I feel most humble to receive the Sir Run Run Shaw Gold Medal at the very finishing line of my medical studies. I believe one’s achievement not only depends on the personal strive but always a combination of opportunities and supports we receive.
Founding the Shaw College Medical Student Society is my proudest achievement in Year 1. We felt the need to create an official platform for Shaw students as we valued friendship and experience exchange. As much as I am trained to be a doctor, I believe university is where I realise my standing ground and societal responsibility. I was fondly inspired by the UGFN/FH courses where I was taught to see things as they are, to go straight to the point, to disentangle a skein of thought to detect what is sophistical. I subsequently even became the student tutor for UGFN1000 designing and leading tutorials for University General Education and later as a teaching assistant to the MBChB Bioethics course, to share what I have learnt with my fellow students.
Apart from medical studies, I spent most of my time experimenting on myself and limitations. Science and mathematics were the subjects I feared most since young as I seldom “got the textbook answer right”. Yet (with a leap of faith to conquer my limitations), Shaw and CUHK have given me opportunities to perform independent scientific research, at home and aboard at The University of British Columbia , Oxford and Cambridge, collaborating with Mainland and international colleagues, and presented my research in Switzerland and Austria.
I learnt the language of careful formulation of thoughts, never twist and bend for expedient reasons for short term gain. Away from academia, with my team we founded the first NGO to promote health among domestic helpers in Hong Kong. Being a huge fan of Harry Potter, I always share with my friends how “Every great wizard in history has started out as nothing more than what we are now, students. If they can do it, why not us?” Together with the great support and inspiration of my alma mater, I have started my training at the Prince of Wales Hospital this July, hoping to become a competent doctor serving our community.
To many people, studying law seems both difficult and boring because they think it is no more than reciting different ordinances. But in fact, in the process of studying law, we need to repeatedly consider whether various rules are necessary and just, or how they can be improved. The study habits and mindset I have learned from law school will benefit me for my entire life. I find company law to be the most interesting subject because I can apply what I have learned in law school in my job.
I think the key for me to getting good grades is not setting a limit for myself and being humble. We must always have faith in the future and be able to bravely step out of our comfort zone. We also need to be kind to others and maintain integrity as well as humility.
As a student of Global Communication, I am enthusiastic regarding the communication field. Especially in the School of Journalism and Communication, students are granted great room for improvisation and development, along with proper guidance and lead. Despite the fact that I am leaving the journalism and video production industries, I believe the training from school is of great help to work and study. Practical production skills and knowledge can be easily acquired in this day and age, but the theory and mindset beneath is the most valuable asset of all. Dear freshmen, please expose yourself to new things and environments from outside of your major. Even you do not find them useful at the moment, when opportunities strike, they will be your weapon. Steve Jobs once said, ‘You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards', and before you know, you have already created those dots.
As a public health student, I initiated a health promotion programme called “The COVID-19 Junior Warriors Academy” for primary school students in 2020 to enhance their awareness of COVID-19. The health promotion programme offers me an opportunity to contribute to the society by working with people from different disciplines and professions. I hope I can help the people in-need with the knowledge that I have learnt from my major.
I was never a high score achiever before getting into university. I remember when I didn’t achieve good results in my public examination, one of my teachers told me “When you look back to all the things you have gone through after the years, you will find that all the obstacles and the time you spent are necessary to achieve your goal. I have struggled, failed and lost hope but the one thing I did not do is giving up. “ It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
The CUHK business school is full of inspiring courses. I was enlightened by courses such as economics, marketing, accounting, business management, to name but just a few. Besides that, knowledge from other major are also applicable to business major, such as practical use of mathematics, statistics and psychology. The all-rounded curriculum is well designed that it widened my horizon in different fields. It allows me to enjoy the intellectual pleasure without any pressure from the public examinations.
