It is a real pleasure to be invited to share a few words as a not-so-old-yet graduate of the programme. I entered the B.Ed. in Mathematics and Mathematics Education in 2012, and to this day I still regard my undergraduate years there as the best period of my life. Time has passed remarkably quickly since then, so it feels especially meaningful to reflect on the path I have taken since graduation.
One of the great strengths of the programme, in my view, lies in its design. The double major structure offered a rare and valuable combination: solid mathematical subject knowledge on the one hand, and educational theory together with practical pedagogical training on the other. We were trained not only to study mathematics seriously as a discipline, but also to think carefully about how it is taught, learnt, and communicated. The additional year of study required by the double major made the training especially substantial, and in my own case I also used some of my free credits to pursue a minor in German, which added another enriching dimension to my formative years at CUHK. Altogether, the programme gave me a strong and unusually well-rounded foundation.
My own path after graduation developed in a somewhat less conventional direction. While many graduates of the programme quite naturally move into secondary school teaching, I found myself increasingly drawn to tertiary education. I went on to teach mathematics in several higher education settings in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong College of Technology, HKMU LiPACE, and HKU SPACE. These roles allowed me to continue working at the intersection of mathematics and education, and the relative freedom of the higher education environment gave me more room to reflect on the wider intellectual meaning of the subject. I still remember, for example, teaching a data mining module for engineering students and having considerable flexibility in designing my own teaching sequence. Experiences like this encouraged me to view mathematics from a rather different angle: as a self-contained discipline, and at the same time as a language that travels widely across contexts and disciplines. During my master’s studies, especially in the COVID period, I discovered what would become my central academic interest: the history of mathematics. I became increasingly fascinated by how mathematical ideas emerged, developed, and circulated across cultures, and by how this historical dimension could enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics today.
This interest eventually led me to doctoral research in the UK, where I am now completing my PhD in the history of mathematics. Alongside this, I currently work as an Academic Skills Adviser at Middlesex University London, supporting students in mathematics and related areas. Over the past few years, I have also had the opportunity to visit archives and work with historical manuscripts firsthand, deliver invited talks, and lead teacher-training workshops across continental Europe. These exposures have allowed me to engage with wider academic and educational communities beyond my own institution. Although my career has taken me overseas, my bond with CUHK has stayed very much alive. Two years ago, I was especially glad to return to give a guest lecture for the Department of Mathematics on the historical development of abstract algebra, which was a particularly memorable moment for me as an alumnus.
BMED gave me not only a strong disciplinary and pedagogical foundation, but also the intellectual flexibility to chart my own academic path. I hope my experience shows that the programme can open up possibilities beyond a single professional route, equipping students for teaching while also creating space for broader scholarly development. Beyond the formal training itself, I am deeply thankful for the teachers and coursemates I encountered during those years, whose influence, support, and companionship made my undergraduate time an especially wholesome journey.
