60 years of excellence, and counting
Scholarships bring students closer to their dreams
The year 2023 marked the 60th anniversary of CUHK. As the University scaled new heights, the milestone inspired a timely reflection on the constant stream of high achievers over the years, whose remarkable successes bore witness to their resilience and dedication.
Various faculties had their fair share of outstanding students, culminating in 10,110 scholarships given out in the 2022–23 academic year, worth $198 million in total.
Wei Lun Foundation Exchange Scholarships
Established in 2013, the Lee Quo Wei CUHK Golden Jubilee Scholarship Endowment Fund Wei Lun Foundation Scholarships awards medical students, law students and Mainland students with excellent academic achievement, and also supports the students with financial needs for the exchange programmes. One of the 76 awardees was Arnav Sethi, a year-four student on the Hospitality and Real Estate Programme in Business School.
Armed with his exchange scholarship, Arnav was able to realise his dream of studying at Cornell University in the United States for a semester. He shares with CUHK in Focus that the broad scope of the CUHK programme is what has drawn him to the University.
“I was born and raised in Hong Kong, but wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do back in my high school years,” says Arnav. “This programme provided me with a range of options where I could explore both fields, hospitality and real estate, and decide which side I wanted.”
After the first two years of broad-based learning, he eventually chose to specialise in real estate, completing two internships during the summer holidays. “I also gained valuable insights from industry speakers who were invited to speak at our Friday classes,” he says.
Learning outside the classroom
The exchange scholarship notwithstanding, Arnav describes it as a “big surprise” when he and four other students from CUHK Business School were invited to take part in the 15th Annual Cornell PropConnex International Real Estate Case Competition in New York. An even bigger, more laudable outcome was that they eventually took home second place. The team of five was the only one from Asia, competing against 15 groups from Australia, Canada, Sweden and the US.
“There was a 1.5-month process from preparation to the final presentation,” he recalls. “We underwent vigorous training. It was a precious opportunity to have the presence of industry experts to judge our training performances.
“The process was quite challenging because we had only one week to prepare an actual commercial real estate transaction case. It was a surreal experience that went by so quickly, with lots of takeaways.”
Bringing light to the underprivileged
Apart from pursuing academic excellence, Arnav serves as a student ambassador of the Business School. He singles out the government-led Strive and Rise Programme as having left a “huge impact” on him by creating a channel through which he could support underprivileged families.
“I was grateful for the opportunity to share with secondary school students my life experiences, motivating them not to give up despite hardship,” he says.
Arnav also took part in the International Student Association’s orientation events. He was in charge of a group of freshmen and welcomed them into the CUHK community. He also produced YouTube videos to share his university life with more people.
“I tend to go with the flow and let things unfold naturally,” says Arnav of his approach to life. I’ve always lived with my parents, so I want to go out to explore life and see what’s out there.
“Now, being 21 years old, it’s time for me to grow stronger, be more responsible and face unexpected challenges. The scholarship relieves me and my family from the financial burdens that come with studying in the US, and I am very grateful for it.”
Wei Lun Foundation Scholarships from Faculty of Law
Fillira Cheung was another winner of the Wei Lun Foundation Scholarships. The year-two high achiever from the Faculty of Law believes in stepping out of her comfort zone.
“I like to put myself through challenges and see them as opportunities to learn and grow,” says Fillira. “In addition to studying law as my major, I chose an introductory course in Thai as one of the free electives. It wasn’t easy but has broadened my horizons for sure.”
And while most of her peers chose sports they were familiar with to fulfil the University’s physical education requirement, Fillira picked squash, one in which she had no experience. “I believe that university life is not only about pursuing good grades, but is an open door to learning new skills,” she adds.
Leading role in mainland exchange programme
During the summer break, Fillira signed up for the Pass-it-on: Service Learning Programme co-organised by CUHK’s United College and Tsinghua University of the mainland. It was a half-month mission to carry out voluntary work together, and Fillira was the leader of her group.
“We had to plan a seven-day itinerary to welcome students from Tsinghua University to Hong Kong. I spent a lot of time communicating with social service organisations and hosting events for adults with special needs. Luckily, the overall programme ran smoothly and was a meaningful experience.”
In return, Fillira went to Tsinghua in Beijing and also volunteered during her one-week stay there. “I visited rural villages and taught children some basic Cantonese. We read poems and sang children’s songs.”
“CUHK provides a friendly learning environment where everyone is willing to help one another,” says Fillira. “The scholarship came as a surprise. I will continue to work hard and navigate my career path by joining different internships. Apart from legal knowledge and theory, the law curriculum trains my critical thinking and judgement, which are useful soft skills for job searching.”
Fillira also expresses gratitude to CUHK Law for their continuous support. “The professors are very friendly and are willing to answer my questions – for both legal studies and career concerns. I would not have found the interesting part of law without them.”
Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarships for Excellence
In the 2022-23 academic year, eight other students were awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarships for Excellence.
Valerie Chan, a year-two student majoring in Biomedical Sciences, is grateful for the generous support of the award, which has allowed her to plan an overseas summer research internship. “It laid a solid foundation for my future career in scientific research that can contribute to human health,” she says.
Another scholarship recipient, Eric Wang from the Department of Psychology, is also optimistic about his academic trajectory. “My research interests focus on the human sense of fear, particularly the visual art style ‘weirdcore’, which evokes fear through familiar yet not entirely familiar images. I hope to explore the causes and treatments of phobias by studying error prediction mechanisms.”
By Gillian Cheng
Photos provided by interviewees
