Serena, a mother of three, resolutely switched career in her middle age. Leaving her comfort zone behind, Serena applied to join the Force. Neither her weight of 168 pounds after giving birth to her children nor the rigorous Recruit Police Constable (RPC) foundation training defeated her, because Serena hoped to teach her three children with her own example: never give in after setting a goal and strive to surmount all obstacles.

Having graduated from the Police College recently, 35-year-old Serena now stations at the Patrol Sub-unit of Hung Hom Division. Before joining the Force, she had worked for a jewellery shop for over a decade. When she planned to give birth to her third child in 2019, Hong Kong was hard hit by the riots. “The rule of law in society was undermined. Seeing that the relationship between the Force and the public was torn apart by disinformation, I felt like coming forward to protect the place of my growth, so I decided to join the Force.”

After giving birth to her third child in 2020, Serena began to march towards her goal. However, the difficulties for her to switch career in middle age emerged. “Given the soaring post-delivery weight, I got out of breath after running 50 meters. I was worried that I could not meet the running requirements of the physical fitness test for joining the Force.” Yet none of the obstacles undermined her determination. She clipped her weight through a balanced diet, and went running every day after work. At last, she succeeded in her first attempt for police constable recruitment in 2022. In October of the same year, she started the 27-week RPC foundation training at Police College.

For Serena, the most difficult moment at the beginning of the training was temporary separation from her three children. She had never experienced such separation for that long since her motherhood. Despite the heart-wrenching feeling, she hoped to teach her children with her own deed. “I hope to set an example for my children: Once a decision is made and a goal is set, we should never give in lightly; we need to overcome difficulties with perseverance.” Serena’s efforts were not wasted. She lost 48 pounds in the training and her physical fitness improved significantly. She was the second among her classmates in the 2 400-metre race. She was also able to complete 60 standard push-ups upon graduation, which was a breakthrough for her as she could not even finish one at first.

After graduating from Police College, Serena had more time to enjoy family life, bond with her children and celebrate Mother’s Day with her family. After becoming a police constable, her next goal is to join the Police Tactical Unit for new challenges.