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Giving Back
GIVING BACK
Alumni Parent Launches Exclusive Scholarship
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In April, the Dr. John Poon Honour Award and Excellence Scholarship in Business was unveiled to Grade 10 and 11 Business and Economics students in the Leo Lee Arts Centre (LLAC) theatre by a delegation led by Dr. Joseph Doucet, Dean of the Alberta School of Business. This fantastic opportunity is available only to Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS) graduates, with scholarship money up to the full amount of domestic or international tuition for three full years at the University of Alberta School of Business.
The highlight of the award is guaranteed entry to the School of Business at the end of year one for recipients, provided they maintain a 3.0 GPA at the end of their first year. This is the first time the University of Alberta, ranked fourth nationally, has offered guaranteed entry to its business school to international students. This scholarship is a significant enticement as entry into the School of Business is notoriously difficult.
Mr. Gabriel Poon
This award and scholarship was made possible through the generosity of Dr. Poon, whose two sons, Gabriel ’00 and Colin ’04 graduated from CDNIS. Dr. Poon is a proud alumnus of the University of Alberta, as well as an Adjunct Professor in the Alberta School of Business, and Chairman of the Financial Reporting Council of Hong Kong. Having also served on the Board of Governors at CDNIS from 2005-2007, Dr. Poon explains that he was looking for a way to give back to the school. “After practising law in Edmonton for a few years, I decided to return to Hong Kong with my family. In 1988, we were looking for a good school for our two boys. Although CDNIS was a start-up at the time, I’m very pleased at the quality education it provided for Gabriel and Colin, instilling them with life-long Canadian and Hong Kong values.”
The aim of the award and scholarship is not just to benefit CDNIS students, but to form a strategic alliance between CDNIS and the Alberta School of Business. Dr. Poon worked collaboratively with Mr. Tim Kaiser, Upper School Principal at CDNIS, as well as Dr. Doucet, in order to come up with the unique structure of the scholarship and award. In addition to the guaranteed entry into the Alberta School of Business, there is a sliding scale of GPA targets, which recipients aim towards in order to reap the financial benefits of the award. These targets ensure that there is a tangible incentive for recipients to study hard throughout their time at university.
There is also an exploratory trip allowance component to the award, allowing recipients to claim HK$15,000 of their travel expenses for a trip to visit the University of Alberta while they are at CDNIS, after they have received the award. “We created this incentive in order for students to make an informed decision about where they will be attending university, in addition to encouraging more students to visit the Alberta School of Business in Edmonton and consider applying to it,” explains Dr. Poon. “In fact, the Alberta School of Business faculty has four winners of the national 3M Teaching Fellowship, more than any other business school in Canada.”
Mr. Tim Kaiser, Dr. John Poon
Dr. Poon and his son Gabriel are well placed to extol the virtues of studying in Edmonton, having both cheered for the Edmonton Eskimo football team during the summers and the Edmonton Oilers hockey team during the winters there. “I actually think that enduring the Canadian climate for a few years, whether in Edmonton, Toronto or Montreal, will toughen up Hong Kong students!” exclaims Dr. Poon. “I believe that parents may also be attracted to having their children study at the University of Alberta. For one, the cost of living in Edmonton is lower than Toronto and Vancouver, but more importantly there are fewer distractions for students as well. My education and experience at the University of Alberta has equipped me well to tackle many challenges in my career, firstly as a lawyer and then as a business executive, and I hope that students at CDNIS and Hong Kong will be able to benefit from this experience too.”
From left to right: Mr. Tim Kaiser, Dr. Joseph Doucet, Dr. John Poon, Mr. Gabriel Poon, Dr. Edy Wong, Mr. Colin Poon
