Why I give . . .

Edward Ma (2000, Engineering)

What first brought you to Cambridge?

I never thought it would be possible for me to study in Cambridge I’m not from an educated family; my parents didn’t have the oppor tunity to pursue higher education. I was born and raised in Hong Kong, and when I took the entrance tests to study GCSEs and A-Levels at Lancaster Royal Grammar School in the UK, I failed my first English exam! It was dif ficult but I improved quickly. After A-Levels, I joined a Year-in-Industr y programme and worked at GlaxoWellcome hoping to become a scientist But, after two weeks they transferred me to the engineering depar tment which turned out to be a better fit. My project ended up winning awards and a scholarship to suppor t my education at university

It was when I visited a close friend from Hong Kong in Cambridge that I star ted to understand the great oppor tunities here. He encouraged me to apply, and I was ver y ner vous at the inter view Getting an of fer was quite an achievement!

Why choose Jesus College?

I was attracted to Jesus College because ar t and spor ts have always been a ver y impor tant par t of my life I love basketball and the Alternative Student Prospectus showed that Jesus was one of only two Colleges with a cour t From my first phone call with someone at the College, I knew that it was a warm, welcoming and inclusive place I had a wonder ful and inspiring Director of Studies, Professor Geof f Parks I played for the College basketball team and I ran the Cambridge University Chinese Society and produced shows at the ADC Theatre

Why do you continue to support the College?

Cambridge transformed me into the person I am today, and the College played a big par t in that. It is an unmatched and unique environment, leading the way in spor ts and ar tistic pursuits, as well as academically I’m ver y grateful for my experience here because it opened doors for me, and now I want to open doors for other people. I’m an external advisor to the Intellectual Forum and I’m so impressed by the huge range of talks and events; I wish it had existed when I was a student. My advice to current students is to make the most of ever y oppor tunity. Enjoy your time here and stay for as long as you can!

How has your career progressed since leaving?

I’d have liked to stay longer but my mum, who happened to be my best friend in life, became unwell, so I returned to Hong Kong to spend time with her I worked in the energy sector, first as a management trainee and then running a business for 12 years. My mum knew that I wasn’t happy or fulfilled In her final days, I promised her to do something more meaningful with my life. I star ted as a volunteer advising charities on governance, strategy and processes, which eventually led to my current role.

I’m now Secretar y-General of the Yidan Prize Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation which awards two international prizes for innovative research and projects to advance education globally I also ser ve in the Cambridge University’s Networks and Volunteers Working Group to help build engagement with alumni in Asia, and I chair the means-test committee of the Prince Philip Scholarship which provides full scholarships for underprivileged but bright students from Hong Kong to read any subject in Cambridge I enjoy my work ver y much It’s fulfilling to know that we ’ re enabling more people to benefit from the transformative power of education

What does Cambridge mean to you now?

My wife and I met in Cambridge, and we love to visit regularly with our two children We tell them that we spent some of the happiest days of our lives here. We hope that they’re inspired by the place and the people. I tr y to recreate the close relationship that my mum and I enjoyed growing up with my children, by spending time together doing ar t and crafts, playing spor ts, sharing jokes and having great chats