- 47th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (2019) – Silver medal in Exhibition of Inventions, Gold medal by the National Research Council of Thailand
- AppJamming Summit 2019 – Grand Prize Winner and Winner of the Secondary Division
- Diocesan Girls’ School – Chairlady of Media Production Team (2019-2020)
- Diocesan Girls’ School – School Prefect (2019-2020)
- Social Welfare Department – Volunteer Movement – Bronze Award (2019-2020)
Society often defines “outstanding” as having excellent academic prowess, or achieving awards from extracurricular engagements. But throughout my secondary school life, I have realized that it is through helping others where I find true meaning in what I do, and indeed, Giving is Outstanding. To be frank, I never really considered myself as “outstanding” before. Being surrounded by talented classmates who excel in tests and succeed in competitions since primary school, it left me with the impression that to be “outstanding” is to attain personal achievements. After entering secondary school, encouragement from my teachers gave me motivation to pursue what I thought as “outstanding” back then: academic excellence. However, when I got ideal results, the sense of accomplishment was short-lived, and quickly overwhelmed by the stress to maintain good grades. I am not saying that academic performance isn’t important, but I think that there is more to being “outstanding” than just scoring high in exams. It was in Secondary 4 that I discovered the essence to being outstanding, which is to actively help others and make effort in contributing to society. Back then, my friends and I joined an app development competition with the theme “build a better world”. We noticed an issue in Hong Kong in which citizens are sometimes reluctant to open up to other languages and cultures. This inspired us to create “Language Pop”, an app aimed at encouraging users to learn new languages through music and games, and ultimately fostering cultural exchange. After the competition, we were given the chance to present our app in the International Exhibition of Invention of Geneva 2019, where the app also received encouraging results. But what satisfied me the most from the experience was not the award; instead, it was the epiphany that I can utilize my skills to help others and solve problems in society. In Secondary 5, despite my hectic schedule with posts and responsibilities, I decided to dedicate time to volunteer services. I joined my school’s citizens club, and from flag selling to teaching primary school students from low-income families, these activities have helped me understand the importance of serving others. Though it may be cliche to say that “it is in giving that we receive”, this is undeniably true. Serving others not only brings an immense sense of satisfaction, it also allows us to learn a lot from the process. Throughout this competition, it has encouraged me to put much thought into how I can help others in areas I am interested in. Currently, there are many geography-related problems in the world that require urgent public attention, a significant example would be climate change. I have always been extremely passionate about Geography and media production; I realized I could make use of my knowledge in Geography, as well as my skills in media production to create videos to help spread awareness on geography-related issues. For example, I previously made a video about how climate change exacerbates desertification and the negative impacts of it. By transforming passions into purpose, we will be able to contribute to society to our best potential with joy and fulfillment. “Outstanding” is a multi-faceted quality, but to me, it is not defined by personal achievements alone; rather, it is the willingness to help others and improve society that makes one truly outstanding. I believe that everyone, with hearts filled with love and compassion to help those in need, can be outstanding. To end, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to my headmistress, Mrs Lau, for her unfailing guidance throughout my secondary education. I would also like to thank my teachers, family and friends for supporting me whenever I face difficulties. Without them, I would not have been able to receive this award.