- Hong Kong Outstanding Teens Award — Hong Kong Outstanding Teen (2021)
- HKU Academy for the Talented — Membership (2020)
- Orbis Student Ambassador Scheme — Social Media Influence Award (2021)
- EtonX Entrepreneurship Course (Eton College UK) — Distinction (2021)
- SCMP “Experience as a Journalist” Programme — Best Article Award (2020)
Living in an era when people are constantly striving to get ahead of others, and struggling with piles of work every day. With the hectic pace of city life along with the strike of COVID-19, I was once engulfed by the swarm of loneliness and hopelessness, my life was once taken over by an eating disorder. Yet, I was fortunate to have discovered a way to gain satisfaction from life — to devote myself to community services, where I can reinforce my talents and share my anecdote to aid those in need.
Throughout my time dedicated to the community, setting up a social media account to promote optimism internationally was one of the most enjoyable voluntary services. This is not an activity organised by charities, but an activity I volunteered on my own to raise awareness on mental health issues. My intention was not to gain a reputation, but to inspire people with positivity, share how I fought against the illness and shifted from dwelling on the negative side with the help of art and the people I love. Having gone through one of the deepest downs, life-or-death moments in my life, when I was swallowed by the fear of food. I wanted to utilize my illustrating talent and share my anecdote with those in need. By posting my illustrations along with inspirational quotes anonymously, my account has reached thousands of netizens around the globe, which also altered my definition of the word ‘volunteer’ and my traditional perception of volunteering.
The pandemic did not put me off from serving the community. As one of the Orbis Student Ambassadors, my role as external vice president has granted me the opportunity to collaborate with people from different backgrounds who share the same goal — to lend a helping hand to the visually impaired. Having organised numerous fundraising events such as the Blind Concert, Joint-school blind tours, I found like-minded peers who were willing to allocate time to devote to the community wholeheartedly, which encouraged me to break out of my shell and to promote international affairs and ethical issues to local citizens.
In addition, my keen interest in Biomedical Science had never died out and was reinforced. As a member of the HKU Academy for the Talented, I participated in the HKU Medify Summer Immersion Programme, which allowed me to broaden my medical and scientific knowledge. For instance, learning how to make lung cancer diagnoses and medical ethics through carrying out observational research in the problem-based learning session. I was also able to acquire analytical skills by performing gel electrophoresis to identify mutated cells by separating DNA bands. I eventually was able to reinforce the scientific process skills I employed from the programme in my studies, which granted me the honour to be one of the awardees of the Miss Sharon Fung Scholarship at school.
Having my devotion to the community recognised with awards or not, I am
determined to continue my journey of aiding those in need. Volunteering has taught me to cherish my abilities and happiness at a more profound level. People gain happiness differently, but the contagious laughter and captivating smiles from someone gave me a reason to be happy about.