Fourteen CityU students received scholarships from Hang Seng Bank and the Li & Fung Group respectively in recognition of their outstanding academic achievements and leadership.

The awards exemplify the fact that CityU’s commitment to nurturing students’ academic and leadership qualities has earned community recognition.

Six Hang Seng Bank Scholarship recipients attended a reception on 13 October. Among them, five were awarded the Hang Seng Bank Scholarship for local students, namely Chan Wai-fun, Chau Kwok-leung, Cheng Chik-fat, Chin Mei-kei and Tsang Tsz-man, who received a scholarship of HK$18,000 each. The other winner, Wu Jiajing received a scholarship for mainland students of HK$60,000.

Attending the reception, Professor Paul Lam Kwan-sing, Acting Vice-President (Undergraduate Education) of CityU, said: “Our students have been awarded scholarships for their excellent academic achievements and outstanding leadership and I hope they can maintain this standard and go onto even greater achievements.”

Wu Jiajing, year 2 student in the Department of Accountancy, couldn’t wait to deliver the good news to her parents in Fujian Province by phone. “Though my parents have prepared a budget for my studies in Hong Kong, I am glad that their burden can now be eased as the school fee is fully funded by the scholarship for one year,” she said.

Tsang Tze-man, year 3 student in the Department of Economics and Finance, said the scholarship was timely as he was poised to begin an exchange programme in the UK and the money could help fund the trip.

In addition, eight CityU students have been awarded the Li & Fung Scholarships under Victor and William Fung Foundation. The newly crowned Fung Scholars are Au Yeung Tsz-yau, Lau Chau-lin, Lo Siu-yuk, Ma Sze-ting, Ng Cheuk-yin, Wong Hiu-shan, Woo Po-kuen and Yeung Tin-ping. Under the arrangement, exchange programmes are funded for studies at universities in Japan, the UK, US and Beijing from September this year and January 2009. All Fung Scholars will be invited to attend conferences and activities held by the Victor and William Fung Foundation Limited.

“The recipients of these scholarships have the opportunity to meet people from different cultural backgrounds in a totally new learning environment, which will enhance their English abilities and broaden their horizons,” said Mr Joseph Chan Kai-nin, Director of Student Development Services.

Having received Li & Fung scholarships in 2006, Karen Lo Tsz-yan, a CityU graduate, joined the exchange programme and went to the University of Stirling in Scotland last year as a Fung Scholar. “I came to realise that a person’s cultural background can affect their way of thinking. For example, a lot of students I met in Scotland were studying an area of genuine personal interest, as opposed to many in Hong Kong who simply study to get a highly paid job,” she said. Karen has since turned down offers from two well-regarded corporate companies and instead chosen a company that can better suit her personal strengths.

Yeung Chi-man, year 3 student in the Department of Economics and Finance, finished her exchange programme at the University of Leeds this year under the same scholarship scheme. She said studying aboard made her realise she had to equip herself for future challenges by pursuing more professional education alternatives, so she planned to further her studies after graduation.

Professor Lam and Mr Chan thanked Hang Seng Bank and the Victor and William Fung Foundation Limited for their generosity in granting scholarships that allowed students to pursue their dreams of a better life without financial constraint.