Bulletin Spring‧Summer, 2008

A Colourful Life on and off the Record Terence Lee Ho-kei joined the Whole Person Development Award Programme as soon as it was launched. The psychology major said, 'Though I've been involved in a spectrum of extra-curricular activities, I don't keep a record of them. The programme not only encourages us to take part in activities, it also helps us to record them. The certificate issued by the College will come in useful when we apply for jobs or further study.’ Although participants of the programme are required to become involved in five areas, it is natural that they are not all equally good in all five. A member of the College and University debate teams, Terence scores high in the 'Intellectual' category. And being an enthusiastic volunteer, Terence also performs well in the 'Ethical' category. He was a volunteer of the WTO Ministerial Conference, took care of children of South Asian descent and paid visits to 'young night drifters'. Sometimes his volunteer work continues into the small hours of the night. But Terence promptly added, 'I've never skipped one single class because of that.’ To Terence, time management is crucial. He said, 'Sometimes I may have to meet my debate team members five nights out of a week and discuss till midnight. Last year I spent nearly a thousand hours on volunteer work, three hours a day on average. That means I have less time to spend on other areas. Time management really is key.’ Nevertheless, Terence still strongly believes in the concept of whole person development. As our society moves ahead, it is not enough for people to possess only specialized expertise. They are also required to have multiple skills and exposure, as well as interpersonal skills and leadership. 'By joining the programme, I am better motivated to explore different activities and discover strengths and potentials in myself I might not have known otherwise.' The students are expected to submit information of the activities they took part in to the College, which will then do the verification and tallying. Gold, silver and bronze awards and yearly prizes are awarded according to the scores received by the participants. Winners each receive a trophy or certificate, and a book coupon. Scores are tallied throughout the students' undergraduate years, which means that they can plan their involvement and take part in activities of different natures. The Unique Collegiate Experience of CUHK   19