Cambodian Children's Fund Students' Study Tour @ HKUST
In the last week of November, a group of 5 students from Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF) at Grade 12 or recent graduates from high school went on a study tour at HKUST with their Education Manager . Hosted by HKUST Connect, the tour aims to let them understand how life of university student is like at HKUST, and as well to explore about the different courses we offer at our university.
CCF provides life-changing education, nourishment and healing to vulnerable children from some of Cambodia's most destitute communities. They are dedicated to give its students the chance to discover their individual voices, and are proud to see CCF students demonstrate intolerance for injustice, a strong sense of self-worth and a deep sense of compassion and respect for their communities and country - ultimately honing their potential to emerge as leaders and progressive spokespeople enacting positive social change. CCF is a community partner of HKUST Connect since 2011. This study tour is part of a program preparation for a long term institutional partnership project providing learning opportunities for both CCF and HKUST students.
The study tour kicked off with an official welcome at the Student Affairs Office by Ms Helen Wong, Program Director of HKUST Connect, introducing them a general overview of HKUST and the different events that they will be joining in the study tour. Our student volunteers then led the group to start off a campus tour with the newly renovated Visitor's Center. They were all impressed by our stunning coastal location, an oasis of charm and calm in a bustling cosmopolitan city.
Later in that afternoon, they joined the 6th Robot Design Contest with the Robotics team where they observed how the teams prepared for the contest and witnessed the exciting competition. They showed great interest in the making of the robots and were eager to learn more on this particular aspect. One previous Cambodia Service Learning Trip participant is a member of the winning team, he generously let the group to gain some hands-on experience on the robot and explained in details of the secret recipe to success for his team.
The CCF students were paired up with HKUST students who they shadowed during their stay on campus. They experienced what a typical HKUST student would do on a normal school day: attending different lectures and tutorials, studying in the library, chatting with friends in the common areas, visiting various exhibitions on campus, tasting the menus in our cafeterias and more!
Aiming at pursuing engineering or science related subjects in their future studies, the CCF students have shown great interest when they visited the Structural Engineering Laboratory and Environmental Engineering Laboratory of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Learning science without doing any hands-on experiments back in Cambodia, they were just amazed by the wide range of apparatus and equipment installed and were inspired by the students in the laboratories conducting their experiments. Prof. Ying Chau introduced the SIGHT program by Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Department, an UG-centered program combining interdisciplinary projects and overseas study trips to transform student innovation into tangible social impact. They were presented the new prototypes designed by the SIGHT team, which aims to address the problem that another Cambodian NGO is facing in their daily operations.
Apart from their visits and shadowing, they met with undergraduate students coming from aboard in a dinner social hosted by Prof. King Chow on behalf of the Interdisciplinary Programs Office and joined the Dine-And-Share Experience dinning at Hall 8 & 9 with Residence Master Prof Roger Cheng. They exchanged with the hall residents their views on university life, their own cultures, and even daily encounters.
Before they depart, they spent a day in exploring Hong Kong and enjoying the hospitality that Hong Kong has to offer. They visited many scenic tourist spots including the Peak, the Star Avenue and the Space Museum. It was a packed day with lots of joy.
To conclude, the CCF students and HKUST students both learnt a lot among themselves and built long-lasting friendships while providing support for each other. We wish them every success in their future endeavours!
Cambodian Children's Fund Students' Sharing
Time in Hong Kong is rush. People there are just doing things really fast and they have so many things to do. They are really responsible for their own things. I saw many students sitting in front of computer and working very hard. I wish I could work that hard too. Once I joined the lecture (during shadow session), I got the impression that students there were quite rude because they just walked out from the classroom without asking the teacher’s permission. However, when I asked people there why this happened, they told me that University students can do their own things and see what will happen. It is the good way to teach people how to work independently and to be responsible for their own decisions. So, a university life is more about exploring your life and your potentials.
Nhem Thay Heng
I was so impressed for the Robotics Competition! I could see that they were very creative. I think it is a good chance for students to learn to create by themselves through this competition. I was very inspired by this and hope we would have the same event at CCF. And I have been to Life Science class and Economics class so far with Ken. I think the lessons were so interesting. Surprisingly, I have been to the laboratory! I observed how the students conducted their experiments and how they finish their experiment reports. After the visit, I realize that there must be this kind of teaching and learning in Cambodia as it is very important and effective for students to learn abstract theories with the real practice. The most important thing I’ve gained from this trip is that I have found out my real dream. Before coming to HKUST, I wanted to be a doctor and I did not know much about Science and Engineering. Although I love Biology and Chemistry, I never thought of how these two subjects can be connected with each other. But now, I have better understandings of Science and Engineering after the trip. I’ve found out that besides wanting to be a doctor, I want to learn more about Science too!
Nov Sina
HKUST Student's Sharing
Talking to Sina and spending time with her were such an interesting experience. I came to know a lot of things about Cambodia, how different her life there compared to the way we live in Hong Kong and also about her dream of becoming a doctor. The whole experience inspired and made me reflect. I feel that I should be more grateful for all the conveniences that I am living with and I should find my future dream instead of just going through university days just because I have to graduate.
Nadia Benedica (Bongso)
CBME Student, Year 2