Struggle pays off for new scholars
AMONG the 547 graduates of the Open Learning Institute (OLI) to receive their degrees tomorrow will be the institute's first housewife graduate, Stella Chan Cheng Sau-har.
Mrs Chan, 37, said the four years of hard work had all been worthwhile now she was receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Western arts and humanities.
She admitted it had not been easy taking care of two daughters and studying at the same time.
'I think my family's help - especially my husband's - has been vital. He has been so supportive and sometimes cancelled meetings to rush home to take care of our daughters. My daughters took great delight in opening letters from the OLI to check on my homework results.' Her husband is solicitor Chan Bing-woon, chairman of the Eastern District Board. It was he who encouraged Mrs Chan to enrol at the OLI.
Her immediate aim was to improve her English. Mrs Chan said she often had to accompany her husband to social gatherings where a lot of English was spoken.
'I used to be so scared, not saying one word, but now I'm much more confident. My next step is to get my Honours degree and then hopefully I can take a translation course.' Fellow graduate Linda Lee Ho Yee-ling, 35, had to juggle her studies, work and looking after two young sons to complete a degree in Business Administration.
'It has been difficult. I only started studying after putting the children to bed. I started at 11pm and sometimes finished at three or four in the morning,' Mrs Lee said.
She said the recipe for success at the OLI was self-motivation. 'No one is forcing us to study so it is all up to us. If you can motivate yourself, then you can do it.'
