Testimonials Academy inspires the brightest minds

Testimonials

HKU Medical and Healthcare Academy for the Talented

"The Medical and Healthcare Academy for The Talented (MACT) programme is an intensive, interactive and intriguing programme specially designed for our Academy members. Participants not only attended lectures delivered by prestigious doctors and professors, but also engaged in a splendid array of hands-on workshops, say, acquiring surgical suturing techniques, applying the First Aid skills in tackling emergency scenarios, and using Virtual Reality to explore human anatomy.

As the alumna of the Academy, I am pretty glad to see how the programme has ignited the passion of many young scholars who may become future leaders in our community. It is also amazing to witness the expansion of the Academy and I am looking forward to joining more events where I can share my learning experience and university life within the community."

Michelle Yeung, MBBS V, Student Ambassador, The University of Hong Kong

"My journey in the Medical and Healthcare Academy programme was highly enjoyable and fulfilling. It gave me a deeper understanding in various facets of medicine, and has definitely intensified my interest in the field as a whole. The lectures were engaging and informative, and the highly practical activities were fun for partakers. Both of them, along with the opportunity to visit various faculty buildings, were eye-openers for me, opening up pathways for me to explore within the medicine circle.

Additionally, being able to interact with like-minded people, and cultivate genuine, meaningful friendships are something I’m hugely grateful for, and while looking back, I’m fond of this experience."

Adrian Richard Pardoe ,West Island School, Hong Kong

“Never have I expected that one programme could pose such a long-lasting impact on me. Not only did I gain a wide range of insights and get to know many talented friends from it, but this programme also further ignited my interest in the field of healthcare. To my great astonishment, the programme daily stunned me with what subsets the healthcare industry entails, from dentistry, pharmacy, anaesthesiology, and speech therapy to even public health and crime investigations. Yet, the most memorable part was the practical sessions, where I tried suturing and blood drawing for the first time, and picked up some useful First Aid skills along the way. Also, having the opportunity to talk to the student ambassadors cleared up my worries on the university life, and I am pleased to form a bonding with them. The Medical and Healthcare Academy for the Talented was undoubtedly the highlight of my summertime!”

Lillian Guo, Yew Chung International School, Hong Kong

"The HKU Medical and Healthcare Academy for the Talented 2022 was a 5-day intensive programme that provided me with an exclusive opportunity to engage in an inquiry-based learning on a variety of medical topics. Not only did I learn alongside similar high-performing peers, but also gained knowledge and useful skills about medicine as well as its modern-day potential from the industry’s professionals. The entirety of it prepared me for lifelong learning, as this programme really covered a wide range of medical knowledge and health sciences, and allowed usto explore our potential interests in these fields through lectures, workshops and practical sessions. Within this atmosphere, we all got to learn, interact, and broaden our social circle with students of similar backgrounds having the same passion in pursuing a medical-related career."

Chan Kevin Ki Lam, ESF King George V School, Hong Kong

"Being open to new experiences is essential to the full realisation of one’s self-potential. The Medical Academy for the Talented programme offers a wide range of academic and career exposure to students, allowing them to find out their true potential.

The suturing workshop led by Dr. Mike Leung from the Faculty of Dentistry had been many students’ favourite part of the programme. Students were able to get a taste of handling the scalpel, making stitches, and most importantly, being a dental surgeon. I wish I could have this wonderful suturing opportunity during my secondary school years.

In short, the 5-day programme was amazing. It was filled with laughter and encouragement. I felt very grateful to be accompanied by enthusiastic and smart individuals who actively engaged themselves in the programme and exchanged ideas with each other.

Now the programme has come to an end, I wish everyone the best of luck and see you soon in HKU!"

Grace Ip, BDS V, The University of Hong Kong

HKU Neuroscience Academy for the Talented

"The Neuroscience Academy for the Talented presents a unique educational opportunity in many ways. Not only does it provide captivating lectures on the brain, but their dissection and soft clay remodeling activities also let students engage in hands-on learning, allowing them to apply neuroscience knowledge in real-life challenges.

Personally, I took pleasure in sharing personal experiences and studying advice with students. It was heart-warming to see how well we bonded and how well we were able to learn from each other."

