Stars on the rise
Outstanding Students Awards honour achievers with diverse strengths
In a world constantly in need of innovation, creativity and compassion, CUHK’s Outstanding Students Awards celebrate those who rise to the challenge. Spanning the five categories of arts, innovation and invention, social service, special achievement, and sports, the awards this year recognise 290 students, including 90 individuals and 14 groups who have achieved excellence in these areas.
They received the awards at a presentation ceremony hosted by the Office of Student Affairs on 12 February. The ceremony, held at Yasumoto International Academic Park, was officiated by Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming and attended by other members of senior management.
CUHK in Focus invited some of the awardees to share their thoughts and experiences.
Discovering Chinese art history
Liu Zelan, who has graduated with a PhD in History of Chinese Art, received the award in the Arts category.
During his doctoral studies, Zelan published research articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented papers at domestic and international conferences, covering topics such as early Chinese belt hooks, medieval Chinese Buddhist art and late Qing Dynasty glass painting.
He has also engaged in curatorial roles on and beyond campus. He co-curated the CUHK Art Museum’s exhibition “Cast for Dignity: Early Chinese Belt Hooks from the De-Neng-Tang Collection” in 2023, and contributed to an online exhibition by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in collaboration with Beijing’s Palace Museum, “Life of Fusion behind the Vermilion Walls”.
Now working in the Department of Fine Arts, Zelan is grateful for the enriching learning experience. “CUHK provided exceptional support through funding, scholarships and connections with leading institutions worldwide,” he says. “Now, as a proud alumnus, I am eager to apply the expertise I have gained to the field I am so deeply passionate about.”
Innovating for the environment
Contributing to environmental protection has always been a dream of Law Yuk-yi, a third-year student of the Integrated Bachelor of Business Administration Programme. An awardee in the Innovation and Invention category, Yuk-yi co-founded RiceFort, a company dedicated to transforming rice husks, a significant by-product of rice processing, into commercially valuable, environmentally friendly, bio-based materials.
The start-up has received numerous accolades, including a grand award in the Asia Social Innovation Award 2023/24, the execution and design award in the Techstars Startup Weekend 2024 and a merit in Hong Kong Techathon+ 2024.
Yuk-yi is grateful for the support from the University, such as the CUHK PILOTS Lite Program and the Dorsett Young Entrepreneur Scholarship from Wu Yee Sun College, which helped turn her team’s vision into reality.
“I hope my journey inspires others to explore their passions, overcome challenges and make a meaningful impact in their communities,” she says.
Empowering a rare disease community
Six students from S.H. Ho College were honoured in the Social Service – Serving the Society category for their project SCA Social Service Guides. SCA, or spinocerebellar ataxia, is a rare genetic disease that progressively impairs mobility and communication.
Ceci Zhang Yuchen, a fifth-year Cell and Molecular Biology major, leads a student team on the Voice Link project under supervision by Professor Edwin Chan Ho-yin from the School of Life Sciences. Voice Link aims to record SCA patients’ voices to aid future communication. Through interactions with patients and their families, Ceci’s team identified a need for social service resource guides, leading to the creation of the SCA Social Service Guides project, funded by the CUHK Knowledge Transfer Fund. The project enhances social resource access for rare disease patients and caregivers, building support and connections.
The team also fostered collaboration between S.H. Ho’s general education office, the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation and the Hong Kong Spinocerebellar Ataxia Association, from which they gathered patients’ feedback on the resource pack.
The team is committed to carrying on the project. “The rare disease community in Hong Kong lacks coverage by pharmaceutical companies and government welfare. I hope they can gain more exposure and support,” Ceci says.
Bridging Communities
Winners in the Social Service – Serving the CUHK Community category, Chakama Trichi and Suwannuraks Noppharada, both from Thailand and students of the Integrated Bachelor of Business Administration Programme, were recognised for their dedication to fostering inclusivity and promoting CUHK overseas.
As past and current Presidents respectively of CUHK’s International Student Association, Trichi and Noppharada have led initiatives such as orientation activities for new students and cultural festivals to celebrate cultural diversity and create a sense of belonging among international students.
“It has been an honour to serve the CUHK community and I look forward to continuing this service as an alumna,” Trichi says.
The pair are also student ambassadors. In January 2025, Noppharada supported CUHK’s admissions work with an admissions caravan in Bangkok. She shared experiences with local secondary school students and parents, offering first-hand information about life at CUHK.
“I am inspired to continue building bridges between communities and advocating for inclusivity and education in the future,” says Noppharada.
Bringing overlooked issues to debating arena
For Chloe Wan Che-ching, debating serves as a vital platform to address overlooked social issues. The second-year Medicine (MBChB) student, who earned an award in the Special Achievement category, began her debate career by winning the best speaker award at the Hong Kong Debate Open’s grand finals. She represented CUHK at the Tsinghua University Invitational Debate Championships 2024, where her team won Grand Champions. She also takes on training and judging roles, contributing to CUHK’s debate culture.
Additionally, Chloe represented the GX Foundation, a medical humanitarian aid charitable organisation, in outreach efforts in Senegal and was a key presenter at the annual scientific meeting of the Hong Kong College of Community Medicine last year, showcasing her strong analytical and communication skills.
“Receiving the Outstanding Students Award further inspires me to pursue my passion for debate and stay informed about current events, enabling me to engage in intellectually stimulating discussions globally,” Chloe says.
Championing and promoting wushu
Au Yeung Pui-yue, a second-year student from the Faculty of Education and a member of the Hong Kong Wushu Team, won an award in the Sports category for her notable contributions and achievements in martial arts.
She made breakthroughs in the past year, representing CUHK and Hong Kong at the 2024 Asian University Wushu Championship, where she won two bronze medals in the women’s other taiji weapon and women’s compulsory taijiquan events; and winning two more bronze medals at the 4th World Taijiquan Championships.
Dedicated to advancing wushu in Hong Kong, she organises workshops and performances to inspire young people to take up the sport.
“Only through popularisation and youth engagement can the Hong Kong wushu industry thrive,” Pui-yue says.
By Eva Choy
