Wang Xinyu, Claire wants to acquire an in-depth understanding of the fashion industry.
"The professors at ITC are very welcoming and experienced as they attach great importance to cultivating the critical thinking process of students despite being restricted to online classes," Na Yangyumeng said.
Xie Weilu hopes to enhance her design skills, which motivated her to enroll in the MA programme.
Every year, the taught postgraduate programmes at ITC attract applicants from all parts of the world. These applicants have a diversity of personal and educational backgrounds. Despite COVID-19, the number of non-local applications to our two MA programmes has been impressive this year, with 86% of the Fashion and Textile Design and 66% of the Fashion and Textiles applicants from outside of Hong Kong.
Not everyone would choose to pursue a Master’s or Ph.D. degree after graduation from their undergraduate degree as the endeavor would require years of dedication and effort. Wang Xinyu, Claire, a first year MA student in Fashion and Textiles who graduated from Colorado State University in the U.S., shares why she has chosen to undertake a Master’s degree at ITC: "I wanted to acquire an in-depth understanding of the fashion industry. ITC is a well-known fashion institute across the world, not only in Asia, but also in the U.S." Claire chose to study in Hong Kong rather than enroll in her undergraduate university in the U.S. because of the difference between the Asian and North American fashion industries while the pandemic is in full force: "The fashion industry in the U.S. is going through a rough time, so switching to a different environment is perhaps a good beginning for my new journey. I plan to pursue my PhD study at ITC after my Master’s degree."
Na Yangyumeng, who graduated from the Oregon State University in the U.S., faced many challenges when she decided to enroll in Fashion and Textiles in the MA programme due to travel restrictions: "I was coping with many challenges, but then another challenge laid ahead. I found out that I could not fly to Hong Kong for my classes as I am in Yunnan in Mainland China." She was also concerned about adapting to the differences in teaching style and method online. Even though Yumeng cannot be in the same physical space as her professors at the moment, she emphasizes that the professors at ITC are very welcoming and experienced as they attach great importance to cultivating the critical thinking process of students despite being restricted to online classes. She hopes to develop networks in Hong Kong during her study for her future career. Xie Weilu, a first year student in Fashion and Textile Design in the MA programme, graduated from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, and is from Guangzhou, China. She hopes to enhance her design skills, which motivated her to enroll in the MA programme even though it has been a few years since she received her undergraduate degree. Weilu said, "I am aspiring to broaden my horizons, have greater achievements and contribute to my future career. Thus, I left my job to chase my ambitions, despite that it is hard for me to return to university life."
Life is full of uncertainty and challenges, and these unprecedented times have not prevented our students from pursuing their dreams despite the challenges, as many of them are from far away places. Since no one should have regrets, follow your dreams and stay strong to make them come true. We are proud that the reputation of ITC has attracted students from other countries, and ITC welcomes Claire, Yumeng and Weilu among the many new ITC graduate students as they further their studies at our institute.
