Back in February 2020, a small group of us — Professor YV Hui, Dr Tom Fong, Professor Jeanne Fu, Ms Esther Lee, and myself — came together with a shared dream: to build a home within HSUHK for students with not only outstanding potential, but also a deep desire to serve, grow, and lead with heart. With the tireless support of our founding Secretariat Team — Cannon, Winnie, and Sucre — and the unwavering encouragement of President Simon Ho, Honours Academy (HA) was born.

That vision has grown beyond what we imagined. Today, with the incredible energy of our current Secretariat Team — Joanne, Alison, Candy and Nicole — HA has welcomed our sixth cohort and celebrated the graduation of our third in 2025. We are also blessed to have the continued support of the Vice-President league, Professor Jeanne Fu (also HA’s Founding Head), Professor Joshua Mok and Dr Josiah Chan, and our two Associate Heads, Dr Janice Wong and Dr Bernard Luk, all of whom believe in the transformative power of HA.

While we identify our HA students as HA1 through to HA6 so far, Jeanne and I sometimes like to refer to ourselves as “HA0”. We carry with us not only all the names above, but also our very own HA stories, the laughter, the tears, and the unshakable bonds that have defined HA from its very beginning.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s this: Names may change. Roles may shift. But what remains unshaken is the heart of HA — its spirit of family.

At HA, we are more than a group of high-achieving students and educators. We are a family that sees each other deeply, lifts each other up, and walks together through every success and setback.

When one of us sheds tears, the HA family stands united, offering a shoulder to lean on.

When one of us succeeds, the HA family stands proudly, applauding from the front row.

Our journey has been made possible by many: our Professional Fellows, who bring wisdom from the world beyond the university; our Academic Fellows and research supervisors, who challenge and nurture our students intellectually; and our colleagues across HSUHK’s academic and administrative units, along with our community partners, who breathe life into our vibrant programmes.

To every student reading this: I invite you to become a part of this family. It will challenge you, change you, and hold you. The friendships you make here, the values you live out here, the memories you create here — they will stay with you long after you graduate.

Welcome to Honours Academy — a place where dreams take flight, and where family is more than a word.

Dr Holly Chung
Head of Honours Academy