Horizon Programme (瞻遠學者)
Testimonials
Avinash Bharwaney
Management Trainee at Jardine Matheson,
2022 cohort
The Horizon Fellowship was a terrific chance to meet like-minded people around the world and submerge into a world of discussion beyond my day-to-day life and career. Opening up to learn, think and debate about issues that were foreign to me such as nuclear war and biorisks, gave me an empowering macroscopic picture of the world that I very much needed. It is unfortunate this is not bread and butter in high school or university. Even though it was a minor commitment, a Sunday evening post-dinner discussion with some pre-reads during the week, I was hooked and I looked forward to it every week.
I left the course with a few things. A number of new friends that I continue to stay in touch with. More importantly, a profoundly developed mindset about how I want to perceive myself, the world, and my position in this world. The Fellowship helped me develop what I like to frame as a "humanity-first" mindset. I still have quite a long way of achieving this entirely, but with a world strife with war, pandemics, social aggression, populism, and divergence, maintaining a humanity-first perspective keeps me grounded on what's important and my overall belief system. It reminds me of what we are here to do in this world: a moral obligation to help our planet and its beings as best as possible, in the most effective way.
It may be just another narrative that we tell ourselves to sleep better at night. But then again, if we tell ourselves narratives to begin with, I'd quite like it to be this."
Jiali Luo,
The University of Hong Kong,
2021 Spring cohort
Keila Juganda
2026 cohort
The EA Horizon Impact Lab addressed the main question of how social good can be measured and sparked meaningful discussions about how it could be interpreted in different cases. It challenged us to think about how we perceive social good, and gave us a good step into understanding how we can approach maximising social good through the communities that need it most. I'd definitely recommend people who are interested in doing social good, working in the social impact space, or just curious to delve deeper into the philosophy of altruism, to join EA's Horizon Impact Lab.
Bhavya Siddappa
Senior marketing professional at a global technology company,
2025 cohort
I'm so glad I took part in the 2-day Horizon Programme on Effective Altruism. It brought together a thoughtful and passionate group of people who, like me, care deeply about doing more good in the world. We explored practical tools and frameworks to help us address global challenges and reduce suffering more effectively.
The sessions sparked some healthy debate, and I appreciated having my perspectives challenged. One key insight I took away was that our intuition isn’t always right; we need to stay open-minded and be willing to evolve, both in our thinking and in how we relate to others. By the end of the course, I felt more optimistic not just about the future, but about people. At our core, I believe most of us are kind and want to make a positive difference with the limited resources that we have, and it's possible to bring in the impact we wish to have.
Sustainability professional
2026 cohort
I really enjoyed the session and appreciated the warm, small-group setting, which made it easy to have genuine exchanges and honest reflections. What stood out most for me was the open, constructive debate on different impact measurement approaches globally; it was a valuable reminder not to get trapped only in my day‑to‑day local client context, and I left with several fresh ideas to explore. I also liked how you connected effective altruism with practical decision‑making, and I’d personally be keen to go deeper into this in future sessions.
Hayley Hunt
PhD in Geology (President’s Scholar), HKU, 2024 cohort
The EA Horizon Fellowship provided a safe space which I found really valuable to explore new concepts and how these related to my values and experiences with a small group of others who all shared an interest in doing good effectively. I look forward to continuing to engage with my Horizon Fellowship cohort and meeting more members of the EA community in Hong Kong and globally. I would recommend the EA Horizon Fellowship to anyone who wants to learn more about doing good effectively and anyone who wishes to reflect upon their own principles
PhD in Law, HKU
2024 cohort
Joining the Horizon Fellowship offered a valuable opportunity to engage in discussions on a wide range of topics, from environmental concerns and nuclear risk to AI ethics and animal welfare. The depth of these discussions was notable, introducing complex ideas like the quantification of global catastrophic risks and forecasting tools. These topics have sparked my interest for further exploration.
The fellowship prompted me to critically examine my efforts towards making a positive impact. It encouraged a pragmatic look at the effectiveness of my actions and how I prioritize them. Interacting with fellow participants was a key part of the experience. Their thoughtful views and the challenging perspectives they offered provided a rich backdrop to every discussion, pushing me to consider different angles on various issues.
Jiali Luo,
The University of Hong Kong,
2021 Spring cohort
Esan Lee
Marketing Manager at Deskimo,
2022 cohort
This fellowship program opens a new world of thoughts for me. I have never thought of doing better for good as doing good is good enough. There are plenty of other mind-blowing concepts including longtermism, and threats of technological advancement like AI that constitute one of the most potent existential risks.
This program is suitable for those hungry to know more, about reasoning and concepts that improve the quality of humankind. I enjoyed it very much and am taking a further step to work on the EA In-Depth Program.
Ronald Leung
Senior Associate at Moody’s,
2022 cohort
I have always longed for a place where I can engage in intellectual discussions with people who also want to do good to the world through their work. The Horizon Fellowship provided exactly such a venue and it was an exhilarating experience to talk to people with different backgrounds and opinions. I hope the pandemic restriction will soon pass so this cohort of fellows can meet face to face to further engage in intellectual discussion.
Jinghui Yu
Lancaster university,
2022 cohort
I probably wouldn’t have learnt things like animal rights and longtermism if i were not involved in this program. And I love how people from different fields discuss and the chemistry that happens in it. Also the platforms with lots of resources have given me the access to know more even after the program ended.
Dailin Gan
Ph.D. in Statistics at University of Notre Dame, 2021 Spring cohort
Participating in the Horizon Fellowship may be the best choice that I have made in my final year as a college student. If you care about your community and the world that you live in, this fellowship provides you with the opportunities to explore, think about and engage in pressing problems worldwide that you may never be aware of.
What is more inspiring is that there are always ambitious, highly supportive and engaged friends in the community, with whom you can talk about global issues and solutions to pressing problems, and share and challenge ideas altogether. This is an amazing and meaningful journey and it is really worth the time."
Davin Singh
University of Malaya,
2021 Spring cohort
The Fellowship was a pivotal experience for me. As a Finance undergraduate, I've always felt the externalities of my degree were causing more harm than good. Through the Fellowship, my perspective has changed on cause areas, organisations, and how donating my income can and will have a significant impact. My cohort of fellows came from a diverse range of backgrounds, yet we were all value-aligned and very committed to the cause. My main takeaway from the fellowship is: I have the ability to do the most good with my career prospects, and it synergises with my values as a human being. Definitely give this Fellowship a go."
Yvonne Jin
The University of Hong Kong,
2020 cohort
The deeper I dive into this community, the more I am assured that there are people out there that share similar concerns and are trying to solve the problem by applying the principles discussed in the program and solve new, promising cause areas. There are lots of work to be done to make it a valid cause area, especially regarding evidence evaluation. Considering these guiding principles while deciding on a career path has allowed me to make decisions regarding how best utilize my comparative advantage and make the most impact.
Winky Leong
The University of Hong Kong,
2020 cohort
I enjoyed the learning and discussions thoroughly. Many concepts were surprising to me. Really glad that I made the choice to apply even though at first, I was unsure about it. I look forward to staying in this community and contributing to the next round of the program.
Jiali Luo
The University of Hong Kong,
2021 spring cohort
Horizon Fellowship should be one of the invaluable experiences in my university life. During the last few months, I had solid and profound discussions under causes that should be solved first with excellent fellows from different areas of expertise. The whole journey reconfirms my thoughts of getting more involved in the EA community and I will continue the 'earning to give' practice.”
