HKUST Business School Magazine

Feature Biz@HKUST 52 Let Nothing Stand In Your Way Eli Tang’s life story is a great example of resilience and the power of support received at the right time. A proud alumna of the HKUST Business School, she opted to study quantitative finance, but faced unique challenges throughout her academic career. However, thanks to her own determination and the unwavering assistance of fellow students, professors and other university staff, she has emerged a confident and accomplished young professional who now works as a trader in the fast-moving world of finance. Born with albinism, Eli has fair skin and white hair that make her prone to sunburn and only 10 per- cent of her eyesight remaining. Yet her infectious smile and playful spirit reflect her resolve not to let life’s challenges define her. She does recall, though, that one of the biggest hurdles during her studies was meeting new people and then recognizing them again. “Unlike in secondary school, where you can remember people’s names simply by where they sit, at university, with no assigned seating, this became a real challenge for me,” Eli said. Although she had a close- knit group of friends taking the same major, identifying recent acquaintances especially in larger settings proved difficult. It took real determination to overcome this social obstacle. “Initially, I was very shy, but then I started to open up because I wanted to meet more new people,” she said. “I would explain to them that if you see me in the canteen, you should grab me. Otherwise, I have no way of finding you.” This willingness to be vulnerable and communicate her needs paid off. And Eli soon discovered that when you are open in that way, people are actually really nice. School alumna Eli TANG (BSc (Quantitative Finance)) was born with albinism, but that never stopped her from pursuing her dreams and a career as a trader, and she thanks HKUST for that.