Francis Fong, MBBS II, Student Ambassador, The University of Hong Kong

"I was initially drawn to the position of Student Ambassador four years ago after experiencing the dynamism of the HKU summer programme as a high school student. This programme provided me with an insight into a myriad of courses and programmes that HKU offers, and I was grateful to have found my interest in the field of medicine and biological sciences. Since joining the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine after completing my International Baccalaureate Bilingual Diploma, I continued to contribute to the Academy for the Talented programme, endeavouring to inspire prospective students and introduce them to the vibrancy of HKU.

The students I mentored in the Academy for the Talented were truly outstanding, and it was my pleasure to see them actively participate in our activities, and cultivate their passion for particular fields of interest. I hope to see them joining HKU’s big family in the future!"

Lam Chak Hei Jack, MBBS V, Student Ambassador, The University of Hong Kong

"It was my utmost pleasure of having this opportunity to attend the neuroscience programme, which enabled me to explore the foundations of the neuroscience discipline and various physiological mechanisms, as well as to gain knowledge about the structure and functions of our brain. This enriching 4-day course has also aroused my interest in neuroscience through immensely informative lectures and engagement in hands-on activities. A big thank you to all who have been contributing to this fruitful course!"

Ellie Chiu, St. Paul’s Convent School, Hong Kong

"It had been an extremely valuable experience from the neuroscience programme. The academy existed like a community where we were able to share ideas and discuss to each other on the topics we were endeavouring. Overall, it was a remarkable experience and would probably stay in my memory for years to come, which further motivated me to pursue my dream in the field of medicine."

Daniel Fong, Chinese International School, Hong Kong

HKU Legal Academy for the Talented

"Joining the Legal Academy for the Talented is an interactive, unique, fun experience for secondary students who got the chance to see the legal sector from different perspectives.

During the course of just a couple of days, I was able to experience a mooting competition, attend court hearings and take part in lectures that introduced me to different parts of the legal profession.

Through this experience, I was able to meet many new friends from various schools, whom I hope to meet again in the future."

Thomas Cheung, Chinese International School

"The Legal Academy for the Talented was an immersive taster programme for senior secondary students. The lectures, court visits and mooting competitions all simulated what the typical life of a law studnet has been like. We were also pleased to partner with Deacons, which had organized an three-day Early Insights Programme to give outstanding participants a valuable glimpse into the legal professions.

Personally, I enjoyed the programme as much as other participants did. As a student ambassador and an alumnus of the Academy, I took pleasure in sharing my university experience and public exam advice with fellow participants throughout the programme, since I had been through.”

Hubert Wong, BBA & LLB Year III, Student Ambassador, The University of Hong Kong

“The programme was incredibly well-planned. In just four days, I developed a deeper understanding of the legal system in Hong Kong, and was able to gain insights into my future career path. Members also had the opportunity to take part in mooting competitions, which allowed us to display our understanding of different civil law topics such as Tort Law and Contract Law.

In short, it was an incredible experience which not only provided me with textural knowledge on law, but also presented me a chance to build connections and gain meaningful friendships along the way.”

Charlotte Tan, Diocesan Girls' School, Hong Kong

HKU International Symposium on STEM Education

“Seeing high school students as what might hopefully be the future international leaders of STEM who had organized their ideas and presented them to STEM leaders in Hong Kong was an eye-opening experience.”

“Everyone was so creative! We were all from diverse cultural backgrounds, so each student’s input was different which made the project pretty good.”

Loaah Eltemsah, AI-Glazaly High School, USA

“An exhilarating experience that I’d always remember, the Symposium’s quality lectures and high expectations really pushed me to my limits. From the high table dinner and joint programming sessions to panel discussions and group projects, in each event, we got the chance to engage with fellow tech enthusiasts and experts from all around the world. With a shared passion for technology, my teammates and I instantly got connected and still remain friends to this day. With the help of my mentor who proved to be immensely knowledgeable in virtual reality and machine learning, I was able to finally integrate the openCV library into my image detection convolutional neural network after struggling for weeks. Our group successfully programmed an HTC Vive Virtual Reality project with Unity, a development platform new to the whole team. This experience inspired us to proactively solve issues within our own communities.”

