Name: Hiroaki Hayashi

Nationality: Japanese

High School: Hokkaido International School, Japan

Year of Entry: 2019

Major and School: Global Business Studies, School of Management and Economics

College: Muse

Congratulations, Class of 2023!

Among the excited graduation class, we found Hiroaki, who was in his gown and cap and about to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.

Hiroaki had a unique experience of growing up before he became a CUHK-Shenzhen SME student in 2019: he spent his elementary and middle school years in South Korea. He attended an international high school in Japan. Thanks to that, he is fluent in Japanese, Korean and English.

Raised in an international environment where he studied with teachers and classmates from different cultural backgrounds, Hiroaki always wanted to see a broader world. “I wanted to try new things”, he recalled his first initiative of deciding to come to study in China. Hiroaki was very determined to study business and become a future business leader. Learning Chinese also brought him to this country: “I think Chinese is an important language for business,” he said.

“Living in China is very convenient. When I first came to Shenzhen, I was amazed by WeChat pay and that everything could be done on your mobile.” Hiroaki recalled when asked about his life experience in China. He also felt Shenzhen was a safe city to live in. When dining out, he observed that most restaurants in Shenzhen had open kitchens where customers could see their meals being prepared. It made him trust the food in China.

Regarding academics, Hiroaki is particularly pleased with the presentation opportunities he got when studying at the university. A typical teaching and evaluation method that CUHK-Shenzhen professors adopt, presentations are frequently assigned to students across different schools and majors. Hiroaki, who believes public speaking is an essential skill for his future career, is now very comfortable if asked to present something publicly. 

Besides public speaking, Hiroaki was also trained to hone many other vital skills necessary to survive the competitive business jungle. At SME, lecturers are keen on engaging students in group projects to help develop their leadership and communication skills. These group projects simulate the micro-ecosystem of an actual workplace, where different personalities must coexist and collaborate towards a goal. Each group has students from diverse ethnic, social and cultural backgrounds to promote cross-cultural teamwork. Cultural awareness is an essential quality in global business leaders. “I enjoyed working with my Chinese classmates. They are responsible teammates”, Hiroaki commented, “they were all admitted through China’s National Examination and were among the top students in China”.

Hiroaki also thinks the SME lecturers are very engaging. “My professors remember all students’ names. I did not expect them to remember mine, but they all do.” Hiroaki encouraged students to reach out to professors whenever they have questions. “They always respond to you and offer you helpful career advice”.

Hiroaki is planning to work in Hong Kong after graduation. He is applying for a two-year work visa in Hong Kong according to Hong Kong’s latest visa scheme for attracting young talents. CUHK-Shenzhen is one of the three universities in the Chinese mainland eligible to benefit from this policy. All CUHK-Shenzhen graduates can apply for a two-year work visa in Hong Kong without employer sponsorship.

Learn more about the two-year work visa policy in Hong Kong:

Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) | Immigration Department (immd.gov.hk)

Article Credits

Contents: Rosemary Bai, Roxy Luo

Photo Credits: Hiroaki Hayashi (SME, Muse)