Chananchida Choochua: CUHK's Thai Ambassador Who Bridges The Thai Community

Not many Thai students would pursue university studies in Hong Kong until the Hong Kong government introduced the "Belt and Road Scholarship (Thailand)" in 2017, which aimed at attracting outstanding Thai students for studies in Hong Kong. In 2018, CUHK admitted 6 Thai students, including Chananchida Choochua (22/WYS/Business Administration). She actively immersed herself in Hong Kong’s lifestyle and culture, and chose to work in Hong Kong after her graduation. This inspired her sister to also study at CUHK. Chananchida has also set up a social media page to share higher education information and her experiences in Hong Kong, helping more Thai students pursue their dreams by choosing Hong Kong as their destination for studying abroad.

Chananchida Choochua came from Thailand to study at CUHK, and was awarded four scholarships for her outstanding achievements.

Flexible Learning Framework at CUHK’s IBBA Programme

Chananchida Choochua (also known as Chanan) attended a high school in Bangkok, majoring in Mandarin and Chinese literature. "I have a strong interest in languages. There is a lot of resemblance in the grammar of Chinese and Thai, and Mandarin has become popular in many Asian countries, so I thought learning Mandarin will be beneficial for my career development," Chanan said. She planned to study business administration in university, and while many of her classmates aspired to study in the UK, USA, or Australia, she decided to try out a rather unpopular choice, Hong Kong. "I was 8 years old when I visited Hong Kong. Although my memories are somewhat vague, before graduating from high school, I attended a Hong Kong education fair held in Bangkok, where I learned that Hong Kong universities recognise Thai high school diplomas without requiring examinations like the SAT or ACT in the USA. There are also plenty of opportunities for scholarships, which was very appealing to me. As an international financial hub, I thought Hong Kong is an ideal destination to study business. I chose CUHK because of the flexible learning framework of the Integrated Bachelor of Business Administration (IBBA) Programme. Unlike other universities where you have to choose a major upon your admission, CUHK's programme allows us more time to explore our interests and strengths before specialising in a major," she explains.

Securing Four Scholarships in Hong Kong with Her Impressive Resume

In 2018, Chanan brought along her outstanding resume to be awarded four scholarships including the Belt and Road Scholarships, CUHK admission scholarships, Business School admission scholarships, and Wu Yee Sun College admission scholarships. Upon arriving in Hong Kong, she found it challenging to adapt to Hong Kong’s humid weather, but enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere of the city, along with its diverse dim sum and local dishes. However, at first, Cantonese posed a barrier for her. "Some international students may not find it necessary to know Mandarin or Cantonese, but because I love exploring local shops and markets in different neighbourhoods, Mandarin alone was not enough. For now, I am grateful that my Cantonese has improved. I can understand basic conversations and manage simple daily interactions," Chanan said.

In 2021, Loy Krathong, the Thai Water Lantern Festival was held on campus for the first time, inviting students from all over to make lanterns.

Reflecting on her four years of university life, Chanan reveals that it has been one of the best times of her life, especially the beautiful environment of her dormitory and making friends with people from Taiwan, Malaysia, and France at her College. She also witnessed the increasing number of Thai students at CUHK over the years, including her younger sister Marine. Chanan said, "When I was studying, CUHK had only about a dozen Thai students. Right now, to my knowledge, the number has increased to around fifty. Marine has always been interested in business studies. When she visited me at CUHK, she fell in love with the learning environment and coupled with the comprehensiveness of the IBBA programme, attracting her to follow in my footsteps for her further studies. I provided her with lots of advice, and spiritually, we consider Hong Kong as our second home."

After six years in Hong Kong, Chanan said she has grown accustomed to life here. However, she observes a distinct cultural difference between Hong Kong and Thailand. She explained, "Hong Kong people value personal privacy more. For example, it is common to eat alone in school or at work, but Thais prefer collective action and are afraid of being excluded from groups, so they usually do things together." This collectivist mindset, combined with living abroad, has strengthened the bond among Thai CUHK students in Hong Kong. Even before Chanan and other students arrived at CUHK, she had already gotten to know earlier batches of CUHK Thai students during gatherings in Thailand. In recent years, they have organised the Thai Student Association of The Chinese University of Hong Kong to host events on campus, introducing Thai cultural practices such as Loy Krathong, the Thai Water Lantern Festival. Despite having graduated, Chanan still accompanies current students on outings to help them adjust to life and the culture in Hong Kong. Years ago, she created a Facebook page called "ChananinHK" to promote Hong Kong's higher education resources to Thai students, featuring short videos about CUHK's learning environment, Hong Kong lifestyle, cultural insights, and answering questions about studying in Hong Kong, which have received exciting responses.

Chanan (third on the left) had a dinner gathering with Thai CUHK seniors before coming to Hong Kong for her studies.

Chanan (center) made friends from Taiwan and Malaysia while at Wu Yee Sun College.

Group Projects Become A Sandbox for Workplace Survival

In the IBBA programme, Chanan majored in Entrepreneurship and Quantitative Marketing. Most of her coursework is conducted in small groups, which she treated as a sandbox for workplace practice, applying classroom knowledge in advance and putting her soft skills to test. She said, "Besides applying knowledge to assignments, mastering teamwork is even more important. Group projects give me the opportunity to collaborate with classmates from diverse backgrounds, learning how to exchange ideas and reach consensus by mending different perspectives. These soft skills are immensely useful for my career development and also in life."

Chanan (first from the right, back row) and Thai CUHK students hiking at D'Aguilar Peninsula.

Chanan sees promising prospects in the logistics industry and currently serves as a management trainee at Kerry Logistics. She went on and said, "starting from the basics, I am learning in different departments to build comprehensive skills at work. For now, I plan to stay in Hong Kong for my career path. Yet, our company has offices worldwide, with thriving operations in Thailand in recent years. There is a chance I may be assigned to work at one of our global network subsidiaries." Chanan's career aspiration is to establish herself in Hong Kong while embracing global opportunities.

Published in CU Alumni Magazine Issue 118 by Alumni Affairs Office 2024

Read online: CU Alumni Magazine Issue 118 (Chinese Version Only)
PDF：https://alumni.cuhk.edu.hk/en/magazine/categories/pdfversion/202406
ISSUU：http://www.alumni.cuhk.edu.hk/magazine/issuu/