April Renhe

I am a student who arrived in HKUST through the mainland JEE track. Thanks to the strong math background my high school life had left me with, I wasn’t bothered much by the engineering courses in my freshman year. But my background also served as a double-edged sword, especially in the academic field. I habitually teamed with people from similar backgrounds, be it for project work, problem discussion or student society work.

It was not until the beginning of sophomore year that I finally ventured out of my comfort zone. I had to take LANG2030H as the only mainland student in the class. I still remember the first day I walked into that classroom, fearing that I would lose face owing to a one-year respite from speaking English. But everything turned out better than I could ever imagine. I had learned a lot from my peers and made really good friends with my teammates. Gradually, I abandoned cultural stereotypes inherited from seniors and replaced them with my own experiences. Studying with people who came from another culture is always a reward because their modes of thinking inspire me, and their sharing broadens my horizons. Now I’m comfortable with talking to new faces I meet in my classes and making friends with them.

I believe this quality would prove to be critical in the future. Staying in a metropolis like Hong Kong, the possibility of working with people from different backgrounds is almost 100%. I’m happy that I’m getting used to it, because this is a big step for a girl who studied with people from the same city for the first eighteen years of her life.

The Engineering Student Ambassador Program provided me with a golden chance to meet with people who have excellent leadership qualities and have a pleasant time in this warm family.