Why did you want to go on a company internship? I felt it was necessary to get hands-on experience in a particular industry before entering it. I thought it would help me to know whether I liked the field and whether my background was the right fit or not. More importantly, internship seemed to be an important stepping stone for joining larger companies. How did you choose/were chosen to join this company? I wanted to apply to Goldman Sachs because it is a major company and a fresh industry for an engineering student like me. The company chose me because of my engineering background, which could add more diversity to a finance firm. What was your first day like? The first day was orientation. We had to meet all the other interns and listen to company executives talk about the corporate culture, rules, and so forth. This helped to integrate the interns into the company. What did you feel was the main benefit of the internship? Getting to know an industry other than engineering. I found out how people deal with pop-up issues – problem-solving in an international company – as well as some of the dos and don’ts in a large firm. I was also able to meet great peers and mentors. How do you think it will help you in your future career? I believe it will really add value to my personal development and networking. I learned a large amount about the finance industry, which I felt would make it easier to enter such a field when I graduated. What did you learn about yourself as a result of the internship? I realized that my problem-solving skills built up during my undergraduate studies were not bad! And I could probably go further in this area. Why did you apply to join the pilot HKUST-Harvard program? I believed it was a great opportunity for me to learn about cutting-edge technology and make new friends. I feel fortunate to have been selected with so many smart students in the School. I am not great at getting good grades but I love working on group projects. I like research because I get to explore some of the latest technologies. This program, which let me work in a multicultural team, really appealed to me. How many people could join the program and how long did it last? A total of eight students, four from each university, spent one month at HKUST and one month at Harvard. What did the research involve? The project centered on visible light communication and there were two project themes, one on door locking and one on mining. I worked on the latter. In Hong Kong, we mainly learned about the design process and did some brainstorming. At Harvard, we worked on a prototype, undertaking testing and debugging. Did the project go smoothly? Not always! We quite often got stuck on technical problems. When this happened, we would have a cup of coffee, discuss, and start over. I really enjoyed this learning process and the teamwork involved. Did you have time for social activities? In Hong Kong, we took our US teammates to see the sights. In Boston, at the weekends, we explored the city. We even took a four-hour bus ride to New York, where we visited the Brooklyn Bridge, China Town, Statue of Liberty, and other places. What did you gain from the program? I learned a great deal from the Harvard students, in particular, their passion. Over those two months, I realized how enthusiastic they were and not afraid to try new things. Although most of the US students came from mechanical engineering, the project was more focused on electronic engineering. I saw how they devoted a lot of time to research, learning about circuits, and testing. They failed many times, but didn’t give up and, in the end, we accomplished two amazing projects. What will you remember most? Achieving great things is not about how smart you are. It is about not giving up. Corporate intern Helen Yifang Liu Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (2015) Goldman Sachs Investment Bank, Hong Kong, Summer 2014 HKUST-Harvard Undergraduate Summer Exchange Research Program Micky Chi Yee Chan Computer Engineering Program (2015) HKUST and Harvard, Summer 2014 In Focus 6
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk5Njg=