Never give up. There are always tough times, regardless of what you do in anything in life. Be able to push through those times and maintain your ultimate goal. Simple yet powerful words quoted by the famous American skater, Nathan Chen. I never define my obstacles as failures, instead, I mark my success by my repeated perseverance. During my college years, I have to do a part-time job on weekends to cover my expenses because both my parents have retired. It was exhausting, to concentrate on my studies and at the same time never forgetting my responsibilities in my work place.
It was through persevering and mental support from both friends and families that I have managed to pass my Cambridge A-Level with flying colours. I deserve this scholarship because I have the determination to achieve my goals, no matter what challenges I have to overcome.
I am the youngest in my family. I always get what I want whenever I asked my parents about it.
I dreamt about my future when I was a kid. Working in a renowned company, living in a wonderful house with my family, travelling around the world with my love ones. But soon reality hits me hard when my father was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement. It was the beginning of my secondary school as I recalled. It was still on early stage but my fathers illness grew over the years. Just before I started my college, my father had no choice but to quit his job. The main source of income of my family, alongside with my dream disappears on that day.
I had to work on weekends to cover my expenses. My first job was working as a promoter in a shoe store. Standing 10 hours a day consecutively for 26 days was painful for a first timer like me. I quitted this job after 3 months and started working in a western restaurant, a place where I had learnt my lifetime lesson. It was fun and exciting for the first few months as I have never involved myself in F&B industry. As time goes by, I got bored. I was nervous when my manager invited me for a talk because he overheard my decision to resign. It was a short 10-minutes talk but the impact he left will stay with me for the rest of my life. He was not the top student in his university when he graduated as a mechanical engineer. Like anyone else, he started working in a nearby factory as an engineer but the pay was not appealing. After years of working, he decided to start up a business with friends. It was tough setting up a company when you have neither experience nor connection. Years passed, the company did not bring him the fortune he expected and he was at the edge of bankruptcy. Fortunately, his families and friends was there to give him support, allowing him to get back on his feet and work even harder. Today, he is the manager of a western restaurant. That inspiring story was what kept me working in that restaurant. Never Give Up is his life motto that has inspired me even until today. Ever since that day, I started working hard. I wanted to further my studies aboard without my parents financial support.
Graduating from HKU with a computer science degree is the first step towards my new aim, becoming a data scientist. Today, Big Data is rising and leaving positive impacts on the society, revolutionizing old-school industries, giving birth to a new industry, improving business regardless of company size and many more. My plans after graduation is pretty simple, to start up a company that will make use of Big Data someday in Hong Kong. Once my business has matured, I will invite my parents to stay with me in Hong Kong so they dont have to worry about financial issues any longer. With this scholarship, you are not just helping me to get through college. You are also giving me an opportunity to change the society with the use of Big Data. I am grateful to be nominated for this scholarship, and should I be selected, I will make use of my knowledge in creating a better society.