50th Anniversary Memory of the Week: Bronney Hui (BA 1997)

I am still amazed in 2023 thinking of my years at UofT on how well the faculty is put together.  Having professor Lloyd P. Gerson in 'Aristotle' was a once in a lifetime privilege.  I, as an engineering failure who was at the crossroad between doubting myself and giving up, Professor Peter Apostoli taught a masterclass in Logic and later was kind enough to offer me a post-graduate opportunity.  Although I was young and stupid to have turned that down as I was eager to work, I still remember the days I spent in the faculty fondly.  Woodsworth (WDW) took me in after engineering with open arms.  Picked me up from hopelessness and showed me the way to find my true passion in school.  Though I must admit, the architecture of WDW was too modern and I found myself hanging out in E.J. Pratt library and Teefy Hall most of the time.  Heard they've moved the piano from UC and I wonder if the pool tables are still there on the upper floor.

UofT, to me, is a sacred place.  Nowadays a mixture of history and the cutting-edge with a classy soundtrack as you walk south from Bloor St. through the Music Department.  What a school.

After graduation…

The philosophy degree didn't take me anywhere as the majority of the workforce would have you believe.

To me though, it'd taken me everywhere.  It was so valuable that nowadays when my niece and nephew were about to head to universities that I told all of them to take at least one credit in philosophy as elective.  It might seem trivial at first but once it simmers through your years in the real world, you will see with such clarity; or at least it'll guarantee to muddy things up so you can conjure up a second opinion with your resistance to change.

We live in a changing world.  The education I got from UofT prepared me for this and I am forever grateful.  Nowadays. It's very nice to narrate my journey to people on how I became a photographer.  From a computer tutor to a Y2K tech.  From a customer support for an online casino to an adobe flash developer.  And from a graphic designer to a photographer who made his own name cards, branding, and web sites.  The philosophy degree steered my actions.  It let me see.