Tony Phuc Nghia
“What major should I choose?” was the very first question that struck me when it came to university application. Many would choose careers that offer desirable salaries, but my approach was to discover my passion first. Through numerous moments of self-reflection, I realized that I was really into constructing prototypes of smart cities and high-rise buildings with Lego blocks in my childhood. I then recalled my experiences in high school, and I saw physics as one of my favorite subjects because of its logical complexity. When solving problems, I was tempted to the moments when I intuitively found the answers and from then grasped the concepts more deeply.
With this in mind, my interest in civil engineering began to flourish. However, what truly propelled me towards engineering, as opposed to other fields, was the time I served in the Hoi Yeu Rac Environmental Organization in Vietnam. Engaging in and organizing weekly trash clean-up activities shaped a new version of myself, the one who love to improve the life quality in society. This mindset drives me to aspire to be an engineer who, alongside others, seeks innovative ideas to create impactful engineering solutions for the community.
To bring my ideals to fruition, I decided to anchor myself in HKUST. What surprised me about HKUST is its standing as one of the top universities, yet offering affordable tuition compared to its counterparts. Thanks to the comprehensive curriculum, I had the privilege of devolving into various engineering disciplines and academically explore my desirable major. My university life has been rich and fruitful with many meaningful connections with friends from diverse backgrounds, and the involvement in extra-curricular activities through HKUST Connect. The studying culture here is sometimes stressful and tense to some but I find it worthwhile in the end because studying with smart and diligent UST-ers substantially has contributed to my intellectual growth and strengthened my commitment on the path of being an engineer.
I hope that becoming an ESA will serve as a means for me to assist newcomers in making the most of their university life and igniting their own passion for engineering.