Read our students' stories that start from the CUHK and go further beyond.
“... she will only get more passionate about what she does as time goes by, and that she will never give up.”
「...相信自己『只會一天比一天更有熱誠』，決不放棄。」
Programme: We are CUHKers II 我們都是中大人 II
When we speak of the legal profession, it usually calls to mind smart-looking lawyers in tailored suits holding a briefcase. But barrister Ying Kei Wong is one of a kind. When she meets with her clients, she is often clad in casual wear. She does that for a reason - by dressing down, she hopes to appear more approachable and gain the trust of her clients, who are mostly people with special needs.
To a certain extent, Ying Kei herself is also a person with special needs - she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Before becoming a barrister, she read law at a prestigious university abroad. After returning to Hong Kong, she completed an MA in Psychology and also a Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL). Her splendid qualifications have raised a few eyebrows, with people wondering if she really has ADHD. As a matter of fact, she has problem concentrating, but when she is interested in a certain subject, she will become so focused and attached that it is as if she were sucked into a black hole. She feels lucky that her passion happens to be her job from which she can get a great sense of satisfaction. She cherishes every opportunity to represent a defendant with special needs, as she believes every court hearing is a chance to change the way the general public views people with special needs or mental illnesses, which can help remove stigmatised labels.
Like Ashley Chan, Ying Kei has experienced first-hand how fellowship is established when people with the same vision join hands to work towards the same goal. Aspiring to a world with no discrimination, she reached out to professors who specialise in areas related to discrimination when she studied psychology at CUHK. That was when she met Professor Winnie Mak, who focuses her research on stigma reduction and shares with Ying Kei the belief that destigmatisation is of vital importance to our society. The two got on famously the first time they met, and Ying Kei later became a research assistant to Professor Mak, contributing to research in mental health and destigmatisation.
Yet much as she enjoyed working with Professor Mak, Ying Kei found herself in a dilemma about her research work when she received an offer from another institution to study for a PCLL. Worried that the course might hinder the research work, Ying Kei sat down with Professor Mak to discuss what she should do. During the meeting, she was moved to tears by the fact that she could have a genuine and straightforward conversation with the professor. Professor Mak also encouraged her to further her studies in law, as that would ultimately help her cause of fighting stigma, given that society tends to respect the opinions of people with professional qualifications.
On top of dealing with lawsuits as a barrister, Ying Kei also finds time to visit various organisations and schools to educate people on the rights of the disabled and promote the destigmatisation of people with mental health issues. She also seeks to promote public education on the specific legal procedures related to people with special needs. Having a jam-packed work schedule every day can be stressful and tiring. But when thinking about how her enthusiasm has kept her going and led her to overcome different challenges, Ying Kei believes she will only get more passionate about what she does as time goes by, and that she will never give up.
法律界從業員會見客人，總令人聯想起西裝筆挺的一副專業形象，然而大律師黃纓淇與客人溝通的時候，卻通常會穿上便服；原來，這是為了拉近跟有特殊需要被告人士的距離，令他們在溝通過程中卸下心防、交出真心。
患有專注力失調及過度活躍症（ADHD）的黃纓淇到過海外名牌學府攻讀法律，回港再先後完成心理學碩士和法學專業證書課程，如斯亮麗的履歷常常遭人質疑她是否真的有ADHD。她解釋自己不懂好好控制專注力，但當遇上感興趣的範疇，又能全神貫注至廢寢忘餐。她慶幸自己感到有興趣的正好是現在為她帶來莫大滿足感的工作。她份外珍惜代表有特殊需要被告上庭的機會，因為她相信每宗法庭聆訊都能讓公眾加倍認識有特殊需要或精神病患的被告，是摒除社會對這些人的標籤的良機。
志同道合的人走在一起朝着相同的理念進發，就是互相的「夥伴」。陳珊珊以一腔熱血招來友人相伴奮鬥，追逐夢想；同樣為了實現理想的黃纓淇，在中大修讀心理學的時候，主動尋找研究相關範疇的教授，她就在此時與專門研究反污名化的麥穎思教授結下良緣。她指麥教授同樣深信有需要在社會推動反污名化，這更是其主要研究領域之一。她憶述第一次約見麥教授傾談時已驟覺二人非常投契，隨後更成為麥的學生助理和研究助理，致力研究精神健康與反污名化。
黃纓淇在得知自己獲另一所院校的法學專業證書課程取錄時，擔心無法繼續研究工作，更擔心有負所託，遂開心見誠地與麥穎思教授商討。她回想起當時二人因為能夠坦誠相對而感動落淚，麥教授深明社會傾向聽從專業人士的說話，因此她支持黃纓淇繼續進修法律，認為有利她想做的宣傳反污名化的工作。
除了要兼顧訴訟案件，黃纓淇亦會到不同的機構和學校推廣殘疾人士權益及反對精神病污名，並就針對有特殊需要人士所面對的法律程序推動公眾教育。面對每天密麻麻的行程，黃纓淇說壓力固然存在，每天都十分疲憊，但當回想起一路走來之所以能夠順利成事，全賴「興趣」二字，她就更加相信自己「只會一天比一天更有熱誠」，決不放棄。
