78th Congregation (BA) Graduation Luncheon

Morningside recently celebrated its third graduating class. The class of 68 students included Morningside’s first Medicine graduates: Gareth Cheng and Darryl Tse. The ceremony began with an address by College Master Sir James Mirrlees, who spoke about the need to educate our leaders by creating spaces where students may learn to make up their own minds, and thoughtfully decide for themselves who they should become. Afterwards, two speeches were given by graduating students Jennifer Ma and Derek Mak. Jennifer began by explaining, “I didn’t hesitate at all to choose Morningside when entering university...” When these graduates began their journey at Morningside, Jennifer recalls, it was the newest and smallest college at CUHK, which encouraged students to make their own traditions. Throughout her four years, Jennifer stepped out of her “comfort zone” both socially and academically by getting involved with the student union and working under the mentorship of Professor Mirrlees. Derek also spoke about the experiences that enable personal and communal growth: “It was important to recognize that both hardship and happiness are subjective, not objective. When I look back, I find that what pushed me forward was this change in mind-set. Once we acknowledge the importance of being proactive, we gain the courage necessary to change our environment.” Congratulations to the graduates of 2015!