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News > Alumni > ACCESS ABROAD HONG KONG

ACCESS ABROAD HONG KONG

When Antonia Heng (2016) arrived at Christ Church, she was moved by how many students back home would never get to experience the education she received. She decided to do something about it.
3 Jun 2026
Alumni
Ryan Shum, Toby Yu, Antonia Heng (2016, Psychology), Ethan Chan, Ovi Cheung
Ryan Shum, Toby Yu, Antonia Heng (2016, Psychology), Ethan Chan, Ovi Cheung

She started Access Abroad Hong Kong (AAHK), a government-registered charity that bridges the information, aspiration, and financial gap for high-potential but under-resourced students from Hong Kong local schools. At its heart is a free one-to-one mentorship pairing secondary students with university mentors at Oxbridge – covering everything from personal statements to scholarship applications. AAHK also run outreach initiatives such as school talks and summer bootcamps, and even an essay competition where winners from underprivileged backgrounds are flown to the UK to experience firsthand what university life there truly feels like.

Closer to home, one of your fellow Christ Church Members, Kinsey (2021, Experimental Psychology), found his way here through AAHK. Psychology isn't taught in local Hong Kong secondary schools – it's the kind of subject where there is no syllabus to follow, thus few teachers to ask. The AAHK mentorship filled that gap. His story is one of 88 Oxbridge offers AAHK has helped secure to date, backed by 82 full scholarship awards worth over £10 million in total.

Amongst 487 students that we have empowered to pursue higher education in the UK, over 40% of our were the first in their families to attend university. Many had never imagined Oxford was a place meant for them. Now, many come back as mentors themselves – paying forward the same belief that was once given to them.

As we mark our 10th anniversary this year, we are fundraising to sustain our organisational impact and build an independent scholarship – so that no student ever has to turn down a hard-earned Oxbridge offer because the financial mountain is too high for their family. If this resonates with you, we would love to hear from you at partnerships@accessabroadhk.org – whether that's a donation, an introduction to someone who shares this mission, or simply a conversation to get to know us better.

And if you're based in Hong Kong – we are hosting a Celebration Charity Dinner on 11 September at the Hong Kong Club. It would mean a great deal to have fellow Christ Church alumni with us that evening. Reach out via email, and we will send you the invitation!

More about us at www.accessabroadhk.org and https://linktr.ee/aahkcampaign; Antonia’s Linkedin in case you’d want to connect.

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