Start Where You Are Fernando never imagined that GCS would be the start of such an exciting adventure. Looking back, he counts it among the most pivotal choices of his life, and one he is proud to have made. “At that point I couldn’t really say what I wanted to do, and I’m sure many prospective students feel the same: the uncertainty, the honest lack of confidence about what to do with our lives,” he says. The School of Humanities and Social Science (SHSS) met that uncertainty with encouragement. “It rewarded my curiosity. It opened the door and held it open while I stumbled my way towards my true passion. SHSS gives you the tools to become the best version of yourself, and whatever you do later, the principles GCS teaches are universal. I can say that with confidence because I still use them in my work every single day.” Diplomacy Alongside Engineers Outside the classroom, the experience that shaped Fernando most was Model United Nations, a student club that simulates real diplomatic negotiations. Delegates take UN resolutions from first draft to final vote. “It gave me my first taste of the topics that matter to me: global development and impact,” he says. Model UN runs all over the world, so what made his experience different? He did it as a student at HKUST. There he worked with peers from many disciplines and backgrounds, and the humanities-informed arguments he brought made team discussions richer, adding sociopolitical context to technical solutions. “At HKUST, the humanities and social sciences sit right next to the technical disciplines, and GCS puts you in the middle of that mix,” he says. “It lets you move beyond the boundaries of your own field. Being able to cut across schools of thought is what makes a great policy practitioner on the ground, and I got to learn and admire it from the start. It’s hard to overstate how essential that perspective is. So don’t just study GCS: do it surrounded by the most technical people you can find, learn from them, and build solutions together through collaboration and compromise.” Fernando on his day-to-day. Fernando and his team in Singapore with former UK Prime Minister, Sir Tony Blair. Fernando returning to SHSS to speak with students. His advice is short. “For me it was the unexpected choice, and it was the best one. Step outside your comfort zone, treat uncertainty as an opportunity, and keep an open mind, because the possibilities really are endless.” A last-minute U-turn took a science student from Spain to the World Bank. For the next student standing at the same fork, Fernando’s favourite motto applies: “Every ‘someday’ was once a today that dared.” Todo porvenir fue un hoy que se atrevió Fernando during a field visit to Ethiopia. 5
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