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Lunch with classmates and Professor Joseph Chan (now Professor Emeritus) after his
Global and Comparative Communication class in 2010.

joined the School as teaching staff. The graduating
class of 2024 is one I am especially proud of. This
cohort included graduates who secured tenure-
track assistant professor positions at esteemed
institutions such as Fudan University, Zhejiang Tseung Kwan O, but my time as a student remains
University, and the National University of Singapore, one of the most rewarding periods of my life. I had
among others. Their achievements are a testament six journal articles published or in press by the
not only to their hard work and dedication but time I graduated, which in 2012 was considered
also to the nurturing and supportive environment somewhat impressive, though somewhat standard
cultivated by the School’s faculty and staff, who nowadays. This paved the way for several job
are committed to fostering students’ growth and interviews in Hong Kong and Singapore before I
helping them reach their full potential. eventually had the opportunity to join the School
as an assistant professor.
I speak from direct experience when I say how
impactful the School’s culture is, as I was a PhD Small Size and Caring Culture
student here from 2019 to 2012. My journey, A key feature of our RPG programmes is that the
however, was somewhat unique compared to my class sizes were (and still are) relatively small, which
classmates, as I was a part-time student while facilitated rich, in-depth interactions between
working full-time as a lecturer at a local community professors and classmates. The teachers were
college. I was teaching 16 to 18 hours a week during always supportive, making time for us whenever
the semester, so I had to use my annual leave, not we needed advice. Among them were Professors
for time off or vacations, but to attend the School’s Ven-hwei Lo and Louis Leung (also my supervisor),
required RPG courses, which were held during who taught the statistics and quantitative methods
the daytime. Balancing these commitments was classes; and Eric Ma and Saskia Witteborn, who
challenging, especially as I was commuting from taught the qualitative methods classes. My final