The IFTM Scholarship and Fellowship Presentation Ceremony 2022 was held on 11 November at the Grand Hall of IFTM Mong-Há Campus. Scholarships and fellowships served to recognise students for their academic performance and as ways of encouraging them to make the most of the opportunities offered, including overseas internships, exchange programmes, cultural programmes, and participation in international conferences, meanwhile, some scholarships provide financial aid for those facing financial hardship.
A total of 297 scholarships and fellowships, offered by IFTM and various donors, were presented to students, marking the significance to their achievements and contributions. This year, the aggregate grants worth more than 2.4 million patacas. IFTM highlights the scheme to improve people’s access to education and to reward as a token of recognition of excellence in academic works. For students attending an internship, participating in academic seminars outside Macao, as well as taking part in international exchange programmes, scholarships and fellowships can provide support in broadening horizons to learn different cultures and build their international network.
The recipient of the PhD Institute Scholarship (2022 intake), Devin Yang Qi, was surprised by the scholarship awarded from his admission portfolio, ‘I found my hard work was being recognised and that the efforts and time were all worth spending. This also acts as a huge encouragement for my future academic research work,’ he says. Knowing that the PhD Institute Scholarship is a 100% of tuition fee waiver upon admission, Devin was honoured and grateful for the financial support provided by both IFTM. He would take the scholarship as a motivation towards his strive for continued excellence in his study.
Sophia Yang Yingqi, who was a fresh IFTM graduate in academic year 2021/2022, received a scholarship titled as ‘one of the best graduates’ as well as the ‘outstanding paper scholarship‘ in the final year of her bachelor’s degree programme. ‘Receiving these scholarships enriches my academic achievements, they act like the final academic transcript that I have got for the past 4 years. It provides me a clear direction of what I am more capable of and what brings out the best of me, hence, leading me to explore more in the specific fields,’ she states. It is a lifelong honour to be rewarded with these two scholarships. She says the accolades are proof of her academic efforts and motivation towards conducting research work and papers in the future. ‘I feel equipped to take up more challenges and earn experiences in my path to success and I believe that the diversified scholarships and fellowships offered by IFTM and the donors open doors for students towards education, personal development and career advancements,’ Sophia added.
Melody Lu Jingting, who enrolled in Heritage Management at IFTM, applied for the exchange programme in Xinjiang Normal University, focusing on cultural heritage and museology. Aside from the exchange scholarship received, Melody expressed that that was killing two birds with one stone. ‘During the programme, experts were invited to give talks and show demonstrations to us upon preservation of cultural heritage. We also gained hands-on experiences, integrated know-hows and improved mindset throughout the curriculum,’ she mentioned. She said that doing an exchange programme in well-known universities was a life-changing experience. Such experience has not only expanded her knowledge base, but also strengthened her determination to work hard in reaching her goals.
Melody appreciated with the efforts made by the Institute in offering opportunities for students to engage in exchange programmes, and to gain more experience with financial support. She encouraged her fellow students to grab the opportunities to go for either exchange programmes or internships, as a way to spur their development. ‘The valuable experience may not be easily gained,’ she said, ‘but when we get the chance to try, we should bring the best of ourselves to make an effort and go for it!’
Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG), as one of the scholarship providers at undergraduate, postgraduate level for exchange, internship, and outstanding academic performance, said their offering of grants to IFTM students aims to motivate and create more incentives to reach excellence in the students’ studies. GEG is committed to cultivate local young talents and help them to unleash their potential, pleased to support IFTM in training new talents for the local tourism and hospitality fields.
President Dr. Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan extended her gratitude to scholarship providers with arms of Institute Council and government departments, private enterprises, associations and individuals for their continued support to IFTM, which enabled students’ pursuit of excellence in both learning and whole-person development. These endowing scholarships and fellowships ensure students from all backgrounds to access the opportunities and tools to forge their path to success.
