Sharing from Our Scholars

Studying abroad, thousands of miles from home away from family and friends may be a daunting thought, but don’t let it discourage you from applying to Cambridge. As one of the best universities in the world, Cambridge offers a large variety of courses that allow you to develop skills valued both in industry and in academia. In your spare time, there is also a plethora of clubs and societies ranging from sports to collage-making, available to broaden your horizons and to socialise. I have been the co-chairman of the college bridge club for three years and have thoroughly enjoyed the intellectual exchange with other players. So don’t miss out on this opportunity; apply for the Prince Philip Scholarship to unlock this unique experience and join the community of scholars to create life-long friendships.

My four years of undergraduate studies at Cambridge were amazing and unforgettable. The Engineering course was intense, but I managed to take advantage of the opportunities that Cambridge offered, from volunteering at local schools, to playing in the Chinese orchestra at the British Museum. My college was very supportive with good supervisions and social activities – the engineering challenges which took place during the engineers’ garden parties and dinners were always the highlight – one year, we had to build a boat to go onto the River Cam! Outside of studies, the Formula Student team and Chinese orchestra played a big part in my life. To bring the Formula Student cars to Silverstone for competition after years of design and building work was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences.

Thank you so much, The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong, for awarding me The Prince Philip Scholarship.

Phoenix is currently pursuing a PhD in Gas Turbine Aerodynamics at the Whittle Laboratory, Cambridge.

My time at Cambridge was some of the best of my life, and this was made possible by the Prince Philip Scholarship. I had the opportunity to attend lectures by world-renowned experts, and exchange ideas with some of the brightest minds in the world. The study of law at Corpus Christi was rigorous, and my legal thinking now was shaped by the many hours of discussion with my jurisprudence and legal history supervisors. Intellectual pursuits aside, Cambridge has also broadened my horizon and taught me the power of the law in the context of social justice (something Prince Philip Scholars are encouraged to get involved in). I travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo with the Cambridge Lawyers Without Borders society to help improve access to justice there, and also set up the African Prisons Project in Cambridge in 2013. These are all fond memories which made my time in Cambridge unforgettable. I also made lifelong friends with whom I to stay in touch on a very regular basis!

Ping Kan is currently working as a litigation associate at Latham & Watkins’s Hong Kong office.

Burying a time capsule with friends in the pouring rain just before graduation, cycling with a rice cooker on each handlebar to a Chinese New Year celebration, pelting stones at a friend’s window at midnight (as part of a birthday surprise), lecturing English friends on how to write Chinese during our law lectures, buying Secret Santa at Ann Summers, talking life philosophy at 2am in the laundry room on a Saturday night, orating in the Senate Hall itself, having chicken and sweetcorn bap from Nadia’s almost every day, listening in person to Lord Bingham set out his doctrine on the rule of law for the first time, getting into a crazy water fight on the Cam, staring in awe at the Tour de Cambridge rushing past Pembroke every morning at 9am just before lectures, oh, and actually meeting Prince Philip the man himself…!

11 years later and still so beautiful. Thank you, Cambridge, for it all.

Hugh Kam is a barrister at Plowman Chambers and a Member of the Council of the Hong Kong Bar Association.)