Newsletter No. 469/470

469/470 • 19.12.2015 5 獎學金捐贈人對學生有甚麼忠告和期望？郭綺光謙遜說忠告 都是愛說多於愛聽。「若說有甚麼話要對學生說，那就是：現 在你們已得到所需的了，要心存感恩，與人分享所有，這才是 快樂的真諦。」她對獲頒獎學金的學生只有一個期望，就是 他們能在自己選的路上做得精彩，並以自己的方式，貢獻社 會，讓別人的生命更加美好。 善行是會感染的，艷瓊曾說：「郭女士的慷慨給我很大啓發， 我希望也能回饋社會，有朝一日能夠像她幫助我一樣，幫助 其他學生達成目標和夢想。」郭綺光與其他捐贈獎學金的有 心人聽到這番話，想必大感欣慰。 W hen asked how the decision was made to give to CUHK, Ms. Kuok said, ‘At that time CUHK was already known as an unparalleled institution committed to excellence. It was no surprise that we decided to give it our full support.’ Since then, the Kuok Group’s other foundations have made substantial gifts. The latest was for the establishment of the Kuok Foundation Overseas Limited Scholarship for a Malaysian Student in 2011. Over the years, 325 students have benefitted from the foundations’ generosity. Ms. Janet Chow , Director of Institutional Advancement at CUHK, belongs to one of the early cohorts of beneficiaries. A few years ago, she was invited by a department to have lunch with a scholarship donor whose name rang a bell. When she flipped through old documents at home, she found the name was related to a scholarship she had received twice in her college days. The unexpected encounter, after more than 20 years, kept her busy and excited. ‘I prepared a bouquet and felt like the young girl meeting Daddy-Long-Legs.’ She couldn’t help imagining what the donor would look like. It turned out that she met an elegant and gentle middle-aged lady. School Port Dickson and has been an academic high-achiever. The young Esther yearned to leave her comfort zone to see the world. Being the eldest of four sisters with the responsibilities that come with that, overseas studies seemed like a remote dream. The ‘Scholarship for a Malaysian Student’ made her dream come true and enabled her to pursue studies in life sciences here. Esther recalled her years at CUHK with joy and gratitude. She enjoyed the opportunity to visit and experience different cultures through joining exchange programmes during the summer. What she treasured most were the friends she made. ‘I was pretty stressed with the heavy workload and non-stop examinations. Fortunately, I met friends with whom I could share my feelings. They were always by my side when I needed them.’ Jessica Aw Yong is a freshman from Malaysia and on the same scholarship as Esther’s. Thanks to school work, College activities, and modern communication technology, she finds homesickness ‘manageable’. The scholarship is offered for four years for the completion of an undergraduate programme, on condition that a GPA of 3.0 or above is maintained—a requirement considered by both Esther and Jessica as ‘reasonable and achievable’. To Esther, being awarded a scholarship is itself motivation for her to work hard and ‘complete my studies with flying colours’. And she definitely lives up to her words. Esther is now pursuing a doctoral degree in food and nutritional sciences on another four-year scholarship offered by United College. Jessica, who majors in psychology, said, ‘Given that the ultimate goals for us to come all the way here are to better equip ourselves with knowledge and broaden our vision, I don’t see why we should not apply ourselves seriously to our studies. 3.0 is not harsh at all.’ Another foundation in the Kuok Group, the Zheng Ge Ru Foundation, also supports the establishment of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences at CUHK. Ruth, a seasoned fine art connoisseur who sources artworks for Shangri-La hotels around the world, explained this ‘favouritism’ toward mathematics. ‘All efforts to promote learning and raise the level of academic enquiry into any subject are worth supporting. The word “University” seems to me to celebrate the universality of human endeavour. A mathematician appreciates fine arts; an artist is a keen mathematician: It’s the same consciousness.’ Ruth takes delight in meeting the scholarship holders. At the lunch table in November with Janet, Esther and Jessica, she did not lead the conversation or talk much, but encouraged the young girls to express their views by attentively listening. ‘I was especially impressed by Esther’s confidence and her enthusiasm for her work. What a remarkable young adult she has become!’ she later said. To her, there is not much difference in the three generations of students. ‘The enthusiasm and energy are the same.’ When asked what advice she would give to students, she replied modestly that advice is the one thing which is most given and least taken. ‘But if I had something to say to students, it would be: You have everything you need; you just have to be aware of it, be grateful, share what you have with others: it is the only true source of joy.’ The only expectation she has for the scholarship recipients is that they succeed in their chosen paths, and that they contribute, in their own ways, to improving the lives of others. Fine deeds are contagious. Ruth and other scholarship donors will find comfort when they hear what Esther says. ‘Ms. Kuok’s generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to the community. I hope one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals and dreams, just as she did me.’ 為 甚麼選擇中大？郭女士說：「那時候中大已是首屈一 指的優秀學府，予以支持，是理所當然的。」 其後，郭氏集團續給中大數筆餽贈，最近一次是2011年郭氏 基金海外有限公司為馬來西亞學生設的獎學金。歷年來，郭 女士的善舉惠及學生達325人。 大學拓展及籌募處處長 周瑤慧 女士也是早期受惠學生。數 年前，某部門邀請她出席午宴，跟一位捐款人見面，那名字 似曾相識，回家一翻舊文件，她赫然發覺那與自己讀大學時 兩度接受的獎學金有關。二十多年了，她從沒想過會見到捐 贈獎學金給她的人，又高興又緊張。「我預備了花束，心情就 像小說裏要與長腿叔叔見面的女孩一樣。」她禁不住好奇， 這位捐款人會是甚麼模樣呢？結果，她見到的是一位溫文爾 雅的中年女士。 周瑤慧回想當年，「一萬三千塊一年，對普通家庭的學生是 很實在的支持了。有了獎學金，我不用汲汲於多找幾份兼 職，也可以自給自足，減輕家裏負擔。儘管我和她素未謀面， 但知道有人在我求學路上無私支持，總是萬分鼓舞。」與 郭女士的會面令周瑤慧如沐春風，她往後一直盡量安排捐款 人和受惠者見面，分享人生經驗。 世界變得全球化，學生愈加渴望有機會到外地的知名學府 學習，增進知識，也增廣見聞。中大立根中國傳統而放眼國 際，是不少海外學生的留學首選。 2011年， 陳艷瓊 在中大校園與四百二十位非本地生一同展開 探新歷程。艷瓊在馬來西亞土生土長，畢業於波德申中華中 學，成績斐然，年輕的心一直嚮往離開安舒區，看看外面的 世界。可是，家裏還有三位妹妹，出國留學的夢似乎遙不可 及。特為馬來西亞學生而設的獎學金正好助她夢想成真，來 香港修讀生命科學課程。 回顧過去幾年，艷瓊滿心喜悅與感激。她把握在每個暑期到 外地交流的機會，領略不同地方的風土文化。最教她珍惜的 是在這兒建立的友誼。「沉重的課業，不斷的考試，確實很 磨人。幸而我交到一群能共樂共憂的朋友，每當我需要他們 時，他們一定在我身邊。」 新生 歐陽樂韻 同樣來自馬來西亞，也獲發同一項獎學金。到 埗後，學業和書院活動把她的時間表填得滿滿的，加上現代 通訊科技發達，所以「還好，不會太思鄉」。 獎學金基本上足夠全數資助她倆完成整個本科課程用，條 件是每年平均積分要起碼達到3.0。兩人都覺得合情合理。 艷瓊說：「獎學金本身就是推動力，敦促我要以優異成績完 成學業。」她說得出做得到，現在已更上層樓，獲得聯合書 院的四年獎學金，修讀食物與營養科學的博士學位了。主修 心理學的樂韻說：「老遠來到這兒，本就是要增進知識和擴 濶視野，不努力讀書根本就說不過去嘛，3.0絕對不苛求。」 郭氏集團的另一個基金—鄭格如基金—也捐資成立了中 大的數學科學研究所。郭綺光是資深的藝術鑑賞家，常為全 球各地的香格里拉酒店搜羅藝術品。為何鍾情數學？她有這 樣的見解：「無論是哪門學科，推動學習和提升學術研究水 平的努力都值得支持。『大學』一詞於我就像是意味人類探 索的廣大無邊，兼容並蓄。一位數學家會欣賞美術，而一位 藝術家也必精於衡值：當中的意念是相通的。」 郭綺光喜歡與獎學金得主會面。在11月與瑤慧、艷瓊和樂韻 的飯局上，她總是專注地聽兩位女孩談她們的經歷和感受， 鼓勵她們勇於發言。飯後她說：「Esther滿懷信心，對自己的 工作充滿熱情，給我很深印象。幾年下來，她已長大成熟不 少。」在她眼中，三個不同年代的學生並沒有太大分別，「都 是一樣的熱誠活潑」。 文／資訊處盧惠玉 By Sandra Lo, ISO 郭綺光（右二）與三代獎學金受益人：（右起）周瑤慧、陳艷瓊和歐陽樂韻 Ruth (2nd right) with three generations of scholarship recipients: (from right) Janet, Esther and Jessica Janet recalled, ‘$13,000 a year was substantial support for a student from an average-income family like mine. It freed me from the stress of getting more part-time jobs to make myself financially independent. And knowing that there’s someone out there​—though we didn’t know each other​—supporting me in my course of studies was most encouraging.’ The cordial meeting with Ruth was so pleasant that Janet now tries her best to arrange donors and beneficiaries to meet so the former could share life experiences with the latter. As the world becomes increasingly globalized, students seek opportunities to sharpen their academic skills and broaden their horizons at prestigious institutions in foreign lands. For many, CUHK, with its combination of a Chinese heritage and a modern international outlook, is a perfect choice. In 2011, Esther Tan started her overseas exploration on the CUHK campus with some 420 non-local students. Born and raised in Malaysia, Esther graduated from Chung Hua High