Life in HKUST

Life in HKUST

My time at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) was a whirlwind of growth, blending academics, leadership, and hands-on experiences that shaped who I am today.

CSESS

One of my proudest roles was serving as Chairperson of the Computer Science and Engineering Students’ Society (CSESS), the student society for Computer Science majors. Leading CSESS meant organizing a range of events and activities—site visits, tech talks, and socials—that brought our community together, sparking creativity and connection among students. It was a crash course in leadership and collaboration that I’ll always cherish.

HKJUCA

I also stepped up as an Event Organizer for the Hong Kong Joint Universities Computer Association, where I helped orchestrate the University IT Exploration Conference (UnitExCon) in 2015. This one-day, joint-university event was a whirlwind of case-sharing sessions, workshops, and booths covering IT Industry, Career Development, Women in Tech, Cloud Computing, Gaming, eCommerce, UX Design, Data Science, and Developer insights. Our aim was bold: to give students an international perspective and a clearer picture of the IT world. Seeing it all come together in a single, impactful day was a thrill I’ll never forget.

Football team

Sports were a lifeline during my HKUST years, and nothing beat the thrill of the field. As a key player on the CSESS football team, I poured my energy into every match, balancing practice with my packed academic schedule. Our crowning moment came in the Football Intramural Competition 2015-2016, where we clinched 2nd Runner-Up. That win was more than a trophy—it was the payoff of countless drills, late-evening strategy sessions, and the unspoken bond we built as a team. Whether we were dodging opponents or celebrating a goal, the sweat and camaraderie reminded me how teamwork and grit can turn effort into triumph, lessons that echo beyond the pitch.

HackUST

That same competitive spirit fueled my tech pursuits, especially at hackUST 2017, HKUST’s flagship hackathon. My team and I dove into the gaming category, racing against the clock to build something innovative from scratch. The pressure was relentless—debugging code at 3 a.m., tweaking designs on the fly, and pitching our creation to judges—but the adrenaline kept us going. When we walked away with 2nd Runner-Up, it felt like a validation of our creativity and hustle. That 24-hour sprint wasn’t just about winning; it was a crash course in problem-solving, collaboration, and pushing my technical limits, all while feeding my love for gaming tech.

Exchange program

In my third year, I leapt at the chance to study abroad through an exchange program at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany. Living in Munich was a game-changer—immersing myself in a new culture, navigating a different academic system, and tackling courses that challenged my perspective on computer science. From exploring Bavaria’s cobblestone streets to geeking out over German engineering precision, the experience broadened my technical horizons and ignited a lifelong passion for travel. It wasn’t always easy—adjusting to new teaching styles and a foreign language—but it taught me resilience and adaptability, qualities that still shape how I approach challenges today.

Internship

Back at HKUST, the summer of 2017 brought my first real plunge into the professional world with an internship at WeMine. There, I traded textbooks for real-world codebases, working on projects that demanded both technical chops and creative problem-solving. It was my chance to see how software engineering plays out beyond the classroom—debugging live systems, collaborating with seasoned developers, and delivering solutions that mattered. The fast-paced environment at WeMine sharpened my skills and gave me a taste of the industry’s pulse, cementing my drive to build tech that makes an impact.

Final year project

My final year at HKUST was a chance to dream big, and my Year 4 project delivered: Developing a Virtual Reality Search Interface for Web Search. This wasn’t just another assignment—it was a deep dive into the future of human-computer interaction. I set out to reimagine web searching through VR, designing an immersive interface that let users navigate information in a 3D space. The process was a rollercoaster—prototyping in Unity, wrestling with VR hardware quirks, and fine-tuning the user experience—but the thrill of seeing it come together was unmatched. It blended my love for new tech with rigorous problem-solving, pushing me to fuse creativity and precision in ways that still inspire my work today.

One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition

The entrepreneurial itch struck in 2018 when I entered the HKUST-Sino One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition, a high-stakes showdown of innovation. My team and I pitched an idea we believed in, battling our way to the Top 24 among a sea of brilliant concepts. Crafting the business plan, refining our pitch, and facing tough questions from judges was a pressure cooker of vision and grit. We didn’t take home the million, but the experience lit a fire under me—showing me how tech and entrepreneurship can collide to solve real problems. It was a taste of what’s possible when you dare to think big.

Summary

From classrooms to competitions, HKUST was more than a university—it was a launchpad. It handed me the tools to code, the experiences to grow, and the confidence to chase my ambitions, whether I’m writing lines of code, racing down a track, or exploring the world.