Choi Ching Lam, Diocesan Girls' School, Hong Kong

“The Academy has allowed me to further explore my interest in STEM-related areas, while its scholarships for programmes have enabled my passionate pursuit in medicine. I also had the opportunity to attend the International Symposium on STEM Education where our group used virtual reality technology for collaboration and then presented the artificial intelligence job-finding app Jobbo to a group of entrepreneurs.”

Jennifer Li Ding, ESF King George V School, Hong Kong

“It was truly a life-changing experience that I would always cherish. I met like-minded students interested in STEM from many different countries and all walks of life. The AI topic was extremely interesting. The project we worked on was intellectually stimulating, and the speakers were great! I am incredibly grateful to the Academy for giving me such an opportunity, and hope to have an equally meaningful summer this year.”

Alex Yu, Singapore International School, Hong Kong

“I not only learned to code but also met with top students from different nations. In addition to improving my presentation and communication skills, this experience helped me to better understand the importance of smart living.”

Mok Yan Ling, Chong Hwa Independent High School, Kuala Lumpur

"First of all, being the Academy member gives me new knowledge on the topics of my interest. In my case, it is data science. We have studied different kinds of DS applications in real-life situations. For instance, we get to know the use of DS in archaeology and biomedicine. Secondly, we are trained with the abilities to work on projects, including creative thinking skills, idea generation, organization and some of the hard-skills such as flow-chart creation. Of course, it would be better to take part in-person. Anyway, the most significant thing is acquiring knowledge."

Adil Shayakhmetov, NIS of Chemistry and Biology in Karaganda, Kazakhstan

Nobel Week

“The Nobel Week is a programme established by the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) which invites participants from all around the globe to attend a series of Nobel Prize-related events and have face-to-face dialogues with the Nobel laureates.

At the Stockholm University, I attended thought-provoking lectures, conducted by top professors, on topics such as philosophy and international relations. I also had the chance to attend ‘Nobel Lectures’, an enlightening ceremony during which winning laureates of the year shared their ground-breaking inventions and astounding research. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I joined the ‘Nobel Week Dialogue’ where the world’s leading scientists, key policy makers and Nobel Prize winners had an academic discussion on the catastrophic water crisis. The Nobel Laureates were very inspiring, and they demonstrated steadfast dedication and persistence in their research. Empowered and enlightened to strive for my own aspirations, I was eager to promote the awareness of pressing global issues among my peers.”

Jenny Lee, St Paul's Convent School, Hong Kong

Start-up Weekend

“During that weekend I learnt about the highs and lows of an entrepreneur’s life. I was really excited to be mentored by numerous entrepreneurs, especially Carson Yau, the founder of ReUbird supported by HKU iDendron. The toughest part of this programme was embracing criticism and learning to accept our failures. Since our initial idea was flawed, we went back to square one for a new idea on the last day and ended up winning the second prize! One of the judges walked us through each idea’s problems and suggested improvements. I could never imagine that launching a start-up was so challenging. This experience will become the blueprint for my dream pursuit or even for launching my own company in the future.”

Duncan Chan, Sheng Kung Hui Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School, Hong Kong

Deacons’ Early Insights Programme

"From slamming down the gavel, wearing powdered wigs to yelling out 'Objection, your Honour', these scenes used to make me associate with the legal profession, prior to my apprenticeship in Deacons’ Early Insight Programme being held as part of the HKU Legal Academy for the Talented. It is rare for Hong Kong students to earn the opportunity to join a law firm and find out more about the legal profession beyond news reports and sensationalised TV shows and novels.

Throughout the 3-day programme at Deacons, I was exposed to a variety of tasks relating to the daily work of a solicitor, ranging from legal research to drafting contracts, which allowed me to utilise the knowledge I had learnt during my time at the Academy. As my legal experience was limited to book knowledge as well as my participation in mooting and mock trial competitions, the given tasks were definitely challenging and took me a lot of hard work. Thankfully, we were assigned trainee solicitors as mentors who guided us throughout the process, and I later found myself enjoying each new task being assigned. Law is so much more than robes and rhetoric, and I was exposed to the minutiae of a lawyer’s duty. Overall, I was able to learn more about the risks and rewards from developing a career in the legal profession, as well as specific requirements from firms like Deacons. I am extremely thankful to both Deacons and HKU for giving us a fascinating glimpse into the Hong Kong legal system as well as an opportunity to make new friends."

Anders Pang, St Paul’s Co-Educational College