Just as pleasingly, more and more service and humanitarian organisations around the world are welcoming our EY students, such as the Cambodian Children’s Fund, New Sight in Congo, and the Stanford University-ABCs for Global Health Foundation in the Philippines – all recent partners. The most rewarding part is perhaps the feedback we receive from students about how much they have benefited from these experiences. I am sure each of you has your own stories from EY, so let me share a couple of recent examples. Ken, an MBBS student, went to Vanuatu for three months to work at a local clinic and emergency department that had only one X-ray machine and one ultrasound machine and relied on medicines donated from other countries – often already expired. In one heartbreaking case, a little girl with hydrocephalus could not undergo surgery because there was no anaesthetist available. The insights into medical resource inequities were profound. But so were the insights into people. Ken said he came away with great admiration for the community culture of the Vanuatu people, and their self-sufficient, closely-knit way of life. Another example is Josephine, who volunteered with Ukrainian refugees in Poland through the organisation Operation Mobilisation Hong Kong. She worked with children affected by the war, including a child who had, tragically, watched their parents take their own lives. Josephine also organised gatherings for Ukrainian women. Even though they did not share a language, they managed to bond with the help of Google translate. She subsequently joined MV Logos Hope, visiting refugees in five countries. All these experiences have deepened her resolve to give back. She intends to volunteer with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) after she becomes a qualified doctor. 5 STATE OF THE FACULTY ADDRESS 2026
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