City University of Hong Kong (CityU) invited distinguished guests from various sectors to share their views and experience with more than 150 students from over 40 secondary schools on 26 March. The activity was aimed at opening the door of success for the students by helping them plan their futures and deal with challenges ahead.

The event was one of the activities of the “Shaping Your Future: A Lifetime of Difference” programme organised by CityU. In attendance were the Hon Leung Chun-ying, Council Chairman of CityU, Professor Way Kuo, University President, Mr Anthony Wu Ting-yuk, Chairman of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, and Mr Alfred Tsoi, Vice President and Managing Director of Yahoo! Hong Kong.

Each of the distinguished guests gave a talk for the students, and Ms Annie Chiang, a CityU alumna, writer and veteran social worker, hosted a roundtable discussion with Mr Chiu Tsang-hei, the Cantopop composer and producer, Mr James Hong, General Manager of the Marketing Department at Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong Limited, and Mr Hung Chung-yam, District Director of AIA Company (Bermuda) Ltd, on how to identify and achieve goals.

Mr Leung in his talk suggested that when considering which universities and programme of study to choose, students should anticipate the future trend instead of considering the brand name of a university. The setting up of the School of Energy and Environment as well as the Hong Kong Centre for Maritime and Transportation Law demonstrates that CityU is a forward-looking institution that nurtures talent to meet future development needs of Hong Kong.

“CityU takes a long-term approach in planning its future. It introduces new programmes that will meet changing needs of society, thus providing young people with better career prospects,” Mr Leung said.

He also stressed that CityU hopes to instill a sense of social responsibility in its students by creating the necessary ambience. In this regard, he said the Council has set up the Social Responsibility Committee and among its work is to establish the Charter of Social Responsibility for the University.

Professor Kuo said that quality is an important factor for success. Using South Korea as an example, he demonstrated how Korean medicine, semiconductors and cars have reached leading global standard as a result of their unremitting efforts to improve quality.

“CityU is a professional university committed to excellence. We strive to achieve the best in every aspect for the advancement of society,” Professor Kuo said.

Mr Wu pointed out three factors for success: willingness to keep learning, diligence and the courage to accept different things. He also advised that students should free themselves of the “super Hong Kong ego” and be willing to learn in a humble way, willing to think about and express their views on relevant social issues. He concluded by encouraging the students to have the determination to succeed, passion for work and the courage to embrace change.

Mr Tsoi gave a speech after the tea-break on the topic of “How to Become Successful in the Internet Era”, outlining the characteristics and opportunities of the internet era.

In addition to the talks and roundtable discussion, the students also visited CityU’s teaching and research facilities, while college and school representatives introduced them to the various academic programmes offered by different departments as well as the career prospects for graduates.

Participating students praised the informative activities, which, they said, helped them understand CityU better and offered them directions on planning for their future.