HK HORNS
Enhance public’s understanding of and interest in UT ‧ Improve Participation ‧ Re-ignite the passion of old members ‧ Recruit new members ‧ Provide opportunities to UT alumni to network in Hong Kong ‧ Serve UT ‧ Have Fun!
| A Triannual Newsletter |
Issue No. 4 (Spring 2013)
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Annual General Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting was held on March 9. Last year we had the AGM in Modern China Restaurant in Times Square….
Wondrous Semester in Hong Kong
“I fell in love with…”
Upcoming Events
Park Island Exploring, Bowling and Thai Dinner / Activities with Students of McCombs BBA Short-Term International Programs …
Joint Happy Hour with UCLA Alumni
On April 11, we had a happy hour gathering event. This time, we cohosted the event with UCLA Alumni Association…
HKTX Career Connection
…we started our mentorship program for new UT graduates who repatriate to Hong Kong or come to Hong Kong to work…
Those Were the Days
Since we just had our AGM last month, we think it would be nice to look at some pictures of our previous AGM’s. So in this issue, the Exco “submitted” these pictures for your viewing pleasure…
Watch Texas Football Bowl Game Party
…It was a cold Sunday but the diehard Texas football fans reached the venue punctually. We were joined by a few visiting alumni who came to Hong Kong to spend their holidays with family and friends…
Letter from the President
Dear members,
It was in April 2001 when I took the liberty to retrieve all the Texas Exes in Hong Kong’s information from a social group platform (which was about to fold) and created the group Hong Kong Texas Exes. So, this April marks Hong Kong Texas Exes’s full twelve years of existence.
We just had our Annual General Meeting last month. My old team of the Executive Committee Members was joined by our co-founder Benjamin Chang and new blood Logan Hairgrove, and we got elected. I want to take this opportunity to thank the members, alumni, and organizers of the other alumni organizations for their support in the previous year, and I look forward to another successful year for Hong Kong Texas Exes.
I want to highlight two activities that are going to happen in June and July. For the last two years, the CIBER (Center for International Business Education and Research) program sent about 60 students to Hong Kong each year to take classes and have company visits including going to China for the visits. This year, the program is rebranded BBA Short-Term International Programs, and is going to send 55 students to Hong Kong in June. Our plan is that we will watch dragon boat race and have a dim sum lunch with them on June 12 and have a happy hour gathering with them on July 5. I ask for your support again in these activities, to meet them and to introduce Hong Kong to them. These are golden opportunities for our members and alumni to reconnect with our school.
Hook’em, and may the ‘Horns be with y’all!
Victor K. Nip
Annual General Meeting
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| Those who stayed till the end of the dinner gathered for photo tradition of ours |
Our Annual General Meeting was held on March 9. Last year we had the AGM in Modern China Restaurant in Times Square. We found the place matched our requirement so much that we decided to have the AGM in this place again.
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| Nancy, wife of Gene Barron, and our Vice President Celine showed off their bellies before the start of the AGM. Question: Can you count to five? It looks like all the babies will be Gemini. |
The meeting started at 6:30pm. Victor Nip as the outgoing President gave a report of the activities that we had done in the previous year, followed by Carl Sung as the outgoing Treasurer delivering a report about the finance of the organization. It was then election time. Despite having only one cabinet candidate standing for election, Victor as the President candidate gave a detailed plan about what the incoming Executive Committee wanted to achieve. After the voting, which unanimously confirmed the candidate as the new Exco, Victor gave an acceptance speech, which includes the following paragraph which the Exco wants to highlight:
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| Election Officer Patrick Chen introducing the flow of the election process |
Winning the votes is not enough for us. The much more important thing that we want to win is your participation. I am asking for your time to join us in the future, to enjoy the company of our fellow alumni, and if you have been joining our events regularly, I am asking you to continue to join us more, and take your Longhorn friends along when you attend our events. Your participation would make all our efforts worthwhile. So, stayed tuned for our future events!
After the dinner, some of the participants went to Academia together for some drinks and some chats. It was 11pm when the group called it a day.
The newly elected Exco wants to take this opportunity to thank the participants of the meeting, especially Patrick Chen for taking the responsibility of Election Officer.
To view the pictures of the event, go to hktx.org/nl0201 or scan the QR code at the end of the newsletter, and follow the links there.
