Awarded students appealed young people to make contributions to society

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 9 November 2022 - The result of the first "Ten Outstanding University Students Selection" held by the Hong Kong Ming De Association was released yesterday. Two of the awarded "Outstanding University Students", Cheng Ka-ho from the HKUST and Leung Wing-kiu from the CUHK shared their experience and appealed to other university students to be kind and keep enriching their knowledge, hence make good use of their abilities to benefit society.

Dr. Lee Sheung-yan, Chairman of the Hong Kong Ming De Association hoped the award-winning students and all young people would equip themselves for future opportunities, realize their dreams and support volunteer work to make contribution to society.

A student living in a sub-divided flat got an offer from HKUST
Worked hard in English and was admitted by HKUST even in straitened circumstances, Cheng Ka-ho, a third-year student of HKUST, majoring in quantitative social analysis was one of the awarded students. Cheng moved to Hong Kong seven years ago from mainland China. At that time, his family was in straitened circumstances that they lodged under their relatives' roofs because of the unaffordable rent in Hong Kong. They could only afford to rent a 100 feet sub-divided flat later on. Although his family was under such financial difficulties, Cheng put a lot of effort in studying English and his exam result improved from ranking bottom of the class to an excellent grade that enabled him to be admitted by HKUST. This also made him selected as one of the "Outstanding University Students".

Cheng shared that his English was not good and could not even pronounce Cantonese properly when he first moved to Hong Kong. Teachers and classmates mocked him and discriminated against him because of his language ability. He indicated that the good result he got in HKDSE was because there was a caring teacher who had assisted with his study. He was so grateful and determined to make good use of his strengths to give back to society.
Applying professional knowledge to help SEN students
Leung Wing-kiu, another third-year student who was awarded "Outstanding University Student" this year, studies at CUHK majoring in Chinese Language Studies and Chinese Language Education. She suffered from eye disease acne rosacea and had to take steroid eye drops sometimes. She also needed to avoid sunlight which could not allow her to participate in outdoor activities.

Leung said she believed that every student has different educational needs, and some of them have special education needs (SEN). However, Leung observed that many people have misconceptions about SEN students that they labelled and stigmatized them. Therefore, she decided to apply her professional knowledge in education together with her teaching experience, to help the public in Hong Kong to have a better understanding towards SEN students. She held the belief that young people should make good use of their expertise in responding to social needs.
Leung suggested that the public should accompany those in need with caring minds instead of sympathizing with them. She thought that the self-esteem of the SEN students can be enhanced with assistance, and thus they can also inspire other people to unleash their potential and develop their strengths.
Encourage young people to make contribution to society
More than 200 university students applied for the "Ten Outstanding University Students Selection 2022". The selection of winning students was based on the applicants' achievements and awards, contribution to public and social services, participation in the selection and performance in the interview. Those who had exceptional performance in all aspects would be selected as the "Ten Outstanding University Students", and each receives HK$10,000 and a certificate.
Joseph Chan Ho-lim, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Eric Fok Kai-shan, Chairman of Hong Kong Guangdong Youth Association, Carmen K M Choi, Director of Po Leung Kuk and Dr. Lee Sheung-yan, Chairman of the Hong Kong Ming De Association presented the award to the outstanding students-selected. Joseph Chan had given a speech at the awarding ceremony, encouraging the award-winning students to continue to work hard on their studies, strive for the best and contribute to Hong Kong.
"Ten Outstanding University Students Selection 2022" focuses on community service of young people by encouraging tertiary students to actively participate in volunteer work. Chairman of the Hong Kong Ming De Association Dr. Lee Sheung-yan announced that the Selection ended successfully, and the Hong Kong Ming De Association will continue to provide different volunteering opportunities to young people and also organize various seminars and workshops for them. It is hoped that the participants can explore their strengths via the activities and bring positive contributions to society.
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About Hong Kong Ming De Association

Hong Kong Ming De Association is committed to engaging young people to create a more inclusive society and promote dynamic culture in society. We aim to enrich young people's life experiences, give opportunities for them to develop their interpersonal network by organizing a variety of volunteer projects for them. Our vision is to engage the public and connect with the community and gather a more powerful driving force to benefit society by the means of assisting young people to develop their potential, achieve their goals and inspire others to follow.

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