CW Chu College The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

In this Issue, Ms GU Mingyu Dora from the Class of 2017 and Dr WANG Shijie Mike from the Class of 2016 share about their undergraduate life at the College and/ or life after graduation.

By Ms GU Mingyu Dora (Graduated in Term 2, 2015–16, Energy Engineering)

As a mainland student, going to Hong Kong was one of the most important decisions in my life, and choosing to affiliate with CW Chu College was another one that had a meaningful impact on my study and career choice.

When I first arrived in Hong Kong, I was a bit shy and scared of the new environment, which was quite different from what I experienced on the Mainland. Language barrier and culture shock were among the problems I encountered here. Fortunately, I met helpful College staff and fellow College students who gave me a lot of guidance and support to overcome the problems during the first few months of my studies at CUHK. Thanks to the small but united community, the College felt like my second home. The classes and trips organised by the College for non-local students were also very helpful in getting me closer to my peers and the whole brand new city.

Throughout my studies in the first two years, I gradually realised that Finance was my real interest and talking to finance professionals would be the most efficient way for me to get to dig into this field to see if I would love to work in after graduation. Luckily, I joined the College Mentorship Scheme that connected students with professionals from different fields. I was assigned two mentors from the financial industry but with different backgrounds in two Scheme years. Both of them were very eager to share their insights on their fields of expertise, which was extremely helpful for me to realise what my true passion was. Now I am working in the field that I am really interested in, which is one of the happiest things in my life.

Another memorable part of my College life was the consistent guidance I received from College teachers who were always willing to make time for me, and gave me advice not only on my studies but also on my preparations for the workplace and even many other aspects of life. For example, it was very kind of Prof Kenneth YOUNG to share his thoughts on how to make good transition from being a university student to entering the workplace and being a citizen in our society. Some of his tips still benefit me a lot today.

My life at CWC and CUHK was fruitful and memorable. Although it was only a four-year journey, what I gained from it can accompany me for my whole life. Great thanks to all of you that came into my university life and wish all College students enjoyable time at CWC!

By Dr WANG Shijie Mike (Graduated in Term 2, 2015–16, Energy Engineering)

Hello! I am Shijie WANG, a member of the founding cohort of CW Chu College who was admitted in 2012 and graduated in 2016. University and College life to me should be an exciting journey to experience new things and face uncertainties. For this reason, without doubt I chose to affiliate with CWC, one of the newest Colleges, and also Energy Engineering as my major, among the first batch of students.

Before my admission to the College, I already received warm welcome from College staff and Prof Kenneth YOUNG, Founding Master, who introduced me to the feature of intimacy in CWC via unexpected cross-border phone calls. When I finally had the chance to participate in College events and activities, such as the Orientation Camp, I really enjoyed the harmonious atmosphere of our College that all students, regardless of their cultural backgrounds, were willing to share with one another about their daily life and exciting experiences in the College or at University or elsewhere.

My College life also nurtured in me many positive qualities for well-rounded development. Like most of the other CWC students, I lived in the College hostel near Area 39. Although it was a little bit inconvenient for Engineering students like me to get to other buildings on campus for class, I learnt to plan ahead of time and be punctual. Also, the intimacy among the small student population encouraged me to engage in casual group conversations with my College mates from different origins in well-designed common facilities in the College hostel, such as Lanson Terrace, the TV Room and pantries on different floors, which aroused my interest in cultural exchange and peer learning. In addition, the brand-new Fitness Room always attracted me to work out there to stay healthy. Last but not least, many of the events and activities organised by the College and its student bodies were educational and inspiring, such as High Table Dinners, service activities and culture and language enhancement workshops, from which I learnt to understand myself better. I really treasured my four years in the College with fellow students, teachers and staff, who accompanied, encouraged and helped me from time to time on campus.

After graduation, I pursued my doctoral degree also at CUHK, and received a stipend through the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. Professors and fellow research students were all very nice and helpful. With the help of my PhD supervisor and senior lab mates, I managed to obtain some research outputs continuously, in the form of journal articles. In addition, I was so lucky to have attended some high-quality academic conferences around the world, such as in Singapore, the USA, and mainland China.

My future career plan is to continue my research in the industry, probably as an R&D engineer, which I believe can fully utilise my expertise as well as interpersonal skills obtained from my alma maters, CUHK and CW Chu College.