BA '95, Recreation and Leisure Studies
CURRENTLY: Barrister-at-Law, CEDR Accredited Mediator, Hong Kong
Growing up in subtropical Hong Kong, Nana Lui never dreamed she’d fall in love with downhill skiing.
But that’s what happened when she moved to Canada in her early teens. Instantly smitten after trying the sport at a local North York ski hill, Nana decided she’d aim for a career as a ski instructor. That decision led her to study recreation and leisure at Waterloo and to get her ski instructor’s licence during her first co-op term. Unfortunately, it turned out ski instructors don’t make quite as much money as Nana had hoped.
She was casting around for some other way to make a living on the slopes when her father asked, “Why don’t you come home to Hong Kong and study law?”
“At first I thought it was crazy,” remembers Nana. “But then I did a summer placement at a friend’s Toronto law office and found it fascinating. So I did it. I went back to Hong Kong to study, thinking I could eventually find some way to combine law with recreation and leisure.”
Instead, Nana became absorbed with intellectual property law, and today she works in Hong Kong as both a lawyer and a mediator in this rapidly growing field.
Nana remains committed to sport and recreation in her personal life, and today keeps fit through powerlifting. And, even though some might think recreation an odd background for law, Nana says her Applied Health Sciences studies equipped her perfectly for the life and career she enjoys today.
“The whole UWaterloo/co-op experience taught me so much about setting goals and taking action to achieve what I want out of life — it was fantastic preparation for everything I do today.”
Nana’s most recent gift supports the Hong Kong Alumni Association Entrance Award, which helps outstanding Hong Kong students entering full-time studies at UWaterloo and planning a return to Hong Kong. Thank you, Nana!
