Felix Olesen
Working as a Part-Time Programmer for ICHK as well as an Independent Game DeveloperWhat did you most enjoy about your time at ICHK?
Whenever I look back at the time I spent at ICHK, I always think of the tight-knit community that the whole school had. I always felt a mutual respect amongst my peers and teachers, which was a sentiment I tried my best to give to all of them as well. Resilience, creativity, and risk taking were skills that each student aspired to have, which created such an exciting atmosphere to learn in. No one’s effort was overlooked, and everyone was given a chance to learn from mistakes and give it another go. This ethos is why I think so fondly of my time at ICHK.
How do you feel that teachers at ICHK prepared you for life after school?
The teachers at ICHK always recognised hard work, which reinforced my desire to put in maximum effort towards all of my subjects, no matter the level of skill or knowledge I had prior to studying them. The fact that I was constantly trying to grow and learn mattered to them, which made it matter to me so much more. This helped me develop resilience, problem solving skills, and independent thinking, which has helped me in every facet of my life.
How do you think that ICHK differs from other schools?
One of ICHK’s biggest strengths is how small it is compared to many other schools in Hong Kong. The classes were small so you could get a lot more help from teachers when you needed it. ICHK being small also meant that everyone had to help each other out in sports tournaments, drama productions, and school events. This community effort meant that everyone had the option to try new things and find potential new passions.
What were the key skills that you learnt at ICHK?
Resilience, multi-faceted problem solving, self reflection, caring for others, curiosity, and independent learning were some of the key skills that I developed at ICHK. All of which have proved immensely useful in my time at university and beyond.
Any significant moments / highlights / achievements in your life that you may like to share, and do you think your time at ICHK helped you prepare for them?
Achieving a first class honours for my bachelors degree in computer science along with published research in optimisation algorithms was an achievement that I can only deem possible thanks to the skills I developed at ICHK. All of which have helped me to achieve goals that my younger self would have thought were unreachable.