Born in Hong Kong in 2000, Sabrina is the youngest of three sisters, raised by a Hong Kong Chinese father and a Filipino mother. The family moved to the Philippines in 2003 during the SARS outbreak and they later lived in Vietnam for several years before settling back in Hong Kong in 2015. This multicultural upbringing instilled a deep respect for cultural differences in her from a young age. "My parents respect each other's cultures," she says. "Though they follow different religions, my dad would still accompany us to Mass, my mom also learned to speak Cantonese and cook Chinese dishes. That harmony taught me acceptance and inspired me to better understand the backgrounds and emotions of the characters I portray."
At age seven, Sabrina won the championship of "Little Miss Laguna" competition in the Philippines, launching her entertainment career. But life as a child star wasn't all glitz, she had to balance schoolwork with filming, studying on set. "Sometimes I missed exams and had to take them on different days," she says. "Once, other parents questioned the authenticity of my grades, so the school arranged an impromptu retest. I scored even higher in the retest." She laughs, calling it a lesson in proving herself through action.
On set, she also faced unforgettable moments of prejudice. Once, the parent of a fellow actor remarked that Sabrina was cast only because of her fair skin. But during a crying scene, Sabrina brought herself to tears in just three seconds, astounding the entire crew. "I never took acting classes," she explains. "I just practised in front of the mirror — how to cry, or how to look genuinely happy."
At only eight years old, she won her first best actress award at the UP Short Film Festival for her role in Pers Lab, becoming the youngest nominee among all contenders. "That award means a lot to me. It gave me confidence and affirmed I was on the right path. It helped nurture my resilience and a positive mindset."
In 2015, Sabrina moved back to Hong Kong from the Philippines with her family. "At first, I felt extremely lonely and cried a lot," she shares. "I didn't understand Cantonese at all. On my first day of school, I got lost and called my mom, sobbing, 'I want to go back to the Philippines!' At school, I was placed in the lowest CSL(Chinese-as-a-Second-Language) class and I couldn't even write my own Chinese name."
The culture shock was everywhere. She once thought restaurant servers ignored her because she couldn't speak Cantonese, only later realizing instead of rudeness, their briskness was simply efficiency. Gradually, she adapted to the fast-paced lifestyle in Hong Kong and found herself fully assimilated — learning to walk and make decisions quickly.
Inspired by a passionate high school English teacher, Sabrina set her sights on a career in education. Though her DSE math score fell short of the requirements for direct university entry, she persevered through two years of associate degree studies and was admitted to CUHK's Department of English in 2021 as a third-year student.
Stepping onto the CUHK campus marked another period of adjustment for Sabrina. "It felt like hiking. The campus of CUHK is too big and we had to take shuttle buses to get around. Luckily, I had a few friends from my associate degree days with me" she recalls. Although she wasn't able to experience hostel life due to the pandemic and living with her family, she still formed deep bonds, like when classmates got her a birthday surprise.
The academic atmosphere and inspiring professors at CUHK also left her a deep impact. Sabrina is particularly grateful to three professors: Professor Michael Anthony Ingham, known for his work on mythological literature; Professor Eli Park Sorensen, who taught crime fiction and existentialism; and Filipino professor Ron Darvin, who invited her to translate Tagalog audio recordings. The experience helped her turn her cultural background into a strength.
Sabrina is currently working full-time at a learning center, teaching English writing and creative thinking. She says the training she received from CUHK's Department of English has greatly benefited her teaching career. "Especially in the Literary Analysis classes, the professors taught us how to interpret stories from multiple perspectives. That has helped me become a better listener in the classroom and more willing to give students the creative space they need."
Beyond education, she starred in the Hong Kong short film Adrift (《鬼妹》) in 2024. The literary analysis skills she gained at CUHK have also taken her acting to a new level. "In the past, I'd fully immerse myself in a character ," she explains. "Now, thanks to the textual analysis skills acquired from CUHK, I've adopted a 'bird's-eye view' approach when examining the character. The character I played had a very similar background to mine, but she carried a heavy emotional burden, as her story touched on the trauma that foreign domestic workers might experience. If I had fully immersed myself emotionally, it would have been hard to detach." The film won two awards at the Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival.
Sabrina is also active on social media, where she has gained over 86,000 followers. She uses these platforms to share the social issues in both Hong Kong and the Philippines to foster cross-cultural understanding. During the pandemic, she highlighted Hong Kong's community resilience for her Filipino followers; When natural disasters hit the Philippines, she shared information about relief efforts. She also tries to break stereotypes that Hong Kong people may have by showcasing the elegance of Filipino cuisine. "I want people to see me not just as an actress, but as a real person they can relate to," she says.
Published on CU Alumni Magazine Issue 124 by Alumni Affairs Office 2025
Read online: CU Alumni Magazine Issue 124 (Chinese Version Only)
PDF: http://www.alumni.cuhk.edu.hk/magazine/202512/pdf/CUAM_202512.pdf
ISSUU: http://www.alumni.cuhk.edu.hk/magazine/issuu/