2018 Outstanding Students Awards
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has been putting great emphasis on whole-person education by encouraging students in all-round development and to participate in community services. To praise and recognise outstanding students in attainments apart from academic excellence, contributions to the community, and having the courage to face challenges, CUHK has established the Outstanding Students Awards. Awardees shall lead by example having a flourish life, and encourage their schoolmates to be optimistic even there are big challenges ahead.
Professor Rocky S. Tuan, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, presented the certificate at the award presentation ceremony held earlier. He stated in his speech, “I am delighted and proud of our students’ achievements. To be an outstanding person, you must be willing to go the extra mile, to break through barriers and obstacles, to step out of familiar, and to make a difference in your life, to the people around you, to the campus or to the community. We hope to create an enabling environment for our students to understand and connect to the real world, to identify challenges that the world is facing, and to reflect on your responsibilities as global citizens – to make the world a better place.”
This year, a total of 127 students have received awards in five areas, namely Innovation and Invention, Sports, Arts, Social Service, and Special Achievement. Students are nominated by Colleges, Faculties and various units, and some are through self-nomination.
Lee Ho Fei, a CUHK Postgraduate Diploma in Education Programme student, lost his ability to walk due to an accident when he was young. However, with strong will and perseverance, he won the champion of the Hong Kong Marathon 10km wheelchair race earlier this year. Lee Ho Fei said at the sharing session, “I had symptoms of severe nausea after training in the early stages, and more seriously, sports ground phobia developed. Thanks to my coach and teammates’ support, I overcame it a year later. I was honoured to receive the award in Sports category and it will give encouragement to me to achieve my goals.”
Lee Tin Sum, School of Journalism and Communications year-two student, participated in many volunteer activities in the past year and nominated herself for the Social Service Award. She said the most profound experience was the service in Yunnan, mainland China, which brings music and arts to the left-behind children in rural areas. “We visited an impoverished minority village. Although we had planned to avoid too much hospitality, the villagers were too kind in offering us their best chicken and vegetable meals. They told us what the village needs most is to let more people know the situation there, as well as retain their unique ethnic culture. As a Journalism student, I think I have the duty to spread this message.”
Tsui Ling Siu, a year-three law student, received the Social Service Award. She has been leading Enactus CUHK, a student organisation promoting entrepreneurship culture. She and her team organise start-up events and competitions in the campus to help schoolmates to put their innovative ideas into practice and to create social impact. Tsui herself joined the co-founding team for the online platform, which aims to build the first open database for surgery costs, to empower patients with more knowledge about their choices. She said, “A tossed stone raises a thousand ripples. Although we are not medical professionals, there are still many different ways for us to help patients and to seek improvements in medical services. I am very honoured to receive the Outstanding Student Award and it encourages me to keep going and to pursue my own aspiration.”
2018 Outstanding Students Awards – Live to Flourish: https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/events_recap_detail.php?id=291&t=2018-outstanding-students-awards-live-to-flourish&s=