- Diocesan Girls’ School — Deputy Head Prefect (2021-2022)
- Top 10 Hong Kong Student Service Leaders Awards (2021-2022)
- Kiwanis Community Service Award (2022)
- 8th International Mathematical Modelling Challenge (International Contest of Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau) — Outstanding Award (2021-2022)
- Interschool Tennis Competition — Champion (2021-2022)
“Daily Giving Service” – a school motto I first encountered, aged six, has anchored my life in service.
My take on being ‘outstanding’ used to be having to excel in everything, and falling short of my expectations inevitably made me feel incompetent. A serendipitous opportunity to serve however redefined “accomplishment” for me, and I learnt that “outstanding” may be a measure of passion, altruism and determination. I have to thank the children for showing me the way. The purity of children’s joy has always brought me immense delight; I knew then my passion lies in building a brighter future for them, and that purpose has become the driving force of my endeavours.
The pandemic threw up challenges for everyone; vulnerable children are not spared. This realization propelled me to tackle educational inequity. With schoolmates, I pioneered regular online tutorial classes for local socio-economically disadvantaged children in 2020. From frantically laying out the logistics with our partner centre to finally seeing the service well received by all, we achieved our mission to provide academic support in response to sudden, unprecedented changes to the learning mode. We eventually expanded our scope to include senior citizens. Through our initiatives, we fostered altruism among our peers in the school community too.
Academic learning is indispensable, but a narrow focus on studying is a far cry from what education should be for children. With like-minded students, I initiated service projects such as Easter celebrations, volunteer training workshops, and virtual tours to Italy, hoping to expand children’s horizons, and show them by example what young people can do to help one another.
My incentive also comes from a wish for self-improvement. I have never been the best mathematician or tennis player in the team, but learning from each other has allowed us to overcome difficulties in mathematical modelling competitions and the Interschools Tennis Competitions. Meeting and befriending outstanding students in OSA also inspired me to face adversities courageously and give back to society through my initiatives. I am confident all OSArs will utilise our full potentials to make society a better place.
Receiving the Hong Kong Outstanding Students Award is an honour I am eternally grateful for. I must express my utmost gratitude to my school, especially my headmistress, Mrs Lau, for a holistic education, imbued with the spirit of serving, as well as my parents and friends who have been my support throughout. Above all, I thank God for his grace and guidance in life.
With passion, altruism and determination, I continue the lifelong journey of giving. Being outstanding simply means stepping up.