Sammi’s lifelong dream is to be a fashion designer at ITC, the best institution in Asia.
Natalie wants to try different things in fashion.
Six high-calibre students with top scores in this year's Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) examination have been admitted to the BA (Honours) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles at ITC. One of the students scored 32# in the five best HKDSE subjects, which set a new historical high since the introduction of HKDSE in 2012.
Prof. Jintu Fan, Head and Chair Professor of ITC had this to say about the calibre of the applicants: “This year has been an exceptionally difficult year for HKDSE candidates, yet we see them striving for self-improvement and achieving outstanding results. I am exceptionally delighted to have over 3,000 local and international applications (for both first-year and senior year admissions). Quite a number of them came from renowned schools, including St. Paul's Secondary School, St. Paul's Convent School, St Stephen's Girls' College, True Light Girls' College, Maryknoll Convent School, Canossa College and many more. We hope they can further nurture and develop their interests at ITC to achieve their dreams.”
One of these academically outstanding students, Lau Ka-sum Sammi, received an admission scholarship of HK$35,000 with three 5*s and two 5s in her five best HKDSE subjects. She hopes to study fashion at ITC to fulfil ambitions that she has held since primary school. "Being a fashion designer is my lifelong dream. PolyU's ITC is the best in Hong Kong and Asia. I chose ITC without any hesitation."
In Hong Kong, most parents want their children to become a doctor, lawyer, accountant financial analyst, or other well-paid professionals. But not Sammi’s parents. "My parents and friends unconditionally supported my decision. They know I love fashion so much. Studying in other programmes would not be an alternative at all."
A graduate from the Buddhist Sin Tak College, Sammi majored in Chinese literature, Chinese history and visual arts. She loves to draw and make handicrafts, and is also interested in ancient Chinese culture and history. She also enjoys watching fashion shows. "I don't know much about fashion brands, still, luxury fashion brands like Chanel and Dior are my favourite. The Moschino show earlier was amazing too!”
When asked to give some advice to other aspiring students who would like to excel in the HKDSE, Sammi said, "While I've never set up a schedule to review the instructed information, I did however set aside time to study each subject. The amount of time is not an issue, as it is more important to absorb the information. Every day, I would set a goal for myself. When I achieved it, I stopped reviewing and left the rest for the next day."
Another high achiever is Chan Wai-yin Natalie, who is also passionate about art and later, fashion, after attending a fashion workshop. "This was the first time that I created a dress with my old school uniform by adding lots of details and embroidered details. Since then, my passion for fashion continues to grow."
Natalie graduated from Valtorta College with exceptional results of one 5**, two 5*s and two 4s in her five best DSE subjects. She reached level 5** in the extended maths module, 5* in Mathematics as well as Business, Accounting & Financial Studies. "I did struggle when filling in the JUPAS form as I wasn’t sure about the career prospects. I struggled again when I received my HKDSE results. At the end, I chose this BA programme as I think that it is important to study what I’m interested in during my four years in university. It's true that I'm good at math and I should take advantage of my results to apply for an accounting programme. But fashion is still on my top wish list." Natalie said.
The Blonds is Natalie's favourite brand. "I love their style, craftsmanship, eye-catching colours and diverse use of luxurious materials. I love watching their fashion shows." Natalie added.
In March 2020, along with all the students scheduled to take the HKDSE who were panicking about the rescheduling of the examination, Natalie also felt lost: "I didn't know what to do and how to prepare for my examination, as the date hadn’t been fixed. Seemed like everything became meaningless." The examination date was finally confirmed on 15 April 2020, which motivated Natalie to study hard. Unlike Sammi, Natalie prepared a schedule for reviewing taught information: "I pushed myself very hard, and suffered from insomnia. I didn’t want to disappoint my teachers and parents, I didn’t want the 6 years of high school to have been a waste. I stressed out." Later, she realised that if she could not control her mentality and emotions, her knowledge and abilities would not be reflected in the examination results. She successfully found ways to release stress. Her exceptional scores are good proof of this success. Natalie doesn’t have a dream job yet. She is hoping that she can find direction after graduation.
Note: #The PolyU scoring system giving bonus points to applicants achieving 5 or above, where Level 5** = 8.5; 5*= 7; 5 = 5.5.
