For Angela, Common Core learning has proved a meaningful eye-opener, not only adding to her knowledge and skillset from her majors but diversifying her perspective and spurring personal development. Having struggled to enjoy chemistry at secondary school, she adventurously chose to revisit the subject as part of her Common Core experience, discovering new interest in the field after being introduced to its real-world significance in areas ranging from fire safety to skincare. In other courses ranging from engineering to anthropology and communication skills, Angela became aware of the importance of study partners and groups in overcoming difficulties in understanding and completing tasks. She realized how working alongside students from diverse fields brought novel insights and synergy, and that “one plus one can be greater than two”, she said. Pivotally, she also realized through her Common Core experience that studying was not only about grades but a way to unlock self-motivation to learn, an impact she believes will be lifelong.

Man Ching looked initially to the Common Core to tackle questions about life that code could not resolve. However, what began as “casual exploration” soon transformed into a profound intellectual and personal journey, unlocking philosophy, anthropology, and cultural studies and “fundamentally reshaping how I perceive knowledge, society, and myself”. These travels have taken her from Buddhism to anthropological fieldwork on Chinese culture and society, especially traditional practices in Hong Kong. They have brought deeper insights on learning, guiding Man Ching from looking outward for answers to reflecting inward, helping redefine her values and aspirations. She has gained crucial transferable skills for excellence, including critical thinking, research rigor, complex problem-solving, and cultural awareness, complementing her technical training. Additionally, she has heightened her community and civic awareness. Man Ching is now resolved to “carry forward the interdisciplinary mindset, critical empathy, and cultural sensitivity” nurtured by the Common Core Program as an integral part of her future as an engineer and a global citizen.

As an individual who loves life, seeks multifaceted development, and is guided by a compassionate heart, Ami has found her Common Core journey has delivered significant new ways of understanding the world. Delving into arts, societal, and behavioral courses, she has amplified her appreciation of Western art and classical music and plunged into causes and solutions to gender inequality, having already observed stereotypes about women in STEM fields. In doing so, she has uncovered fascinating links between these areas and their impact. Furthermore, she has fruitfully moved beyond the “chaotic linguistic environment” of her mixed-heritage background via language courses that have enabled her to thoroughly enjoy the English language learning environment at HKUST while excelling in courses taught in Chinese. Through such varied exposure, she has also gained a greater sense of social responsibility, becoming a donor to different NGOs and planning to undertake Minors in both Humanities and Social Science to contribute to society beyond her professional skills.

To round out knowledge from his major, Chak Hin has pursued Common Core courses in architecture, smart city development, and operations management to deepen his awareness of the interdisciplinary complexities of issues and how technology, design, and responsible business can address critical urban challenges. Such courses have enhanced his overall understanding of social and environmental areas. Meanwhile, related project work has changed his view of how technology should be shaped and why inclusivity needs to be prioritized alongside efficiency after revealing the difficulties that visually impaired people face in navigating around the city. Groupwork has honed his problem-solving and interpersonal skills while casework has strengthened his analytical capabilities, which he sees as essential for his future. Now with his passion for learning fully ignited, Chak Hin has chosen to pursue a Minor in Smart City. He intends to look for internships to further his “smart” career development and is committed to broadening his outlook even after completing his Common Core requirements.

Already interested in communication, media, and sustainable urban development, Ming Kit sought out Common Core courses spanning modern Chinese poetry to smart cities to further his love of storytelling, cultural analysis, and problem-solving. He has found every course has produced experiences that changed the way he thought and built durable skills and competencies in areas such as critical evaluation of sources, research design, multimedia production, and collaboration on solution-finding. This has transformed his view of education from passive to active and motivated him to engage in additional workshops and extracurricular roles to deepen course learning. Meanwhile, internships at diverse companies demonstrated how these new capabilities translated into workplace impact. Inspired to always approach future projects with a commitment to iterative improvement and ethical reflection, he is now intent on applying the knowledge and skills gained from the Common Core courses in developing a career in strategic communications or media and continuing his diverse learning.

Recognizing the many benefits of the Common Core curriculum in expanding knowledge and horizons, Cheuk Hei has joined courses in wide-ranging areas. He has explored telecommunications policy, inspiring the addition of a second Major in Electronic Engineering; taken on board societal and ethical concerns about technology; and learned to analyze Japanese literature individually and as part of a group. These courses have taken Cheuk Hei from a “black and white” view to a more empathetic understanding of life. Among many revelatory personal insights, he has realized how technical “correctness” is not scientists’ and engineers’ only concern but consequences and impact matter too. This has encouraged him to look at issues from others’ perspective and had the happy result of bringing him to fresh academic peaks in his grades. In another unanticipated outcome, he has discovered a new drive to pursue lifelong learning while, most importantly, “Common Core courses have influenced me to become a better person in general”, he said.

