options specifically for our program, and my
destination was the United States.
Professor Lee, my mentor, recommended
the exchange program at the Catholic
University of America. With my main
interest being politics, it made sense for
me to explore Washington D.C, the political
heart of the US and the center of state
government bodies. This proved to be
another right decision. During my exchange,
I became a Congressional Intern at the US
House of Representatives, one of America’s
most fundamental government structures. I
worked at the Office of Congressman Bobby
Rush. I helped deal with inquiries from
the public and lobbyist groups. Moreover,
I loved the city, which has a rich cultural
heritage and sophisticated urban planning.
Given my experience abroad, it may seem
that I prefer western cultures. However, the
fact that Asia, especially China, is booming
cannot be ignored. With this realization,
I discovered one more appeal of my
program – it offers both global and China
experiences. At HKUST, I became close
with a group of friends from South East
Asia. They enlightened me a lot – not only
were there similarities in our cultures, we
also shared a similar university experience,
taking the same courses and lectures
together. For these reasons, I wanted to
stay and develop my career in Asia. I am
now interning at the Beijing representative
office of United Nations Development
Program (UNDP) for public-private sector
engagement and partnerships with Chinese
organizations and companies.
HUMANITIES in a university of SCIENCE
and TECHNOLOGY?
When I graduated from high school, I was
almost a blank sheet of paper, except for a
slight interest in History. Back then, I joined
a HKUST summer camp for secondary
students, where I was fortunate enough
to meet two professors, Professor Virgil
Kit-yiu Ho, who designed and constructed
the GCS program, and Professor Anna
Yee-ngan Kwong, who taught the history
of architecture. They are both professors
who are passionate about what they teach
and about their students. They first opened
up my mind to the field of Social Sciences.
Their devotion attracted me, so I chose the
program despite the fact that it was only
established a year before.
I enjoyed the courses right from the
beginning, especially those in history and
political science. Based on my declared
interest, the School assigned Professor
James Z Lee as my mentor. Professor Lee
is the Dean of the School of Humanities
and Social Science. He would become
an important influence in my professional
development. The faculty members in
the department are world-renowned for
their academic accomplishments. I knew
choosing GCS was the right decision.
Global China Studies = GLOBAL or
CHINA?
‘Aren’t global and China contradictory?’
I thought at the time. ‘Are we learning
solely about China or other countries as
well?’ My question was answered by an
exchange opportunity in my second year.
The School offers a number of exchange
GOVERNMENT versus BUSINESS?
In between my experiences in the capitals of
the U.S. and China, my school offered me
another internship opportunity at the Public
Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate General
of Hong Kong and Macau. I helped educate
local citizens about American culture and
provided support to U.S. expatriates in
Hong Kong. The experience of promoting
educational and cultural propaganda was
very interesting to me.
I never had a plan of what I wanted to be in the
future. But now, after all these experiences,
I do: to work in the area of government and
public affairs. In the past, I never thought
governments and businesses had such
strong linkage; now I am becoming more
interested in researching this topic. Without
these experiences, I would not have come
to such a specific plan.
In Summary…
It seems that everyone at HKUST leads
extraordinary lives. I believe that it is
because we think out of the box. To me,
HKUST is not just a university of science
and technology – it offers a huge variety of
programs and opportunities that help us
grow into well-rounded individuals. In my
case, instead of laboratories and machines,
I participated in activities such as Redbird
(a community support program) and
TEDx (an ideas sharing platform through
conversations with industry experts). Which
of these experiences do I most treasure?
It is difficult to choose one – all have been
crucial building blocks that have brought me
to a new level.
Here’s her story.
Creating opportunities out of contradictions
013
2015
