Continuing the cycle of giving
Written by Rachel P. Farrell | Published November 2025
Joe Fan (CAS’10, GRS’10) came to Boston University (BU) to explore the humanities, but he walked away with so much more—including two degrees in economics, clarity on his professional goals, and his future wife, Lauren Song (GRS’10).
But Fan wouldn’t have made it to BU if it weren’t for one thing: scholarships. Now a Hong Kong-based business development executive, he gives back to BU as both a donor and member of the BU Alumni Council. By funding scholarships, Fan opens doors for BU students—just as donors once did for him.
What made you choose BU for college?
I was born and raised in China, but I attended high school in the United States because my parents were working there at the time. When I was considering colleges, I decided I wanted to study liberal arts and learn about how the world works—instead of specializing in a narrow field, like business or engineering.
I saw BU offered that through its core humanities curriculum. So, even though I was good at math, I was fascinated by philosophy, history, and political science and wanted to explore them. Plus, I liked that BU was a big university, and the city of Boston was very diverse. It had a good vibe.
You received several scholarships to attend BU. What did those awards mean to you?
I benefited a lot from the scholarships BU offered me. Because of that assistance, I was able to study at BU for more than four years and earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics through an honors program. Without scholarships, I would have had to rush and finish my bachelor’s degree in three years.
The scholarships also allowed me to take advantage of everything BU and Boston had to offer. I spent two semesters with the Clinton Foundation, where I helped governments scale up HIV/AIDS programs and provide training to doctors and nurses. I also completed an internship in logistics at a consulting firm in the oil and gas industry.
I was also able to take courses in other colleges—including Questrom and the College of Engineering—which led to several research assistant positions. Through a joint research program with MIT, I got to work on a very innovative social network program that encouraged employees in businesses to share ideas. In another research position, I helped print aircraft parts on a 3D printer, which was a very new technology at the time.
It sounds like you used your time at BU to explore different careers. Was that your intent?
Yeah, definitely. My family didn’t put a lot of restrictions on me, and I wanted to be as flexible as possible and get a sense for a lot of different fields.
Now, I work in business development at Ping An, which is a large financial-services group in Asia. In this role, it’s important for me to establish strong relationships with different people, and I developed that skill at BU. It taught me how to connect and find common ground with people from very different backgrounds.
What motivates you to give back to BU now?
As an alumnus, I have a vested interest in BU; I want to raise its global profile and rankings. Being engaged in the BU community is also a natural extension of my job. I travel quite a bit, and my network is a very important part of my business. When I go to a new country, I try to reach out to BU alumni through the network. I like building relationships with alumni so I can encourage them to give back to BU, too.
Is there anything you’d like to say to the donors who once funded your BU scholarships?
I’m very thankful for their support. My scholarships motivated me to work hard and strive for success. They also started a cycle of giving: because donors supported my scholarships, I’m able to support scholarships for the next generation of BU students. Hopefully, over time, that reinforces our community and BU’s influence on the global stage.
Editor’s note: Interview has been edited for length and clarity.