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| Call it a bad habit but this is what we always do! Some of our participants enjoyed each other’s company so much that they find it hard to leave even when the event has ended, and chatted at the bottom of the building for quite some time. |
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| After the AGM, a few of us went to Academia for some drinks and chats. |
Wondrous Semester in Hong Kong
– Logan Hairgrove
I fell in love with Hong Kong when I walked through HKUST’s atrium to see slopes of green, the big blue ocean, and little islands scattered around. It was a breathtaking experience that made me stop for a while before taking my first lift down to my new 4 month home in newest hall at the time: Hall 6. I arrived at 2pm, which was the earliest I could move into my dorm room. I was excited to see a sink in my room. Yes, a sink is a luxury in a dorm room. It was a great time of appreciating little things like that. With a smile on my face from my grand surroundings I was ready for a wonderful semester to begin.
The HKUST exchange students program had planned a bunch of nice events for the exchange students before we started classes September 1st of Fall 2008. On one beautiful warm day they took us to the Big Buddha. I love the greenery and ocean surrounding Lantau. For a relatively small place home to 7+ million people it surprised me with such a great deal of green space. After exploring the Big Buddha, I had the best imitation meat at a temple nearby. I think it is a restaurant that is run by monks, but don’t quote me on that. The walking, climbing, enjoying the fresh air, and eating gave me and other exchange students a great opportunity to bond.
Another night was planned for a junk trip out of Tsim Sha Tsui around Victoria Harbour. It was my first time around the harbor, and despite the August weather I remember things quite positively. I enjoyed the change in pace from the 2 seasons of weather in one day I experienced regularly in Austin. In Hong Kong during the morning, afternoon, and even late into the night I can wear the same thing all day without worry. As for the junk trip, we had a buffet with a grand assortment of many Chinese dishes. While enjoying the night harbor views, we had plenty of time to lounge around and share experiences about our different cultures. Sharing and talking with people from around the globe makes the world seem much smaller and friendlier. I feel that is a great benefit of traveling and being open to meeting new people wherever your life takes you. We sailed out in the harbor not knowing much about one another, and we sailed back in with new friendships.
I would say the best part about studying abroad is meeting people from all around the globe. I met students from Santa Barbara to Michigan to Florida to NYC, from Vancouver to Toronto, from Glasgow to Barcelona to Zurich to Hungary, and from many more places around the world. I actually had plenty to learn about the US even during my time in Hong Kong. I didn’t know what a guido was as one simple example. I still have much to learn, and being curious keeps me in wonder and feeds the fire for my desire to travel. As for Europe, I previously didn’t have the desire to explore the E.U., but after making some European friends I had not just places but people to visit as well. My new European friends inspired me to explore their world, which led me to a two-month Europe trip after I graduated from UT.
Meeting locals at HKUST was much more of a challenge. Most of the students in my classes were 3rd years, which was the last year for HKUST undergraduates at the time. Many were living in Hong Kong with their parents, so they didn’t spend much time around campus except in the library. Many of them referred to UST as the University of Stress & Tension. That doesn’t mean I didn’t challenge myself to make friends in my classes. I participated in class, and I tried to talk to at least one or two local students after class. I wanted to experience some local food in a restaurant that doesn’t have an English menu, and I knew I had plenty to learn about Hong Kong from them.
One of my local friends took me to the Luk Yu Tea House in Central to treat me some great dim sum. The first time we went at 3pm on a Sunday they only had red bean buns and some other dim sum I wasn’t a fan of. The next time worked out better, and I got to experience the carts and old school style dim sum house. I love siumai, shrimp dumplings, pork buns, and more. I’m glad some locals were so nice in showing me around. I found that once I had common ground like a class, it was a great excuse to talk and make another friend.
I hope you encourage someone you know like a friend or family member that is planning or in university to study abroad for at least a semester. Great opportunities await them. Great possibilities of expanding their mind while shrinking the world to a friendlier, more welcoming place. It’s a wonderful world out there if we let ourselves see it.
Logan Hairgrove graduated from UT in 2010 with a degree in Management Information Systems. He was an exchange student at HKUST during the Fall 2008 semester. He just joined the Exco as a Social Event Officer. He is now working as a Google Apps Reseller.
Upcoming Events
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| The beautiful scene of Park Island |
Park Island Exploring, Bowling and Thai Dinner
Explore an amazing place in Hong Kong, bowl, and eat some good food! This event will give new and old Texas Exes members a great afternoon to get to know each other better. If this sounds good and you can make the time work, please RSVP via email with ‘Park Island Exploring, Bowling and Thai Dinner’ as the message subject and your name in the body of the message to hongkong@alumni.utexas.net.
The Plan:
We meet at Central Pier 2 at 2pm on Sunday May 26th. The ferry to Park Island accepts Octopus and costs $22. Alternative transport available, but not suggested. Let us know if you will not be taking the ferry.
