Joey Tsang, a Hong Kong Baptist University student who has received the Link University Scholarship for three years in a row, shared her experiences with community service while speaking as a student representative at the Link University Scholarship presentation ceremony. “I have benefited from participating in various networking events, community services and on-the-job training organised by Link Scholars Alumni,” Joey says.
In 2022, Joey joined a Hackathon to design eco-friendly facilities for the malls. “The competition allowed me to understand how shopping mall management can incorporate the concepts of sustainability and environmental protection, as well as think from the perspective of businesses,” Joey says.
Joey and the other scholars have also been working together to help the environment. “Last summer, we cleaned up a beach under the scorching sun. We also joined Link’s Volunteer Month for Food Angel. These activities helped me broaden my horizons and opened up new perspectives for me,” she adds.
Joey is pursuing a major in Chinese alongside a minor in history at university. Her cheerful and sociable nature shines through as she passionately shares her journey with these subjects. “Back in primary 5 or 6, my Chinese teacher’s innovative teaching techniques, like organising us into small groups to dissect text diction or article structures, ignited my fascination for Chinese,” she shared.
Joey, a fervent literature enthusiast, also finds solace and inspiration in modern Chinese literature. She admires Yu Hua’s novel To Live for its rich portrayal of human emotion and historical context. Likewise, she is drawn to the collection of essays by Hong Kong writer Taylor Lee. Joey finds resonance in Taylor’s exploration of themes such as recovering from depression, friendship, love and life philosophy, stating, “Reading Taylor’s essays during my final years in secondary school and before university greatly broadened my perspective on life.”
During her time in secondary school, Joey’s teacher embarked on monthly field trips to Hong Kong’s museums, a practice that deeply intrigued Joey and ignited her passion for history and its illustrious figures. As Joey reminisces, “Museums guide unveiled captivating narratives behind each exhibit, enriching my love for stories that I’ve cherished since childhood. History transcends mere accounts of the past; it embodies the culture and wisdom of ancient peoples.”
Last summer, Joey’s internship at the Tianjin Museum served as a journey of transformation from being a story-listener to becoming a storyteller. Recalling this pivotal experience that rekindled her love of museums developed in secondary school, she shares, “Instead of treating docents as mere volunteers, the museum assigned us to the department of publicity and education. I engaged in exhibition planning and contributed to a special showcase featuring bronze artefacts from the Jin State. My responsibilities ranged from crafting and proofreading exhibition panels to curating artefact descriptions and docent scripts. It offered me an eye-opening immersion into museum operations.”
Having utilised her prior Link University Scholarship to cover transportation costs to Tianjin and her living expenses within the province, Joey is already envisioning the impact of her forthcoming scholarship. “I’m eagerly anticipating attending a short course on K-pop culture and social media at Seoul University in June and July, which I hope will allow me to further broaden my intellectual horizons.”
Joey will have completed her four years of undergraduate studies by the middle of next year. In line with her goal of becoming a Chinese or history teacher, she intends to continue her studies by pursuing a postgraduate diploma in education. “I enjoy sharing, and I plan to spend the first decade of my professional life as a teacher, passing on what I’ve learnt to the next generation,” she concluded. “Later on, I might pursue a career in museum-related research.”