I always ask the same question to myself: what can I offer to this world when I am gone? It seems too early to have a question like that as a 24-year-old. This question came to my mind during the darkest period of my life: I was dealing with the failure of rejection from the top-up degree I applied for three years ago. There were also other things that did not go well. However, I appreciate those experiences because they push me to work harder than anyone else and treasure every opportunity I have.

After several attempts, I was finally accepted by the Interactive Media (BA) at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2017. Students in this programme have diverse learning background. I worked in several group projects with classmates who were familiar with technology, prototyping, or media production in numerous group projects. Their skills made me realised that being an excellent interaction designer requires highly comprehensive abilities. Thus, I forced myself to look into new areas in every project. For instance, when designing the public installation, I learned how to use Kinect and Unity to demonstrate the body tracking effect. My final year project is about designing a tangible device tackling issues around gender equality in the gaming industry. The final year project was an individual project. I was the only person responsible for the research, the idea, and the final prototyping. For the demonstration, I learned to use Python to code on Raspberry Pi to connect all components of my device. It was a challenging workload, but I am proud of the final results.

While learning and experimenting with new skills and ideas, I maintained a high GPA and have won a scholarship. I was also honoured to be the class representative of Interactive Media to attend the Departmental Academic Adviser meeting every year. Apart from school, I work as a freelance designer and run my own design tutorial channel with almost 30,000 subscribers. I gradually found the answer to the question I asked myself: I want to be a design professor at the university, to pass on my knowledge to our next generation so it can last forever. That is why I apply for the Interaction Design MDes programme.

I plan to pursue a PhD after graduation. PolyU has the best design resources across Asia. I hope to come back to Jockey Club Innovation Tower as a professor one day. It is not a personal achievement but also is my dream to cultivate design talents in Hong Kong. When I look back at the events that happened in the city, I am motivated to do my part to improve the quality of life through design and technology for our future generations.