Top Hong Kong youth told to hold curiosity and thirst for knowledge as keys to success in lead-up to Student Of The Year Awards
- Candidates shortlisted for prestigious recognition in nine fields attend CEO talk hosted by organising company heads
- Youngsters agree on need to break out of city’s routine of drilling students only to pass exams
Curiosity and a thirst for knowledge will drive students to become future leaders, top secondary school graduates shortlisted for a prestigious awards event have been told.
Seventy candidates for the Student Of The Year Awards, organised by the South China Morning Post and Hong Kong Jockey Club, attended a CEO’s Talk last week, where they learned that a stomach for failure and being able to admit mistakes or ignorance were key to becoming successful and creative.
At the talk, hosted by heads of the two companies, Post CEO Gary Liu said: “I have a rule about this phrase ‘I don’t know’. First, it’s better to say that than to make something up, but the second part to the rule is – never to say ‘I don’t know’ to the same question twice.”
His philosophy struck a chord with some in the audience.
“Sometimes it is hard admitting you do not know because you want to be a holistic person who is knowledgeable, and when you say that, it makes you look weak,” Clive Ng Kai-yui, 18, said.
“But as Gary said, being curious means no fear of judgment and failure, so to say you do not know only drives you to become more eager to learn something, which keeps you moving forward,” the Form Six student from St Paul’s College added.
Being curious means no fear of judgment and failure, so to say you do not know only drives you to become more eager to learn something
Also sharing tips with students, Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said: “My curiosity is what pushes me to keep going amid challenges and failures.
“It is what makes learning new tasks more effective and enjoyable.”
Creativity, high value system crucial: judges of Student Of The Year Awards
However, the youngsters conceded that sometimes it was hard to stay curious in a city where students were often encouraged to excel only in passing tests.
“So much of students’ time is spent studying and doing homework already that during our free time, it’s less likely we would want to be reading or learning,” student Anthea Ma Hin-ching said.
“But passion is what drives me to stay curious,” the Form Five pupil from Good Hope School added, pointing out that this was a quality she shared with the Jockey Club chief.
The awards event, into its 38th year, will nominate as many as 120 secondary students, and advisory board members and judges will then pick winners based on leadership qualities.
The aim is to honour student excellence in nine categories, including academic subjects such as science and languages, as well as in sports, visual and performing arts, and community service.
The awards ceremony is set to be held on April 9 at the Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel.
