Alumni Linkage — OU People

In addition to her role as Associate Professor (Language and Translation) at the School of Arts & Social Sciences, Dr Kelly Chan is also a seasoned MC and a dedicated Cantonese opera singer.

Motivating students to succeed

Dr Chan is most passionate about teaching and what she enjoys most is classroom interaction with students, 'When I see some students are about to doze off in the classes, I would crack a few jokes that are both fun and thought-provoking.' By memorizing all their names, pointing out the problems of sluggish students, she devotes wholeheartedly to the students and tailors her teaching to their varied abilities. It brought her much joy and pleasure when seeing students' improvement and achievement.

Dr Chan also maintains very close relationships with graduates. She recalls a mainland student who enrolled in the Master of Arts in Applied Translation programme: he did not do very well in general courses in the beginning but later found out his true interest in literary translation due to inspiration by Dr Chan's lessons. Since then, that student frequently brought his works to Dr Chan's office for advice. After graduation, he became a lecturer in a mainland university and has come back to the alma mater a couple of times to share his valuable learning experience with fellow students.

Enjoying time on stage 

Dr Chan's voice can be found not only from the lectern in classroom but also from the stage of theatre. Many OUHK members would recognize her face as she has been the MC in many University functions. And Dr Chan is a great lover of Cantonese opera and she performs on stage from time to time. She said she is really enjoying it and would consider Cantonese opera singing as a lifelong pursuit. 'From work to leisure, my voice has meant so much!'