It can be argued that John Tu has derived much personal satisfaction from his philanthropic work on behalf of the Freedom Writers' program and the Freedom Writers Foundation.

Although Tu is a billionaire today, he experienced difficulties assimilating to Taiwan's strict academic culture during his school days. Tu characterizes himself as a struggling student during those early years. After graduating high school, he moved to Germany to attend college. He states that those years in Germany came with its own challenges; he reports encountering discrimination due to his second-class status as a foreigner in the country.

As a result, in his adult years, Tu chose to finance Erin Gruwell's Freedom Writers' project. At the time, Gruwell's students were characterized as the "unteachables," students so mired in the prevailing culture of gang violence and societal degradation that educators held little hope for their future. Most of Gruwell's students scored poorly on standardized tests and were given little attention by their teachers. Gruwell's project was certainly a risky one, but Tu lent his financial support to the Freedom Writers' project with great enthusiasm.

Tu's support was likely inspired by his own experiences during his student days. In the book, one of the student writers describes how Tu's attentive behavior inspired her with hope. 

Since my dad left, I've always felt shunned and that it was my fault. I've always felt like I don't have anything important to say. But here was this man who actually paid attention to me. He wanted to know what I thought about the movie Higher Learning. Who was my favorite panelist? Which part did I like best about Farewell to Manzanar?

Tu not only supported Erin Gruwell's project financially, he also gave the students the gift of hope. In all, it can be argued that the Freedom Writers and their project gave John Tu a sense of personal satisfaction and of having changed the lives of students that society had judged as irredeemable.