Most of us may not be too sure what it means to have myopia of more than 2,000 degrees and pendular nystagmus, but if you were to imagine having less than 10% of your vision, you would start to understand what Aiden Cheng Tsz-in, first-year HKU student, has accomplished.
Although Aiden was diagnosed with a congenital eye disease almost from birth, and despite the possibility of it worsening to the stage of complete blindness, he was one of the top scorers in this year’s Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination, achieving the top grade of 5** in all six subjects. Aiden joined HKU this September to pursue a double degree in the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Government and Laws) & Bachelor of Laws programme.
Reaching this stage has understandably been a long and arduous journey, as Aiden faced formidable difficulties in preparing for the HKDSE given his visual conditions. “I would easily be fatigued when concentrating on reading materials for long periods of time,” he recalls. “This meant that I would need to spend greater effort and more time to achieve satisfactory results. As I mainly studied arts subjects for my electives, including Geography, History and Economics, all of which are text-heavy and time-consuming to study, my visual conditions presented great difficulties.”
Fortunately, he found significant support from a variety of sources. “While electronic devices, magnifiers and other enhancement devices allowed me to more easily view and digest materials, I was lucky to receive assistance from my schoolmates and teachers throughout the process, such as helping me enlarge learning materials and exam papers.”
Apart from this external support, Aiden’s own personal resilience was vitally important too. “Whenever I was tempted to use my visual condition as an excuse to avoid doing my absolute best, my strong interest in the disciplines of law and government would drive me to persist and persevere, ultimately allowing me to work through hurdles and achieve excellence,” he notes.
Aiden received admission offers from four universities in the UK, but chose to remain in Hong Kong and join HKU because of its reputation as an academically prestigious institution full of opportunities and a place where like-minded students can meet.
“The Faculty of Law of HKU, among others, are widely acknowledged as the best in Hong Kong and top-notch globally,” he says. “I am confident that through studying here I will be able to gain in-depth and wide-ranging knowledge of the law and governance in lectures and tutorials. I think I’ll also find practical advice in career planning and be able to equip myself with the requisite skillsets through mentorship programmes and student-led initiatives.”
Although his first semester is not even over yet, Aiden has lost no time in making friends with kindred spirits who share his interest in studying the development of society and the law. “Through ongoing discussions and constructive debates, I am not only able to build long-lasting friendships, but also enhance my knowledge and understanding of various subjects,” he says.
He has been actively participating in orientation programmes, meeting new people, and concentrating on learning. Orientation activities hosted by student-led bodies such as the Government and Laws Committee and the Law Association introduced him to others in his cohort. It’s also given him the opportunity to chat with senior students about their experiences in studying law as well as future career prospects.
But at the end of the day, sometimes it just comes down to putting in the requisite hours studying. “I have been devoting, hopefully, an adequate amount of time into understanding, internalising and applying information I learnt in class. I believe through studying at a consistent pace and strengthening my knowledge layer by layer, I will be able to achieve good results and avoid the dreaded last-minute cramming!” he says.
He’s also relished the new ways of learning that he’s been introduced to at HKU. “The tutorials have surprised me the most!” he declares. “I was able to prepare answers to prompts, fully using the knowledge that I have learnt. Thereafter I was able to discuss these intriguing topics with experienced tutors as well as classmates in tutorial sessions, allowing me to more fully and comprehensively understand the topic from different points of view and understand my strengths and weaknesses. This is by far the most different learning mode from secondary school, which I fully enjoy.”
With HKU’s resources and networks, he looks forward to engaging in novel and eye-opening experiences, and exploring his different interests. “For instance, I would like to try inter-university and international mooting competitions, potentially becoming a governing counsellor in a law-related student body, as well as organising events,” he explains.
Aiden enjoys the research and writing work as well as the process of communication and advocacy, and currently plans to become a barrister after graduation. “I would be able to tackle real-life legal problems and use the knowledge and skills acquired at university,” he says. “With my experience as a visually impaired student, I would also like to play a part in enhancing accessibility for vulnerable parties to the courts and the justice system at large. I plan to do so through engaging in pro-bono services as well as public legal education.”
