力，最终却将一切奉献给了他人，也鼓励我在有能力时就要懂得回报。最后，我决定为她的奖学金基金增添资金。
I want to give Osceola the family she’s always wanted, so I’ve adopted her as another grandma. She even calls me her granddaughter. And when I graduate from USM, she’ll be sitting in the audience between my mother and my grandmother——right where she belongs.
我想给奥西奥拉一个她梦寐以求的家，所以我认她做我的另一位祖母。她甚至也叫我孙女儿。当我大学毕业的时候，她会作为来宾，坐在我母亲和奶奶之间——那是本就属于她的位置。
