Cynwell Yik Lun

People say “your life today is the sum total of your choices.”. That’s what I believe and therefore cherish every chance I have. There are many ways to live a university life, and here’s my fruitful and unforgettable experience at HKUST.

As an HKUST student, the university has provided many resources and opportunities to accelerate my personal growth. My roles have shifted between a student, hall resident, teaching assistant, mentor, research assistant, alums, and startup co-founder throughout different periods in the university to exploring many future possibilities.

As a student, I have to study hard to keep up with the course with no doubts. Still, I managed to devote myself to various activities to explore my interests and personal goals during my leisure time in my first year of study. And HKUST’s guaranteed on-campus residential accommodation policy has often created opportunities for me to meet supportive friends, forming closer bonding with other first-year students. I felt so pleased to meet them in my first-year studies.

While becoming a senior student, I realized that my experience could be helpful to many junior students. I participated in several mentoring activities to support my peers in living a fruitful life at the university. In the past I used to seek help from others often. Yet it is an amazing experience and grateful to be able to give back to the community. Besides the supporting role, I noticed potentials in the NLP research and therefore, founded a startup to transform cutting-edge technologies into ready-to-go solutions.

All these experiences are rewarding and have shaped me to understand myself better. Exploring yourself and unleashing your potential with infinite possibilities in the university is important besides the school studies. And HKUST is a great place to explore the best of yourself, establish precious friendships with your schoolmates, and shape your future belief and value.