Class of 2024 Encouraged to Embrace Olympic Spirit
Graduates were told to draw inspiration from the Olympic spirit in their future endeavours as HKUMed celebrated the Class of 2024.
In a nod to the upcoming sporting event, Dean of Medicine, Professor CS Lau called on graduates to apply the Olympic motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger — Together” in their healthcare careers.
“I hope the Olympic spirit will inspire and motivate you in your future careers and service,” he said. “Be the best but remember that in healthcare, you cannot attain that goal alone. You need to collaborate with others and bring a human touch to all that you do.”
More than 700 students received their degrees on Saturday in the University of Hong Kong’s Grand Hall in front of their family and friends.
Professor Lau also used his State of the Faculty Address to announce plans to launch a graduate entry medicine programme for those with relevant undergraduate degrees.
“This bespoke four-year programme will have the added benefit of accelerating the training of suitable candidates to help meet medical manpower needs, and further diversify the professional landscape,” Professor Lau said.
Weeks away from the start of Paris 2024, the 212th Congregation featured two-time Hong Kong Olympic medallist Sarah Lee as guest of honour.
The cyclist described experiencing a challenging wrist injury and the dedicated care she received from healthcare professionals.
Comparing these athletic highs and lows to the layers of sour sweets, she called on graduates to learn from the difficult moments.
“As the next generation of healthcare professionals, I wish you can grow more through the sweet moments and embrace both the sour and sweet aspects of your future career,” she said.
“I encourage you to challenge yourself to uphold the highest standards of care and service wherever you serve. I hope all of you can learn from both positive and negative experiences and become exceptional medical experts in the future.”
Standing among groups of exuberant graduands before the ceremony began, Jackie Mok, a graduate of the Bachelor of Nursing Advanced Leadership Track, was helped with her graduation gown by her classmates. She expressed excitement to be sharing the day with the friends she had made on her first day at HKUMed.
“I feel relieved as five years of hard work have come to an end and we have achieved something important in our life, a milestone,” she said. “And we’ve gone through this together since day one.”
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery graduate, Dr Michelle Kwan, said she has enjoyed applying the knowledge and skills learnt at HKUMed in her first two weeks as an intern.
“It has been a very long journey for us, for six years. It’s a very special day for us that after so many exams, tests, we can graduate from MBBS and become interns,” she said.