Throughout Tiansheng’s four years at HKUST, he has found the Common Core Program perfectly aligned with his personal core values of academic exploration, openness to new knowledge, and the importance of interdisciplinary perspectives. In an impactful start, his initial course on well-being spurred University-wide event participation and self-directed experiential learning, kicking off entrepreneurial dreams. It also brought exposure to volunteering, which then evolved from a one-time experience into a sustained personal commitment to community service. Later, a venture into civil engineering forged the problem-first, technology-aware mindset essential for innovation, propelling on his start-up ambitions. An encounter with international law brought understanding of global systems while his introduction to electronic music – another transformative favorite – provided lasting creative confidence from zero previous musical experience. Together, he has found this voyage to have forged dynamic adaptability, a proactive passion for learning in and beyond the classroom, and directly equipped him for ongoing growth, including in “ways I had not initially imagined”, he said.

Valuing the learning process and diverse experiences that the Common Core curriculum offers, Tsz Ki chose to study music, decision-making, communication, and Chinese culture, as a contrast to her major. Through HLTH 1010, she became keen on sports, joining Wing Chun Martial Arts Society and moving from little interest to a member of the Shaolin Martial Arts Society, a regular in the lion dancing troupe, and eventually President of the Society. Inspired by the decision-making course, MGMT 1130, Tsz Ki transformed from an ordinary biased individual who would easily get into companies’ biased traps to someone aware of her “default mode” as a human. HUMA 2107 on electronic music composition proved an additional life-changing encounter. Here, Tsz Ki flourished in acquiring detailed technical capabilities. So engaged and confident in the course, she is now thinking of becoming an audio engineer. Tsz Ki serves as a wonderful example of the turning-point impact of Common Core studies in uncovering personal potential and strengthening future career aspirations.

In a remarkable demonstration of an impactful Common Core learning journey, Gloria not only enjoyed a refreshing break from her major, but clearly took the opportunity to productively open her mind to the wider world. Diving into Buddhism, history, cultures and identity, civil engineering, Hong Kong contemporary society, languages, poverty, and psychology, the adventurous seeker of know-how fueled her passion for learning, emerging a “more well-rounded person as a result”, she noted. For Gloria, ENVR 1170, encompassing big history, sustainability, and climate change, proved a particular eye-opener, reigniting her childhood curiosity and inspiring a desire to acquire knowledge for herself rather than seeing learning as just an educational requirement. Interdisciplinary classmates were another source of fresh vision, raising awareness of the importance of listening to different perspectives and the benefits of discussion. Importantly, she herself has recognized how her Common Core experience enabled her to tap into her potential by uncovering new interests. “For that, I am truly grateful” she said.

Melody has shown significant personal development and understanding following her Common Core studies, ranging from a deeper appreciation of subjects she already relished, such as music (HUMA 2104) and art (HUMA 1650), to new global insights and increased commitment to sustainability (SUST 1000). The many different types of learning employed in such courses, including group video projects, interactive games, and a case competition, were a further source of rewarding growth, fostering teamwork, communication skills, and a problem-solving mindset. Such development came together most effectively for Melody through exploring entrepreneurship and managing an online business together with students from local and overseas universities in ENTR 1001. Indeed, it inspired her to enroll in entrepreneurship as one of her minors. Now having integrated all these broadening perspectives into her outlook, Melody is looking forward to embarking on a meaningful career, seeking “to pursue world-changing innovations to solve environmental pollution and waste reduction, or alternatively become an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) consultant” she said.

Winsome’s four-year encounter with the Common Core curriculum has spanned business, humanities, society, sustainability, and arts, successfully boosted her critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills as well as achieved a better understanding of how her major connects to other aspects of life. A favorite course was HUMA 1156, focusing on Chinese calligraphy and bringing a satisfying new skill. Beyond writing, Winsome found the course fostered greater awareness of history and culture, sparking interest and motivation to keep learning beyond the classroom. It also helped develop personal qualities that drive forward excellence, such as patience and precision, as there is no way back from mistakes with calligraphy, she noted. Winsome further explored different fields by taking more than the required 36 credits of Common Core courses. All in all, Winsome has shown her wide-ranging Common Core experience to have been a transformational voyage of discovery, equipping her with much broader experiences, skills, and insights, and effectively preparing her academically, socially, and personally for a contributive, high-achieving post-graduation life.