HK$10 Million Scholarships to Award Outstanding CityU Students

CityU presented more than 500 scholarships worth a total of HK$10 million to outstanding students courtesy of funds donated by professional bodies, charitable trust funds, private firms and the CityU Staff Giving Club on 13 March.

The Scholarship and Prize Presentation Ceremony 2007-2008 was attended by Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, Acting President, and some of the scholarship donors. Professor Ho said in his opening address, “University of California’s late president Professor Clark Kerr once said that he wanted to make university education free for all. The only qualification he asked for was ability. Money should not decide who goes to university and who does not. I share this belief. But until that beautiful day comes, we must rely on the goodwill and generosity of our leaders in society to keep the doors of university open for the worthy and the needy.”  He thanked donors for their generosity, and hoped the recipients did well to bring a smile to the donors’ faces. He also hoped the recipients could follow in the donors’ footsteps by helping others if they ever became economically successful.

After the ceremony, three scholarship recipients expressed their gratitude to the donors and shared their ideas on how they would use the scholarship to enrich their learning experience and enhance their whole-person development. Also, they expressed their views on success.

Beneficiary of the HSBC Overseas Studies Scholarship and Year 3 student at the Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics, Jimmy Wong has been to the University College London and studied for two semesters. The scholarship aims to encourage students to expand their vision by studying abroad. During his studies in Britain, he found that the students there did not have their dreams limited by the probability of achieving their goals. After experiencing the cultural difference between his home city and the United Kingdom, he has a new perception on what it takes to become successful and will strive to fulfil his life’s ambitions.

Alexander Ng, Year 2 student with the Department of Accountancy, was awarded a scholarship from CityU Staff Giving Club to allow his participation, along with 21 other students, in the Cambodia International Volunteers Exchange Tour. The scholarship he received is intended to enrich the life of students by sponsoring them to participate in cross-cultural learning and community activities. As the leader of the exchange tour, Alexander enjoyed close contact with impoverished families, orphans and child beggars. He sympathised with the needy, yet came to realise success should not necessarily be measured by material wealth. The journey reinforced the importance of cherishing his own family and friends, and he vowed to work hard to overcome any difficulties life presented with a positive attitude.

Thanks to an outstanding all-round performance, Don Chan, Year 3 student at the School of Law, received the Fang Brothers Whole-Person Development Scholarship. Don met the selection criteria of the scholarship for students who had achieved outstanding levels of performance in terms of behaviour, academic and sporting results, social activities or for special talents or contributions to the community. He was very grateful for the donor’s generous donation and felt it provided encouragement to continue working hard. He plans to use the scholarship to study a Master’s degree. In his view, success is imbued with a responsibility to the community. He is determined to become a lawyer to serve society with his professional knowledge.

The establishment of CityU scholarships is aimed at recognising students’ outstanding achievements in academic performance, arts, sports, community service and leadership. Also, it demonstrates the recognition and support of society on the quality of whole-person education advocated by CityU.

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