Walton

I’ve always been that kid who couldn’t leave a gadget alone. If my phone glitched or my laptop felt slow, I’d grab a tiny screwdriver, open it up, and fall down a YouTube rabbit hole until I figured out what went wrong. Half the time I was guessing, but the quiet thrill of making something work again stuck with me. It felt like a small promise to myself: if I can fix this, maybe I can build something new, too.

Getting into HKUST especially the School of Engineering made that promise feel possible. Now, in Year 2, I’m learning to turn curiosity into action. Classes that once looked daunting are becoming tools I can use, and the labs feel like playgrounds where ideas meet reality. I’ve had prototypes fail in awkward ways, but with patient guidance from professors and the support of friends, I’m starting to see failure as part of the process, not the end of it.

What keeps me going is the belief that creating things real, useful things can bring me closer to my goals. Being here challenges me to grow, and I’m grateful for that. I hope this journey leads me to the kind of engineering that doesn’t just work, but actually matters.