From the ferry pier we go to Green Green Club together. We will play 2 games of bowling at a cost of $75 per person. After bowling we will explore Ma Wan Park as it is a nice place to visit and take some pictures. We will then see the old fishing village before we walk to the Thai restaurant for a nice view of the Tsing Ma bridge and the ocean. Dinner will be $125 per person, so $200 for bowling and dinner.
For more details, go to the Facebook event page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/450155705059258/
Activities with Students of McCombs BBA Short-Term International Programs
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| This is the group of alumni and CIBER program students who participated in the Museum visit last year. What’s wrong with this picture? |
There is nothing wrong with the picture except that you may not be in it!
Previouly called the CIBER program, the McCombs BBA Short-Term International Progams sends two classes of accounting and supply chain management students to Hong Kong each year to take classes and to have company visits in Hong Kong and China. The students also take the opportunity to experience the local culture.
In the past two years, we have had four activities with the students of the program, and all the participants enjoyed those activities very much. Alumni and students built friendships that last beyond the end of the program.
The success of these activities requires the strong participation of our alumni in Hong Kong, to introduce Hong Kong to them and let them feel welcomed by the alumni. Strong participation is not difficult. Just come to join the activities!
The plan is to watch dragon boat races and have lunch with the students on June 12 (the Dragon Boat Festival) and have a happy hour gathering with them on July 5. Please mark the dates down on your calendar, and we look forward to meeting you and the students in these events.
Joint Happy Hour with UCLA Alumni
On April 11, we had a happy hour gathering event. This time, we cohosted the event with the UCLA Alumni Association. Since 2007, we have been co-organizing social events with them, and every time we have a good turnout from the alumni of both schools. This time is no exception.
We returned to our favorite venue, Prive near the Lan Kwai Fong area, for the event. With the participation of the alumni from Texas and UCLA and also other friend schools, we had about 40 participants, and all of them had a good time.
To see more pictures of the event, go to hktx.org/nl0201 or scan the QR code at the end of the newsletter, and follow the links there.
HKTX Career Connection
In the middle of last year, we started our mentorship program for new UT graduates who repatriate to Hong Kong or come to Hong Kong to work. We have decided to expand our career related program to include helping alumni to connect with experienced professionals in their interested fields and also one another.
The objectives of the program are as follows:
- To help our fresh graduates explore different career opportunities, build their careers, and build connections with other members and people in their interested field
- To help alumni to get connected with experienced professionals of their interested career paths
- To build relationships among UT alumni in Hong Kong
- To build the membership of HKTX
Mentorship Program
The mentor-mentee relationship will officially last 12 calendar months. Mentors may give mentees advice on resume writing, exploring career paths, and interview techniques. Mentors can also take their mentees to meet other people in the industries that the mentees are interested in. Apart from career advice, mentors can also give advice on adapting to living in Hong Kong and on other issues. While there is flexibility in the eligibility of the mentors and mentees, below are the guidelines:
Mentor
- Has minimum 4 years of working experience, of which at least 1 year gained in Hong Kong
- Is a member of HKTX
- Normally resides in Hong Kong
- Is willing to meet each mentee at least once a quarter for 4 consecutive quarters
Mentee
- Graduated from UT less than 2 years ago
- Is a member of HKTX
- Normally resides in Hong Kong
- Wants to build his/her career in Hong Kong
- Is willing to meet his/her mentor at least once a quarter for 4 consecutive quarters
If you are otherwise eligible but are not a member yet, you may join us now.
To apply to become a mentor or a mentee, please visit https://hktx.org/Mentorship.htm.
The Horns Network
If you are a UT alumnus in Hong Kong interested in a certain field and want to talk to a Longhorn in that field, maybe we can help. If you are an alumnus planning to come to or come back to Hong Kong to work and want a lead, maybe we can help, too. Let us know what you want and we will try to connect you with members who are experienced professionals in your interested industry. We will also look into our Exco members’ UT connections and experienced professionals from other circles to help.
If you are a member who is an experienced professional in your field, we ask for your help. What we need from you is to take the first call from the help-seeking alumni. It will be up to you to decide whether you want to provide further help after taking the first calls.
To participate in Horns Connect, please visit https://hktx.org/TheHornsNetwork.htm.
Eligibility for help-seeking alumnus
- Is an alumnus of UT
- Is a member of HKTX if already in Hong Kong
- Is interested in developing his/her career in Hong Kong
Eligibility for Experienced Professional
- Is a member of HKTX
- Is experienced in his/her own industry
Connect thru LinkedIn
We have been using LinkedIn to connect our members (and our members only) for about a year. While the LinkedIn HKTX group (https://hktx.org/linkedin) is underutilized, our co-founder’s profile (https://hktx.org/connect) has connected more than 100 members on the professional network. LinkedIn is the best way to make your own connections with our fellow members on a DIY basis.
