I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder in my early childhood, having difficulties concentrating on my studies. Through behavioral therapy, I put a lot of effort and training into swimming and playing the piano. Eventually, I have the luck and grit to overcome these challenges.

Having personal experience with mental health issues, I can raise awareness and help tackle the social stigma attached to them. One example was volunteering through my church. During a three-day summer camp last year, I had the first-hand experiences with the younger generation who struggled with the lack of social interaction and academic pressure during the pandemic. These valuable experiences allowed me to listen to and understand their feelings; motivate and encourage those who are going through psychological problems with empathy.

My goal is to establish a social enterprise which hires the underprivileged while generating enough profits to donate food to the needy. It requires both stringent academic training and diverse exposures to make me a better communicator and challenges resolver as a social entrepreneur. I therefore committed myself to various internships and extra-curricular activities. For instance, acting as the Chief Technology Officer of a start-up company provided me with valuable real-world working experiences such as setting up websites and online business promotion. Besides, I have participated in the leadership training organized by ICAC last year and served as the Chairperson of the CityU ICAC Ambassador Program. Through active participation in different types of services and activities both inside and outside the campus, I could equip myself as a better learner, communicator, and facilitator for future challenges I will face as a social entrepreneur.

I have always wanted to travel and study abroad. I am eager to meet people with different cultural backgrounds and learn from their experiences. However, due to the lack of financial resources, my travelling experiences are limited to places within Asia. I have always wished to venture out into the western world, where the development of social enterprises is much more mature than that of Asia. Through the Scholarships, I will be able to study abroad in Canada and the U.K. It is an excellent opportunity for me to learn various operating models of different social enterprises and expand my academic horizon. The Scholarships will definitely help develop my career, contributing to Hong Kong in the future.

With the grit of continuous learning and improvement, not only did I successfully overcome my inborn deficiencies, but I have also changed from a band 3 to a band 1 secondary school, making me a CityU student today. I am so grateful for CityU, which provides many resources to help set me up for success. I have become more confident after going through different scholarship interviews. With the Scholarships, I am ready to take on even more challenges ahead.

During the pandemic, schools were suspended and students were required to attend online lessons at home. I could relate to the struggles of underprivileged students. Therefore, I had gathered like-minded teammates to establish a startup project, “Together”, to ensure students from grassroots families have sufficient electronic devices to attend online classes. Families have difficulties finding nearby resources in our society, while plenty of generous people have idle resources. “Together” connects decentralized resources in the community and delivers to people in need. Our goal is to promote an equal learning environment in Hong Kong.

In 2021, our project obtained seed funding from HK Tech 300 and HKSTP for further development, which supports hundreds of students and reuses dozens of electronic devices. This project is on track and will increase the scope by providing affordable quality education. I hope to coordinate resources more efficiently and swiftly to help underprivileged students with “Together”, nurturing more potential youngsters so that they can make their dream come true.

Solid technical skills and global business visions are essential for tech entrepreneurs. To sharpen my strengths in communication ability, tech-savviness, and organizational skills, I am now on Exchange in the United Kingdom, and I will go on another Exchange in the Netherlands next Semester. These two institutes offer excellent courses that will train me on business innovations and market trends, especially from different regions of the world. I am eager to work with international students and learn more about cross-cultural business. This scholarship alleviated my financial burdens and provided various networking support and training to achieve my entrepreneurial goal. .

Strike a balance between work and study is not an easy task. While handling my startup projects and academic studies, I have to work full-time to support my family. The scholarship can alleviate the financial burden and support my Exchange trips. “Everything happens for a reason.” Because of my experience, I understand the learning obstacles faced by students from low-income families. This experience cultivated my long-term career aspiration to help underprivileged students like me to access affordable quality education via innovation.

Curiosity and passion are critical for unleashing boundless potential in university life. CityU empowers students to build successful careers and realize their dreams with various support and resources. All we need to do is keep our minds open, dare to dream and accept challenges. I am so grateful to have the generous support from our IS department head, Prof. SIAU. He made time out of his hectic schedule to provide me with valuable advice and serve as the advisor for my StartUp projects. I want to express my gratitude to all people who have supported me along my journey. I would not have had such fruitful university life without their help.