Mr Chan started his education in the U.S. in 1999. In the autumn of 2004, he interned for US Senator Max Baucus in Washington, DC, handling national security issues. Before that position, he participated in a review of Hong Kong's international school policy at the Education and Manpower Bureau of the Hong Kong Government. He had also assisted California State Assembly member Joseph Canciamilla in developing environmental and energy legislation. At Stanford, Mr Chan served as a Senior Staff Writer for the student newspaper The Stanford Daily . A recipient of Stanford's East Asian Studies Fellowship, Mr Chan worked for Dow Jones Newswires in Beijing in the summer of 2005 with reports regularly published on the Dow Jones Newswires and in The Asian Wall Street Journal .
I received my Master of Arts in Political and Comparative Sociology from Stanford University in June 2006, after graduating with distinction and Phi Beta Kappa , also from Stanford, with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy the year before.
During my third year of university, I went to Corpus Christi College, Oxford University, where I pursued an academic programme in modern political philosophy and a comparative examination of the British and American constitutional systems.
For much of my adolescence, I dreamt of becoming a doctor devoted to medical research. However, my interests in politics and current affairs grew considerably as soon as I began my study in the US in 1999. The general, liberal arts education, on which many Americans put a high premium, afforded me an inspirationally refreshing perspective on the array of social, political and economic phenomena that constantly shape or influence people's lives. I therefore decided to discontinue my study in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University and indulge my newfound passion for the social sciences instead.
As a student of government, I sought to avail myself with work experiences in the public sector. In the autumn of 2004, I interned for US Senator Max Baucus in Washington, DC, where I handled policy and administrative issues pertinent to national security and international trade. Before that position, I was on attachment to the Education and Manpower Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, collaborating with senior officials in a review of government policy towards a major international school system in Hong Kong. Earlier in my undergraduate career, I assisted California State Assembly member Joseph Canciamilla in developing legislation with regard to environmental protection and energy usage in the Golden State.
At Stanford, I participated keenly in a number of extracurricular activities. As the Director of Fellowships of a campus organization known as Stanford in Government, I led a team of students to manage a fellowship programme that provides highly qualified individuals with internship opportunities in state and local government agencies. For my effort in SIG and other groups, I was given the honour of being featured as one of ten student leaders dedicated to the promotion and delivery of public service in the 20 th anniversary publication of the nationally renowned Haas Center for Public Service.
Additionally, I served as a Senior Staff Writer for the student newspaper The Stanford Daily . As a recipient of the Stanford East Asian Studies Fellowship, I worked in the Beijing Bureau of Dow Jones Newswires in the summer of 2005, covering China's economic policies and financial developments. My reports were regularly published on the Dow Jones Newswires and in The Asian Wall Street Journal .
An avid runner, I also enjoy swimming and reading on a beach. Plus, I have been hooked on the rowing machine since I joined the men's crew team of my college at Oxford. During my free time, I like to play the flute, listen to Brahms' four symphonies and, being a bona fide Hong Konger, go eat dim sum with my buddies from Ying Wa College.
Ronald CHAN
