Press Release - 6 Students From the School of Social Sciences Awarded Full Scholarships from Lee Hysan Foundation 2022-12-12
6 Students From the School of Social Sciences Awarded Full Scholarships from Lee Hysan Foundation
12 Dec 2022
6 Students From the School of Social Sciences Awarded Full Schoalrships from Lee Hysan Foundation
The Lee Hysan Foundation donated to Caritas Institute of Higher Education (CIHE) earlier this year to establish the Educational Milestone Scholarship, designed explicitly for ally diverse communities towards career development opportunities in social work and health care. The scholars are chosen for their contribution to the minority communities but for their service to Hong Kong. They represent the goals under "SERVE" – Solidarity, Empowerment, Re-orientation, Variety and Embodiment. Six students of CIHE's Felizberta Lo Padilla Tong School of Social Sciences who are reading social work received full tuition scholarships.
The six students are Syeda Sadaf IMRAN, Sabah KHALID, Chowdhry MEHNDI, Abid NAIEELA, Kandel PARTIBA and Boonklum VARISARA. They are currently studying the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours), Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) (Part-time conversion)or the Higher Diploma in Social Work programmes.
Chowdhry Mehndi is one of the few Bangladeshi social workers in Hong Kong. He is currently working full-time at the Fu Hong Society Rehabilitation Centre and is also a father of two children. It is not easy to balance study, family, and work at the same time. Since he has been in the rehabilitation sector for more than 10 years, he has established a social inclusion cycling team in Tin Shui Wai, which allowed members of the community, including children, their parents, and the teachers of primary and secondary schools, to participate. This activity provides an opportunity for regular exercise and community building, especially during the COVID pandemic.
Mr. Mehndi graduated as a student from the Higher Diploma in Social Work at CIHE and is studying his third year in the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) (Part-time conversion program). As a senior and an experienced social worker, he hopes to continue promoting inclusion in his work so people with disabilities can enjoy their lives like everyone else. He affirms that social work is his life's work and that he will continue to apply what he learnt to his service. His immediate goal is to expand the cycling community and take them on a bike tour out of Hong Kong.
Boonklum Varisara (Sara) is currently a part-time student of the Higher Diploma in Social Work. She was born and raised in Hong Kong and understands Chinese, in addition to her native language, Thai. She is currently working at Sheung Kung Hui St. Christopher's Home. She takes care of children and their relevant paperwork. Sara points out that many Thai people living in Kowloon City is undergoing community renewal. She believes that social workers can facilitate its reconstruction and renovation. The learning process and work experiences have helped Sara understand her goals more clearly and communicate more effectively with her service users.
The scholarship is open for applications for the next five years. Applicants admitted to a higher diploma or undergraduate degree in social work in CIHE will be selected by the evaluation committee after applying for the scholarship. Recipients will be selected based on their learning motivation, work experiences, career prospects and other criteria set. This round, six students received full tuition coverage, and a few of the scholars received additional stipends to support their living expenses.
