Graduation is just around the corner. The fresh graduates\nwill soon start a new chapter in their lives. In this issue, we interview\nseveral students who will graduate soon. They reminisce about their university\ndays and share parting words for their alma mater.<\/p>\n\n
\u2018Thanks\nfor making me into who I am today.\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n\n
Mandy He, a fourth-year student of financial controllership\nand a member of Lui Che Woo College, says that joining the Honours College (HC)\nhas had a profound influence on her. During the first three years at UM, she\nworked hard for good grades but lacked a clear direction. In the third year, she\nstudied for one semester in the United States through an exchange programme\noffered by the HC. It was during that time that she finally found a direction\nfor her future. She says, \u2018Whenever I encountered a challenge, I would remind\nmyself that rising up to the challenges in life is a necessary part of growing\nup, so I became more active in class and took part in the various activities\norganised by the university and my faculty, which were designed to foster links\nwith the local community. In the process, I gradually found my direction.\u2019 As for her parting words for UM, Mandy says,\n\u2018Thanks for your endless support and tolerance. Thanks for making me into who I\nam today.\u2019<\/p>\n\n
Wishing UM a Better\nFuture<\/b><\/p>\n\n
Velonica Huang, a student in the Bachelor of Science in Integrated\nResort and Tourism Management programme and a member of the Stanley Ho East\nAsia College, has represented UM at various debate competitions and won many\nawards. Last year, she and her teammates on the UM Mandarin Debating Team won\nthe championship at the International Chinese Debating Competition, which she\nsays was one of the most unforgettable experiences of her college life.<\/p>\n\n
Aside from debates, Huang has participated in various other\ncompetitions representing UM student organisations. She feels thankful that UM\nprovides many opportunities and resources to help students gain international\nexperience. She says, \u2018During the exchange programme, I realised that UM is\nvery similar to American universities in terms of academic system and how\nteaching is conducted. Compared to studying at mainland universities, I think\nstudying at UM gives students a better chance of studying abroad after\ngraduation.\u2019<\/p>\n\n
Huang has witnessed UM\u2019s changes over the past four years,\nand she is impressed by the university\u2019s dynamism and enterprising spirit. \u2018I\nhope my alma mater and I will both become better and better after my\ngraduation,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n\n
Working Extra Hard to\nRepay the Alma Mater<\/b><\/p>\n\n
Five years ago, Brook Tan was admitted to UM\u2019s inaugural\nfive-year bilingual bachelor of law programme with exam exemption. Having lived\nin Chao Kuang Piu College for five years, she says she has acquired legal\nknowledge with local characteristics, and she believes that few other\nuniversities have law professors who are proficient in both Chinese and\nPortuguese. The five years in college have helped Tan gain a better\nunderstanding of herself. \u2018Now I know my strengths and weaknesses, and I also\nknow how to be a better law practitioner,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n\n
Asked about the most memorable experience at UM, she says,\n\u2018In 2014, Prof Chen-Ning Franklin Yang, an honorary doctor of UM and a Nobel\nlaureate, came to UM to give a lecture. I was in my final year of high school and\nI had the privilege of attending the lecture and taking a photo with Prof Yang.\nThat experience made me very excited, and I figured studying at UM would give\nme many chances to meet masters in various fields, like Prof Yang. Several\nmonths later, I became a student at UM.\u2019 Actually, Tan\u2019s ties with UM run\ndeeper than that. Her father, Tam Sik Chung, is an associate professor in the\nFaculty of Science and Technology and the associate master of Lui Che Woo\nCollege. Tan grew up at UM and thinks of UM as her home. \u2018I feel very proud\nabout UM\u2019s rapid development in recent years. I will work extra hard to repay\nUM for its education,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n\n
Thankful to Teachers\nand Friends<\/b><\/p>\n\n
Andy Tou, a fourth-year student in the Department of English\nand a member of Choi Kai Yau College (CKYC), believes that taking advantage of\nUM\u2019s resources to develop his strengths is a good way to make the most of the\ncollege years. During his spare time, this versatile young man studies multiple\nlanguages, including Portuguese, Japanese, and Spanish. He also dabbles in\nstreet dance and is a member of the cheerleading team in his RC, where he\nbecame good friends with many students who share his passion for dancing.<\/p>\n\n
As graduation is approaching, Tou most wants to thank all\nthe members of the cheerleading team, his dance instructors, and the resident fellows in the RC. \u2018They\nhave all played an important role in my college life. They have given me a lot\nof support and encouragement.\u2019 He is also grateful to the professors in the\nDepartment of English for their patient guidance and useful advice on further\nstudies.<\/p>\n\n
Tou is especially thankful for the opportunities provided by\nhis alma mater. He says, \u2018As long as you are willing to explore, you will find\nthat UM offers a lot of valuable things. Had I not chosen to study at UM, I\nprobably would not have had the same experiences and memories.\u2019<\/p>\n\n
Discovering a\nDifferent Self<\/b><\/p>\n\n
Tracy Chung, a fourth-year student in the Department of\nMathematics, was a member of the Lui Che Woo College House Association and the\nUM Symphonic Band, as well as a founding member of the Chamber Music\nAssociation.<\/p>\n\n
In the RC, Chung shares a bathroom with a student from East\nTimor, who lives next door. Chung says having to share a bathroom with a\nstudent who does not speak Chinese forced her to leave her comfort zone. For\ninstance, Chung studied in a Chinese high school, so when she first came to UM,\nshe was not accustomed to speaking English. But because she had to use English\nwhen communicating with the East Timorese student, she had to speak the\nlanguage even though she was not good at it. As a result, her English improved\nquickly. As they grew to know each other better, Chung learned how to get along\nwith people from different cultures and felt more motivated to learn more about\nthe world through foreign languages. She says, \u2018The student taught me\nPortuguese, and shared what her life was like in her hometown. Spending time\nwith foreign students makes me want to know more about the world.\u2019<\/p>\n\n
She adds, \u2018UM makes me want to step out of my comfort zone.\nAt first it was not easy, but after a while, I gained far more than I had\nimagined. I want to thank UM for helping me discover a different self.\u2019<\/p>