We are pleased to announce that Miss YUEN Lau Kwan Angel is selected as the Outstanding Student of School of Design in the PolyU Outstanding Students Award Scheme 2019. She is a year 4 student of our BA(Hons) in Environment and Interior Design programme, soon to graduate this summer.
Looking back at her university life, she concluded it as ‘the most stimulating, challenging and fulfilling time of [her] life so far’. She enjoyed the collaborative environment of studio learning and the interdisciplinary team work on a client project, and cherished the opportunity of joining the exchange programme for an eye-opening experience in New York.
Taking this opportunity, Angel shares her experiences and friendly tips for her fellow students. Scroll down to read.
Congratulations to Angel on her achievement!
YUEN Lau Kwan Angel
Year 4, BA(Hons) in Environment and Interior Design 2019/20
Outstanding Student of School of Design
PolyU Outstanding Students Award Scheme 2019
Studying at the university is a journey. From the beginning to the end, it reflect our stories of growth and individuality. Every single experience and learning process has witnessed how we have reached or exceeded our potential. PolyU provides a platform for us to expand our knowledge, meet life-long friends, discover new possibilities and broaden our horizons. My university life is the most stimulating, challenging and fulfilling time of my life so far.
Memorable Studio Life
Studio experience was one of the most memorable things and most intense periods of my university life. We had our own workspaces in the studio, where we learned, explored, experienced, grew and formulated our ideals about design. Our studio provided a perfect environment for collaborative and individual learning. The conversation with peers and tutors sharpened our creativity and innovation which motivate me to challenge myself for new possibilities. Studio was not only a workstation but also a social community hub. With the amount of time spent inside the studio, we got to know our classmates well. We formed an important support network that supported and encouraged one another to overcome all the tasks, challenges, problems and obstacles together. We were never alone. I sincerely believed that studio friends last a lifetime!
Diversified Learning Experience
Apart from lectures, School of Design offered us a range of learning opportunities including interdiscipline cooperative project, cross-year vertical studio, local site visits, mainland and overseas study trips, outboard exchange etc.
I had a fruitful experience collaborating with students from multi-design disciplines on the cooperative project – HATCH Co-working factory, an impact purpose initiative by Social Ventures Hong Kong (SVHK). We created a series of design outcomes, including Promotion Video, HATCH Tag, HATCH to go, HATCH Patch, Display Rack and Guideline Booklet of Spatial Planning with Perfect Fit Puzzle, to share our ideas on the future development of HATCH. This project not only provided us with a chance to practice our design thinking and apply knowledge into a real-life example but also allowed us to work with multidisciplinary teammates. Achieving the maximum outcomes, it needed the commitment of all teammates. We worked out the overall strategies together; stimulated creative ideas from different disciplines; and delivered tasks according to our strengths. Any of us were indispensable in this project. The experience of working with SVHK also inspired us to give back to society with our knowledge and engage in social innovation to make the city a better place.
Fabulous Study Aboard Experience
In 2019, I had a wonderful and memorable overseas exchange experience at Parsons School of Design, in New York City, the United States. New York City is well-known as a major centre of the global art market. I immersed myself under a different cultural environment while simultaneously broadening my international horizon and strengthening my professional abilities.
Through leaving our comfort zone to a new host country, I experienced another culture with incredible new outlooks, customs activities, traditions, and social atmospheres. Every culture has its history and unique value. It is essential to cultivate sensitivity toward cultural diversity, especially for a design student. Our thoughts and behaviours are affected by what we see, hear and experience. The exchange experience opened fresh and alternative perspectives for seeing things and generating design ideas. It is so true that learning by experiencing is often more effective than reading books.
Friendly Tips for Fellow Students
1. Stay passionate about what you are doing.
2. Stay positive. Everything will turn out alright in the end.
3. Never limit yourself and your potential.
4. Strike a balance between your academic and social life.
5. Cherish the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone. (It may be difficult in the beginning. But believe me, you will adapt to it. When you look back, you will appreciate your courage.)
Time flies, it is hard to believe that I am graduating soon. The four-year university education at School of Design has enabled me to see things at a slightly different angle from how I used to, allowed me to gain fresh insights and inspired me to develop an optimistic attitude towards life and the future. I strongly believe that the undergraduate years are a turning point in every student’s life.
About the PolyU's Outstanding Students Award Scheme
Starting from the academic year 1998/99, PolyU's Outstanding Students Award Scheme is run annually to award full-time final-year students who excel in both academic and non-academic pursuits during their studies. A student is selected from each faculty every year to receive the Outstanding Student of Faculty Award; and among these awardees one will be further selected for the honour of the Most Outstanding PolyU Student of the Year. The awards are given to recognize the students’ outstanding academic achievement, strong leadership ability, active involvement in extra-curricular activities, substantial community service experience and exposure, and good personal qualities.
| Topics | News | Awards | Students | Environment & Interior Design (BA) |
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