17 September 2020

The HSUHK has endeavoured to nurture future leaders by establishing the Honours Academy (HA), the first of its kind in Hong Kong in mid-2020, in the midst of the challenges posted by the global pandemic. After half year’s preparation, promotion and recruitment, the HA formed the 1st cohort of HA Students comprising 18 high-achieving year-two undergraduates from different Schools who were selected among over 75 top applicants. As a team, they will embark on a three-year journey characterised with a unique interdisciplinary approach and experiential learning experience.

The “Online Orientation & Know Your Team” and a face-to-face workshop “Beating Goliath: Advance from Contending Challenges” were held on 24 August and 10 September 2020 respectively to prepare the 1st cohort of HA Students for this new journey. Dr Tom Fong, Co-Chairman of the HA; Professor Jeanne Fu, HA Head; and Dr Holly Chung and Ms Esther Lee, HA Associate Heads, welcomed selected students at the orientation. Dr Fong encouraged the first HA cohort, “Please fully utilise the focused resources available, proactively get connected with the HA’s Professional and Academic Fellows and get acquainted with your peers.” He and Prof Fu inspired the HA students to reflect upon university education and to develop a growth mindset so as to become a future leader who can bring positive change to society.

In the goal-setting activity, Ms Gianni Ting, the HA student from the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Asian Studies, shared, “Passive as we might seem facing the pandemic, I’ve become more eager to widen my horizons at the HA in the coming 3 years.” Mr Raymond Leung from the Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) in Finance and Banking also looked forward to the breakthrough brought by his HA involvement.

Apart from personal guidance from the Head and the Associate Heads, the HA is honoured to have 8 prestigious leaders in various sectors of the community to be the Professional Fellows and star mentors of the 18 HA students. Through their sharing on personal experience and the job-shadowing experience offered, we hope students will understand the society and the world more holistically. Together with a diverse array of educational activities, the HA students are equipped to formulate plans to create profound impacts on society in the future.