Kelly Ka Yan

Hi! I am Kelly, a local student majoring in Civil Engineering. I have spent most my life in Hong Kong and the last few years of my high school in the United Kingdom.

I made the decision of carrying out my undergraduate studies at HKUST mainly due to the flexibility it offers. Most universities in the UK requires applicants to choose their desired majors in the midst of preparing for public exams. At the time I had a lot of doubt in the specific field I wanted to specialise in, though I was pretty certain about wanting to pursue a career in the field of engineering. HKUST has allowed me to try out introductory courses in the different branches of engineering in my first year of study. This allowed me to gain knowledge about each subject area that interests me, as well as gain confidence in my major selection.

This has also allowed me to explore the diverse opportunities available at HKUST. For example, in hopes of learning software programming, I joined the HKUST Robotics Team as a software trainee. I ended up being selected as a team member of the Robocon Team 2017. The experience of working in a large multi-cultural team in a major robotics competition was unforgettable. I have also participated in hackathons, both as a competitor and an organiser. These challenges have put my abilities and soft skills to the test and I have discovered a lot about myself when encountering difficulties.

I could not have done so without the support from SENG and I look forward to challenges set forth by taking up more roles and responsibilities and serving the community to give back to the support I have received from my seniors.