Gladys Hiu Ling Mattras
Faculty of Education
BA&BEd(LangEd)-Eng 2026
Gladys Hiu Ling Mattras (BA&BEd(LangEd)-Eng 2026) was born in France and raised across both France and Hong Kong. Driven by a lifelong passion for teaching, she came to HKU five years ago to pursue her dream of becoming an educator.
Her five years at HKU have been a transformative journey of self-discovery, allowing her to explore her identity and shape the kind of teacher she aspires to be. From co-founding social initiatives like “SexEdForAll” to leading nature-based teaching sessions in the deep jungle of Mui Wo, Gladys has continually embraced new challenges.
After graduation, Gladys will be stepping into a primary school classroom to empower the next generation—helping young learners build not only academic abilities, but also the essential social and personal skills needed to thrive.
Most valuable lesson from your time at HKU?
The most valuable lesson is to start applying the knowledge learnt in the classroom to real-world issues. Especially as an education major, it’s important to start volunteering or interning and grabbing every opportunity to the real-world.
A moment I can think that truly defined my HKU journey was going on my international practicum exchange in Singapore with the National Institute of Education of Singapore. Being surrounded by other passionate pre-service teachers from different subjects not only built friendships but strengthened my understanding of education in different fields.
Also, the ability to share and connect with pre-service and in-service teachers in Singapore also showed the amazing networks HKU has built with universities around the world. HKU is a place of opportunities for its student to discover their interests in their chosen fields and pursue these passions.
Who is one person you couldn't have graduated without?
I couldn’t have graduated without my fiancé. Having to juggle not only academics, but work and personal passion projects university days can get overwhelming. However, whenever I had moments of doubts or feelings of overwhelmingness I could lean on to him to motivate me to continue to pursue my dreams.
The most important thing I discovered about myself during my time at HKU is...
"that age is just a number"