Finding Career Inspiration With Hong Kong Academy

Hong Kong Academy (HKA)’s home school partnerships are one of their key values, and an important part of the school’s success.

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Pre-pandemic parent volunteerism hours at HKA amounted to more than 10,000 per year – but have they been able to translate the benefits of volunteerism into the online learning environment? HKA’s Secondary School IB coordinator Joanna Crimmins explains how the community is working online to support its career development program.

As IB coordinator a key part of her role is working with students and families to support them in making decisions about their Grade 11 and 12 course selections and providing opportunities beyond the classroom. “Our career development program starts in Grade 9 and while some students know exactly what their plan is for when they graduate from HKA, others find it difficult with so many universities and career choices available to them,” she says.

As an international school, HKA have parents from more than 40 countries who have a diverse range of industry experience, explains Crimmins. “In our career development program initiative, we invited parents to act as guest speakers and created an Industry Insiders online series. Parents from a variety of career fields spoke to our students about where they studied and how their career developed. They also outlined the challenges they’ve faced, gave practical tips and shared insights into how an international career sometimes requires additional qualifications or specialisations. Guest speakers working with students is always inspiring, and the students found it fascinating to hear these first-hand experiences.”

Another fantastic initiative running this month is from HKA class of 2018 graduate Dylan Halbroth, who’s been working with HKA’s IB DP Music students, she says. Dylan graduated with flying colours from DBs Catalyst, Institute for Creative Arts and Technology, Berlin. He is now working as a freelance music producer, musician and composer for visual media and has released numerous EP’s.

Dylan connected with HKA’s music students during two 90-minute masterclasses where they learned about making and monetizing music with new digital platforms and what a future in the music and entertainment industry could look like. “These sessions were especially helpful because students learned about real world application of their music studies and also gained an insight into the world of university. Many commented that they were able to get a sense of how they might grow as adults and artists in the next few years.”