Discover HKBU
From the Caribbean to Hong Kong – Finding purpose in kindness
30 Oct 2026
Finding one’s calling, and leaving home to pursue it, takes conviction and courage. For two sisters from the Dominican Republic, that journey led them to “Study in Hong Kong”, where they enrolled in HKBU’s undergraduate programmes one after the other. Their journey also reflects a growing trend of internationalisation on campus, as HKBU recorded a historic high in its intake of non-local undergraduate freshmen for the 2026-27 academic year.
Marcelle Karina Lamarche Valenzuela, now a Year 3 Bachelor of Social Work student, is a recipient of the Belt and Road Scholarship from the Scholarship Fund of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2025. Her younger sister, Diana Margarita Lamarche Valenzuela, joined her a year later and is now a Year 1 student in the Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences programme. Both sisters received a full admission scholarship from the University, enabling them to overcome financial barriers and realise their dreams of studying abroad.
Making HKBU and Hong Kong home
Venturing from the Caribbean to Hong Kong begs the question, why social work and why HKBU?
“It took me a while to arrive at social work, something my heart has been trying to tell me. I've always been very set on my morals. The core of them is that I believe we are all indebted to one another, and we owe our fellow beings kindness,” Marcelle says at the outset.
Seeing the many unmet needs in the world strengthened Marcelle’s resolve. “I told myself, ‘If I can, I should. I want to help those who aren't getting the help they need.’ After much research and soul searching, I decided on social work as the most sustainable and practical way to fulfil my life purpose,” Marcelle continues.
Having applied to universities worldwide, Marcelle chose HKBU after an admission interview that left her feeling valued beyond her academic achievements. She especially appreciated the University’s genuine interest in her personal qualities, values, aspirations, and dreams.
Making room for difficult days
Over the past two years, she has lived the campus life to the fullest, enrolling in initiatives that resonate with her beliefs such as HKBU’s Mental Health First Aid Captain programme. Yet wanting to support others does not mean feeling rosy and positive every day. Living away from her family, Marcelle says she sometimes experiences sudden pangs of sadness and homesickness. On difficult days, simply making it to class can feel like an achievement.
“I won't lie. When I'm at my lowest, drowning in confusion and doubt and fear, and having someone tell me, ‘You just have to be resilient!’, is exasperating”. With a strong sense of empathy and self-awareness often associated with the helping profession, Marcelle reassures anyone going through a rough patch that it is “Ok to be not Ok”.
“Whatever it may be that is troubling you, be it a small inconvenience or existential fears, learn to accept it. Just be careful not to get stuck overthinking and keep moving forward regardless. Even tiny little crawls will do. As long as you move, you'll be tolerably Ok. That is how I stay upbeat and positive about my life in HKBU and Hong Kong.”
Making people feel heard and seen
Marcelle finds inspiration from her favourite social work course, the Psychology of Positive Living, which reframes adversity in a positive light. This empowering approach aligns with her vocation to support vulnerable individuals. “Normally, you'd think about what you are missing, what is wrong and abnormal. With positive psychology, you instead focus on the processes and conditions that contribute to positive psychological states, positive emotions, and positive living. We learned to reframe everything around us and our future in a better light. It was a complete 180 for me, and it has influenced how I see and speak about myself, my struggles, my journeys, and how I help others.”
Beyond her academic studies, Marcelle’s passion to help others has found a creative outlet in “SanaPlay”, a community project developed with fellow members of HKBU’s House of Scholars. Drawing on their experiences as international students attempting to explain their medical needs to clinicians, Marcelle and her team created an e-storybook about "Sana," a Schnauzer puppy which develops concerning symptoms and visits the doctor with her guardian. Together, “Sana” and her guardian ask the doctor questions and explore the many medical apparatuses in the clinic.
Combining storytelling, play and an introduction to cardiology, “SanaPlay” invites children to simulate a medical consultation where they get to play with the plushies of “Sana” and attach 3D-printed medical devices to the plushies as instructed by the doctor. After the “consultation” ends, the children go on to create their own medical devices, real or imagined, and tell their own stories.
“I had the honour of being the storyteller for the session, interacting with 10 young children aged three to nine. They were so fun, creative, and attentive and I'm glad to have made use of my social work knowledge to empower them, and perhaps even inspire some of them to pursue medicine, as some shared during the takeaway session!”
Making something beautiful out of the unknown
“SanaPlay” brings together Marcelle’s belief in kindness, her academic learning and her desire to help others express their needs. It also offers a glimpse of the social worker she hopes to become, someone who listens with compassion and makes people feel seen and heard. True to the spirit of her favourite course, Marcelle looks ahead with optimism: “The future is unknown, so it has all the chances to be something beautiful.”
