Sam Ho Sum
I study aviation engineering since aviation is my interest and my desired career direction. It all started on the flight to Melbourne when I was Form 4. When I was looking out of the window, it was an unforgettable sunrise at 38000 feet. I kept wondering what I could do so that I could enjoy these views every day.
After the trip, I started to do research on aeroplanes and the industry background information, from different aircraft manufacturers to the commercial aircraft. My favorite one would be Boeing 777X which has the largest engine for commercial aircraft in the world and a foldable wingtip design features. It is out of the original track. I wanted to be a pilot, but I turned out to be an engineer. I focused only on aviation areas about the troposphere until I watched ‘For all Mankind’ on Apple TV. The story includes many exciting techs such as the Apollo Rocket and bases on the moon. I realized that it should not be limited to the atmosphere because there is space outside. Similarly, I started to dig into information about space physics and design features on different successful rockets such as Saturn V and Falcon 9. It would be a great pleasure and honor if I can design something incredible like them.
Being a student who does not understand much about myself, I had a thought of becoming what people believed was successful. While most of my friends were striving for business-related majors, becoming a quantitative finance student was once my goal when in secondary school. However, I was not really interested in this field after doing deeper research. Therefore, I decided to become myself, targeting at the aerospace engineering in HKUST. Why HKUST? HKUST has been ranking top in Hong Kong in terms of aerospace engineering. Apart from its ranking, HKUST provides a good atmosphere of learning such as comprehensive academic support from the professors. There are also four engineering school teams in which I can apply what I have learnt. This could undoubtedly enrich my experience so that I can prepare myself better for my career as an aerospace engineer. I feel grateful that I can meet peers with similar interests here and share our knowledge with each other. My leadership skills have also been sharpened after engaging in a wide variety of events and group projects. I have also learnt to communicate well with my friends. With this fruitful experience, I hope to help others develop their own HKUST life just like me.