HKU Bulletin October 2003 (Vol. 5 No. 1)

14 FULFILLING THE DREAM 15 A s Hong Kong’s first official Rhodes Scholar, in 1986, Sandra Fan Pao-sun can remember being stunned by the contrast between the cloistered academic excellence of Oxford University and the turmoil of Thatcher’s Britain. From the breezy ambition and future- fixated colony, the young law graduate found hersel f in a wor ld barel y changed for hundreds of years but looking out the industrial strife and political turmoil of 1980s Brita T in h . e temptation to see this as a warning shot for ambitious young HKU graduates, however, could not be further from the mark because Fan has seen her career, as well as her perspective, take off in leaps and bounds. Now a high flying partner in the global law f irm White & Case, Fan bel ieves that the opportunity to study abroad is a must for Hong Kong students who want to broaden their horizons and polish their prospects. She said: “I f i rmly bel ieve that i f the opportunities are there all Hong Kong students should get at least one year study abroad in a western environment – not an Asian one. “Although Hong Kong has always been a Chinese society the influences of China are growing stronger every day and with it, unfortunately, western influences on Hong Kong are greatly diminished. “The opportunity to study at a good western university where you can see how differently the students think, how di fferent ly they behave in class and how they bel ieve in themselves must not be missed.” Fan set her sights on a Rhodes Scholarship in order to both study abroad and concentrate on purely academic studies. She said: “The intellectual capabilities of the Dons, the infrastructure and the students, were just amazing. “HKU was a good university with a good law faculty but it was just not permeated with the same level of pure intel lectual pursuit. Oxford was breathtaking. “Getting them to share it with you was another issue altogether!” Those worried that they will sideline a fast track career need not worry, according to Fan. She said: “I started my articles two years later than my contemporaries but having done a masters made a difference and the fact that it was from Oxford made an even bigger difference. “Yes, Rhodes made a difference.” Past Rhodes Scholar Praises Its Benefits D aniel Tsai knew he had arrived in the world of international finance when his bosses told him what to do in the event of a nuclear bomb explosion: get the first plane out. The high-flying HKU graduate was in Dubai as part of his fast track training scheme with banking giants The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporat ion Limi ted (HSBC) when the American invasion of Iraq began. Tsai recal led: “We had to have security meetings and we were told things like ‘What to do in the event of a nuclear bomb going off.’ We were told to take the first plane out. “Although we were not that close (to Iraq) if the prevailing wind blew our way we were done for. My parents were not happy and my grandmother said I should quit.” Tsai’s CV, however, is proof enough that the accountancy and f inance graduate is not a quitter but rather someone determined to battle it out. The son of a local restaurateur, he began his course at the University in 1999 and the fol lowing summer shunned rest and recreation for an internship with accountants Ernst & Youn T g sa . i said: “I found out I didn’t like it. I thought I would first try accountancy because most of the people on the course tend to go into this f “ i B eld u . t I found it too routine: just looking at the same old num D b e e t r e s r .” mined to extend himself further in his second year Tsai and a par tner entered, and won, a local business case competition after beating off more than 70 rival students. His reward in his final year was the chance to compete in an international business competition organised by the University of Texas and Tsai once again won. Tsai said: “I had no idea of winning when I entered the first competition, but by challenging and competing things develop and ideas begin to take shape. “Other students experience life through living in halls and joining societies. I did not do that – although I still had time for my friends.” In his second summer Tsai secured an internship wi th Goldman Sachs and found himself settling clients accounts for shares and counting out customers shares. Tsai said: "That was much more interesting because we were swapping shares for money so there were a lot of issues and problems to resolve. “All these internships and competitions were interesting experiences but it is reviewing the final product – your résumé – that is the most satisfying aspect.” The reward was being taken on by HSBC for their worldwide trainee investment banking programme which has given Tsai the opportunity to take in London, as well as Dubai. His experiences have illustrated that the degree and life at the University were not wasted. Tsai said: “It is the technical aspect that the degree helped me with. It prepared me so that when I was working in London there was nothing new to me in terms of numbers. “But university also offers you the chance to participate in so many things. My advice to first year undergraduates is don’t just stick to books: try different things.” High Flyer Says ‘Don’t Just Stick to Books’ Sandra Fan Pao-sun Daniel Tsai