The Innovation and Technology Scholarship recognizes students who possess a genuine passion for innovation, commitment to community service, and visionary goals. Constantly seeking ways to transform the world around them, meet HKUST’s exceptional Innovation and Technology scholars. 

“Throughout the journey, I can say that I did not play by the rules of what was expected of me, but I enjoyed working through these barriers and trying out different tracks,” shares Kathy Ng, a Global China Studies major and co-founder of NatureTech startup MetaGreenX.  

She speaks about where it all began for her and MetaGreenX: “I used to participate in tree planting activities. [Before this] I did not realize that, when seedlings are put into the soil, young trees end up dying within three months because nobody is able to take care of them. The location is too remote, and the infrastructure is poor, so it is difficult for any manpower to reach there.”   

Determined to improve tree planting, Kathy found her MetaGreenX co-founders through TheBASE, our entrepreneurial hub, where her passion for entrepreneurship first began: “I discovered that I liked doing startups, because I loved the experience of managing and developing a project from zero to one. If I did internships at big corporations, I would not have the opportunity to handle projects from scratch and develop solutions by myself.” 

Throughout university, Kathy has joined multiple entrepreneurship events. During these experiences, she notes that nearly half of participants were HKUST members. She expresses, “I find that the Entrepreneurship Center has provided us with a lot of exposure – no matter startups, connections, resources, or incubation and ideation programmes. It is also thanks to them for always promoting entrepreneurship at our campus.” 

Earning the Innovation and Technology Scholarship, Kathy is a true inspiration to budding student entrepreneurs. In her words, the most important step when building a startup is validating your ideas: “Sometimes when we only focus on our own job, we feel great about ourselves...But you need to listen to the voices of others, because your perspective may not be comprehensive enough.” 

Kathy Ng personifies the transformative power of self-development. Alongside being a social science student, she actively pursues a diverse range of opportunities to broaden her horizons. Reflecting on her experiences, Kathy emphasizes, “We are still young, so we need to explore – the world is still too big for us.” 

Indeed, the world is brimming with boundless possibilities – and we eagerly anticipate Kathy Ng's journey as she takes on new frontiers.