The Association with Chung Chi Began in her Early Days ......

Chung Chi students embrace diverse nationalities and cultures. How to engage students of various backgrounds in College life and enhance their sense of belonging to the College is the core mission of the Student Life Committee of Chung Chi College (SLC). Professor Ou Dongshu, Associate Professor of the Department of Educational Administration and Policy, Faculty of Education, joined SLC in 2014. Having been the Chairperson of SLC since 2021, she is also a College Fellow and a member of the Chung Chi Final-Year Big Scholarships Sub-Committee, Scholarships and Awards Committee. When asked why she is interested in joining Chung Chi, and taking up the position of Chairperson of SLC, Professor Ou said it all began with her association with the College in the early days. “I pursued my undergraduate studies at Lingnan (University) College, Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou and have forged a strong bond with Lingnan ever since. Chung Chi College was originally founded by Dr. Lee Ying Lin, the former President of Lingnan. Chung Chi and Lingnan share deep historical roots. Therefore, when I started working at The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2010, I immediately thought of my alma mater and decided to join Chung Chi. In 2014, Professor Cheng Pui Wan from the Department of Education Psychology, who is now a Senior College Tutor at Chung Chi, encouraged me to join SLC. When Professor Cheng Kwok Keung Michael, a College Fellow, was about to step down from his position as the Chairperson of SLC two years ago, he recommended me to be his successor. I was grateful for his trust in me and also that from the College, so I accepted the appointment with great pleasure and enthusiasm.”

Fabulous Events Foster Inclusion of Diverse Cultures

Professor Ou believes that organising various events can create many opportunities for students to interact with one another. Thus, students of diverse nationalities and cultures can exchange their views and ideas and become more engaged in college life. The activities must be manifold enough so as to attract more students to take part in them. She said SLC has three subgroups, namely “Integration”, “Identity Building”, and “Cultural Activities”. “Integration” promotes the integration between local and non-local students with different ethnic backgrounds; “Identity Building” enhances Chung Chi students’ sense of belonging to the College; and “Cultural Activities” gathers students with different interests via cultural or art activities to enhance their spirituality. “SLC normally organises five to six events annually, such as historical and cultural tours, wine-tasting, latte art, hiking, art jamming, and visits to broadcasting stations or airline companies, among others. Students joined particular activities of their own interests, and the responses were often overwhelming. Under the leadership of the subgroup conveners, SLC secretary and members, as well as teacher volunteers, students fully enjoyed the activities. Students with diverse backgrounds might not know one another well when joining the events, but they could chat happily due to their common interests. We are so glad to see harmonious interactions among students during the activities,” Professor Ou said with a smile.

Uncertainties and Challenges

Undoubtedly, organising activities is an effective way to foster the inclusion of diverse cultures. However, SLC has faced a lot of challenges owing to unforeseen circumstances brought about by the objective environment and external factors. Professor Ou mentioned that face-to-face interactive formats are better for enhancing students’ well-being. However, many physical events were cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some activities like hiking could hardly be held due to various restrictions such as social distancing measures. SLC members explored the possibility of launching a wine-tasting event online, but it was suspended due to limited resources at home or hostels. Even if physical activities could be carried out during pre- and post-pandemic periods, the availability of students should also be considered. She said, “To accommodate the guests’ and participants’ schedules, many activities are scheduled at weekends or in the evenings. We try to avoid exam periods. However, some activities, for example, visiting the Radio Television Hong Kong, must be held during office hours. Unfortunately, some students with potential interests could not join the visit due to class schedule conflicts. Apart from that, to encourage more students to join the SLC’s activities, we also think about the convenience and feasibility of venues, and costs as well. We are thankful for the generous financial support from the College, which makes our activities affordable for all students.”

An Enthusiastic Team: Impossible Turned Possible

Apart from catering for students’ interests and accommodating their schedules, to make events run smoothly, SLC should also have adequate manpower with varied expertise. Professor Ou is grateful for working together with a motivated team who are passionate about organising activities for their students, making any impossible tasks possible! She said, “I am so thankful for my colleagues’ full-fledged support, from brainstorming, identifying suitable guests, formulating rundowns and contingency plans, to hosting events. Our colleagues not only have enthusiasm but also have a knack for managing diversified activities. For example, Professor Noah Shusterman being the hiking leader, Professor Ting Sun Pao being the guide for historical and cultural tours, Professor Chiu Siu Wai initiating and offering fabulous eco-tours, and Mr. Yuen Pak Yan and Professor Liang Hai curating some brand-new cultural events. My heartfelt thanks to SLC members, Chung Chi colleagues, and student representatives who are always there to help out when occasionally I could not join the SLC activities due to my teaching duties. It is the team’s relentless efforts and collaborative spirit that have ironed out all the issues encountered and made things happen.”

Broaden Global Perspectives and Embrace the World

As a long-term member and now the Chairperson of SLC, Professor Ou admitted that it was a natural fit for her love of diversity and the passion she has for encouraging the next generation to open up their minds and embrace the world. She said, “I love cultural exchange and exploring the world. In my last year of university, I was awarded a fellowship from the Lingnan Foundation and joined a six-month service learning programme as an exchange student at the University of California, Los Angeles. This experience exposed me to the ethnic, cultural and economic diversity, and inequality in the United States. Then I became very interested in education. From there, I went to Columbia University for my master’s and doctoral degrees in the economics of education. Afterwards, I worked at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Studying and working overseas, I met many people with diverse backgrounds in terms of education, language, nationality, religion, and ethnicity. Through our conversations, I obtained a deeper understanding of different cultures and history, and got to know people’s unique life stories and values including their own views on current social, political, and economic issues. This urged me to reflect on myself from time to time. It was an utterly fruitful experience. As a scholar, I love collaborating with researchers in different countries. In my cross-disciplinary research, I work closely with experts in education, sociology, and economics. All these experiences facilitate the leveraging of multiple perspectives when studying national and local educational policies. I always remind myself to keep an open mind: interacting and connecting with people of different backgrounds would make our world much bigger; when our visions are broadened, our minds are more open, and we may know how to cope with our challenges better. Eventually, a more positive attitude would lead to more favourable changes in our life.” Professor Ou believes that all these invaluable experiences have fostered her passion for education, which in turn enables her to encourage young generations to embrace the world. Applying her experiences to the work of SLC gives Professor Ou a great sense of satisfaction.

What does Professor Ou think of her thirteenth year in Chung Chi? She said, “All these years in Chung Chi have only made me realise more and more that Chung Chi and Lingnan share the same spirit. Coming to Chung Chi is like coming home. Lingnan sponsored me to pursue further studies in the United States; upon my return, I started to serve at Chung Chi, cultivating talents and giving back to our society. I am truly blessed and grateful. I have passion for the work I am doing for the College. I am delighted to see students growing vibrantly while achieving my personal progress continuously. It is a very blissful experience.

Editor Cabbie Kwong