Apart from academic study, I strongly agree that we should develop our own character at the university. It would be a definite advantage if we could expand our social circle to enrich our network. In Chinese there is a norm saying “knowing people is much better than being knowledgeable”. I would not say it is mistaken, but it is a false dichotomy. In fact, we could have achieved both without sacrificing any of them. The simplest way to know more people is to actively participate in college events. College is a place where students from various academic background gather together to play and interact. The college system plays an important role in connecting students with different majors. If you are hungry to meet new friends, please do not hesitate to join more activities in Shaw College.
Last but not least, four years time would be too short to achieve anything. Treasure your time at CUHK and do not let yourself regret for any moment. It would be an unforgettable journey in your life. “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”
It is my honor to meet you right here, for sharing my experience. I received the 2020/21 Excellence Award scholarship from Shaw college through my hobbies: sports, music and art.
I major in biomedical engineering (BME) but it does not stop me to chase my dreams. What connect me with my hobbies are patience. There are massive efforts and patience required whether for art, playing piano or sports. Just like lyrics in Jay Chou’s Listen to Mothers’ words: “Why I am learning art and playing piano when others are reading comics.” I used to run from day to night; used to see the sun settled in basketball court; used to watch the sunrise on my bike; used to draw art works in weekend; used to spend my summer practicing a piano piece.
For reading this far, I believe there are lots of readers who are better than me. I hope the passion you had for your hobbies can be kept, instead of be abandoned for higher academic grade. I used to want to give up my hobbies, but just like how Japanese writer Keigo Higashino said,“ giving up is pretty easy. But it is definitely cool to persist.” I really appreciated my persistence when I wanted to give up, it moulds who I am today. I am glad I enjoyed the delayed gratification from endorphin instead of short-term pleasure from dopamine.
It is my honour to receive this scholarship from Shaw college, this scholarship is not just a number for me, but more like an approval for my achievements. After studying year 1 PE classes in physical condition and basketball, I plan to minor in exercise science and health in order to extend my passion for sports. Furthermore, I would like to join sports teams from both Shaw College and CUHK.
Like every child, I went through various phases of life. I was 9 years when I asked my mum for piano lessons. My mum greeted my passion politely, knowing that piano lessons are quite expensive to afford. Cut down, I joined for Piano lessons at The Trinity College of London. My joy knew no bounds when I was enrolled as a student in a prestigious college.
As I grew up, my parents encouraged every interest of mine, and I was perpetually neck-deep in my busy schedule, juggling my academics and extracurricular activities. My sports portfolio was highlighted when I won the “Swimming Individual Championship” twice in my high school years and also when I secured medals in the UAE zonal level which led me to participate in the National meet held in 2018 and 2019. Hand-in-hand with my athletic and music pursuits, I was constantly involved in the school student council and strove to meet the expectations of the council through active participation and meetings.
My phases taught me ‘strive until you find’. I was drawn by the limitless possibilities I was able to explore and achieve. On the road, some, or I must say, most of them have been a turning point of my life in one way or the other; the most important being it gave a surge of confidence as I savored the taste of triumph. It made me understand what I was capable of and read the word ‘impossible’ as ‘I’m possible’.
As the Captain of the CUHK badminton team and Shaw College badminton team this year, I am very delighted to receive the award for Shaw College Sportsman. Playing badminton has been undoubtedly a part of my life since primary school, and it is one of the best ways to relieve pressure. It was a special occasion that I was elected as the captain of both the CUHK and Shaw College badminton teams. Unlike being a teammate, not only did I have to plan the training sessions for teammates, but also to monitor their training progress and mental healthiness. In badminton, the key to success is to recognize and strengthen your weaknesses, and to always seek a breakthrough. Things may not go well as we thought, obstacles are everywhere. The lesson I learnt in badminton reminded me of pushing myself to do better, and when you weather the storm, you will see a whole new picture.
To freshmen, your university life has started. These four years (for most of the students) are your brightest years. There is no denying that studying is important, but the more important thing is to find your position. There are thousands of millions of ways for university life, and the matter is how to choose the unique one that fits you.