If you are a member and you have not connected with us through LinkedIn yet, please take action now. No forms required! If you are not a member yet and want to connect with our members, you may join usand get connected.
Those Were the Days
Since we just had our AGM last month, we think it would be nice to look at some pictures of our previous AGM’s. So in this issue, the Exco “submitted” these pictures for your viewing pleasure.
By the way, have you looked at the bottom of your drawers yet? If you have any photos to share, please send them to us for our next issue!
1. AGM and Independence Day Dinner of 2004 was held at Jack’s Terrazza Ristorante at Sanlitun which has now moved to another location in Wanchai. The food was Italian and was absolutely delicious, and everybody had a good time talking about our school and other things. We could not find a spot on the wall for our Texas flag, so a floor-standing fan was our next best choice.
2. This picture was taken during our first ever AGM and Independence Day Dinner back in 2002 at Coyote Bar & Grill (which still exists at the same spot after so many years). The place did not have a screen to show our presentation, so our then Co-Chairman Victor Nip took his monitor from home and placed it on the dinner table to show his AGM slides. The picture shows our alumni staring at the monitor.
3. In December 2001, we had our first happy hour on the Kowloon side at Chasers on Knutsford Terrace. The place is no longer there. Because it was close to Christmas, a number of alumni who were working in the US and some students came back to Hong Kong. Special thanks to Richard So who brought his UT friends there!
4. Logan Hairgrove stood tall outside his freshman year dorm, LLA in Whitis Court, at the end of his senior year. He showed off his smile remembering fond memories, and did a hook’em to show his UT sprit.
5. The stage was set for the musical finale of Spring 2007 40 Acres Fest. Thousands of UT students were awaiting Little Richard’s performance below the UT Tower. After the night set, the fun began.
Watch Texas Football Bowl Game Party
Our beloved team (#23, 8-4 (5-4), 3rd Big 12 before the game) was scheduled to face Oregon State (#13, 9-3 (6-3), 3rd Pac-12 – North Division before the game) in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on December 29 evening EST (December 30 morning HKT). The game was not shown on any TV channel available in Hong Kong. With the help of Texas Exes for getting us the live feed of the game from the US, we organized a party for our alumni and students who were back in Hong Kong for the holidays.
It was particularly difficult to find a venue this year. The management of Ruggers Bar was kind enough to offer us a pretty decent deal, and we finally had a venue after a few weeks’ search.
It was a cold Sunday but the diehard Texas football fans reached the venue punctually. We were joined by a few visiting alumni who came to Hong Kong to spend their holidays with family and friends. Our team had a hard time since the beginning of the 2nd quarter when OSU scored a field goal to make them lead 13-10. It was until the final minutes of the game when our team took the lead eventually at 31-27 with Olympian Marquise Goodwin scoring a touchdown. It was the first time in the game that our team was in the lead and the score remained unchanged till the end of the game.
Not surprisingly, the alumni at our party was satisfied with the result and went home happy people. After all Bowl Games were played, our team stood at 19th on the AP Poll and 18th on the Coaches’ Poll.
Upcoming Activities
- May 26: Park Island Exploring, Bowling, and Thai Dinner
- June 12: Dragon Boat Race Watching and Lunch with McCombs Students
- July 5: Happy Hour Gathering with McCombs Students
HKTX Merchandise
Our Ted (Texas Exes Dragon) mugs are selling fast! We have only a few left in stock and we will have a new design for the next batch of mugs. If you like this design, act now before all stock is gone!
Coffee mug: HK$100
Write to us at hongkong@alumni.utexas.net if you are interested in our merchandise. The profit on the sale of our merchandise will help us in the running of the club.
Final Words
We hope that you enjoyed reading this newsletter. If you have any comments about this newsletter, please do not hesitate to write to us at hongkong@alumni.utexas.net.
We also would like to urge you to contribute articles or photos for the next issue. It can be any news that you want to share with our fellow alumni. If you want to tell them about your business in the form of an advertisement, we can work that out, too. The next issue will be published in August. Until then, may the ‘Horns be with y’all!
Contact Hong Kong Texas Exes
Phone / WhatsApp: +852 6481 6005
Email: hongkong@alumni.utexas.net
Website: https://hktx.org/
Facebook: https://hktx.org/facebook
LinkedIn: https://hktx.org/linkedin
Photos: https://hktx.org/photos
About this Newsletter
Editorial Board
- Winson Chan
- Logan Hairgrove
- Victor K. Nip
To visit the links in this newsletter, you may visit hktx.org/nl0201 instead of typing the URL’s in your browser yourself. Alternatively, you may scan the following QR Code:
