Gains from Our CityU BOLD Buddy Scheme Mentors
Two of our BMS students joined the CityU BOLD Buddy Scheme as student mentor to help secondary school students gain insights into university education from first-hand interaction with CityU students. The scheme was kick-started in October 2021. Form Three to Five students in local secondary / international schools were paired up with CityU undergraduates to form a Buddy Team. The mentor-mentee relationship gives CityU students leadership opportunities, in which they can be role models for the secondary school students. Meanwhile, secondary school students get a more all-round understanding of university life and education.
Let’s hear the post-activity sharing from our BOLD Buddy Mentors.
It was my pleasure to be a mentor representing the Department of Biomedical Sciences in BOLD Buddy. Since the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit us hard, several face-to-face events cannot be held. Unfortunately, I was not able to organize the in-person campus tour before the end of the buddy scheme due to the time limitation. I am sorry that the students lost their chance to visit our laboratories, the most essential facilities throughout the four years of study as undergraduate students majoring in science. Despite the inconvenience of not meeting my buddies in person, I could share my rewarding learning experience and school life with my mentees in the online information session. I believe they had a much deeper understanding of our programmes, including the curriculums and various learning opportunities offered by the department. I sincerely hope my sharing may serve as a reference for my buddies in their planning to pursue further studies.
The process of transitioning from high school to university can be challenging and overwhelming. Having been through it myself, I realize the importance of good mentorship during this period. Moreover, being an international student in Hong Kong, I felt that becoming a Bold Buddy Leader was one way in which I could give back to the Hong Kong community.
Throughout the program I was motivated to be there for my buddies and expose them to what university life would look like. Developing a mentor-mentee relationship with them took particular effort, and I was keen on encouraging them to be comfortable in asking questions and seeking information. This took a while, but eventually I was able to develop that kind of a bond with some of my buddies. Moreover, my fellow Buddy Leader and I were focused on providing our buddies with relevant and coherent information, since we realized just how formidable the amount of information to be accounted for may seem.
I appreciate having been given the chance to serve the youth community here through the aspect of education. I would always be open to such opportunities in the future as well, since I believe that knowledge that is not shared it is simply wasted!
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22 November 2022