Ilarina Zhou

I am a Master of Journalism student at HKU, I graduated from Lingnan University, majoring in Government and International Affairs, and minoring in Translation. I was raised in a mixed background, my father is Chinese, and my mother is Belarusian. Growing up between two opposite cultures was challenging. Most of the time, people would form groups based on their cultural identity, so there was always a sense that I must pick one side to feel belonged. However, I ended up standing somewhere in the middle, near a line that I intentionally blurred. Following Bruce Lee’s philosophy, “when you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot.” Now, I am like water, who can easily adapt and communicate with different cultures and races without feeling alienated. Traveling in different parts of the world made me realize that we are all connected, despite our beliefs, races, or cultures. At the end of the day, we are the human nation that has been equally created on this planet, just like water.   

Student headshot, JMSC/ Ilarina Zhou