Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology

Exploring the Gateway to the East
at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
My desire to study abroad in Hong
Kong was completely natural for me.
For years I had been brewing a keen
interest of China, the growing
superpower of the East. And what
better location than the economic center
of the East for the past few decades:
Hong Kong. The city provided me with
an amazing blend of East and West,
with its British presence still clearly
noticeable. This mixture of cultures itself
was fascinating all the while providing
me with a comfortable situation which
allowed me to truly appreciate the city.
English as a national language allowed
for sufficient communication, though
there were several instances where there
were language barriers – but this was
part of this unique experience. Hong
Kong introduced me
to an amazing
culture through its
delicious cuisines,
landmarks, temples,
its especially unique
history, and even
through using the
most efficient
subway in the
world.
Hong Kong
University of
Science and
Technology
(HKUST) was the
By Zuri Michan
perfect university to attend as it was one
of the leading schools in both
engineering and business in Asia. I
cannot fully express how much HKUST
resembled the structure of Penn – yet
don’t think they are at all comparable as
it was a truly different experience. One
way I took advantage of this was by
taking two engineering courses that
were not available at Penn: one in Civil
Engineering and another in
Environmental Engineering. As a result
of taking these courses, it gave my
academics a clear focus which I would
be able to continue to study at Penn – I
am currently majoring in Infrastructure
Systems Engineering, largely due to
these two courses coupled with the
impressive infrastructure development
October 2010 - Relaxing after a long bike ride to reach the secluded fishing village of Sok Kwu Wan on
Lamma Island, the largest satellite island of Hong Kong.
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