Mr. Lam Woon-kwong, Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission, presented a souvenir to Mr. Bernard Chan in appreciation of his presence as a mentor of Career Challenge 2009/2010, sharing his experiences with the participants.

When Bernard Chan was studying in the US, he was often teased by his schoolmates as there were very few Asians in his school. He recalled that some of his classmates would always lift the corners of their eyes with their forefingers when speaking to him, which he later understood was an act that mocked his small eyes. He did not get upset by these discriminatory acts. Instead, he kept up with his efforts and worked hard. Nowadays, he said, as time has changed, westerners are more familiar with Chinese culture and many Chinese teachers are teaching Chinese at universities in the US.

Bernard Chan was originally an economics major in university. Later, he was diagnosed of vasoconstriction. Since he had to visit hospital frequently, he could not attend classes regularly. To allow himself flexibility to study and complete assignments, Mr. Chan gave up economics and took up art. He said, in those days, he tried to distinguish his work by using a drawing method that had never been used before. He tried using correction fluid to draw and it turned out to be a great success. Using this example, Bernard noted that when facing fierce competition we must be more innovative and make more efforts. Bernard said there are now 5 artificial blood vessels in his body and he has to take 5 types of medicine every day. He exercises two hours every morning to maintain good health so that he is capable of handling all his daily tasks.

Talking about aiding the poor, Bernard said that as the first step it is important for us to know and understand the disadvantaged groups in need so that we can know what they really need.

Students from the post-90s generation have shown great concern about their future in employment and sought advice from Bernard regarding job-searching. He points out that youngsters must take up more challenges in order to accumulate work experiences and, thus, be more competitive.