“This is what makes YYGS stand out. It is free of boundaries. I’ve never imagined myself grouped with three peers coming from Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore and discussing issues surrounding Syrian and Turkish immigration policies. We come from different places, yet our liberal minds allow us to break the invisible boundaries between us.”
After graduating from YYGS, I was selected to be the Head Boy of my school. As a Chinese student at an international high school in China, I have experienced the opposing forces from opposing educational systems that pull students in different directions over the years. I have friends who weren’t able to adapt to this unfamiliarity and left the school as a result. As Head Boy, I felt the responsibility to launch initiatives that not only help freshman deal with the confusion and fear of entering a totally different education system but also help students make the most of this unique experience.
To this end, I led the Prefects Team to organize various programs that aim to enhance students’ sense of belonging. We led 400 new students on a 3-day back-to-school camping trip in September, where the concepts of houses, teamwork, and extracurricular activities are introduced. In the Chinese educational system, we always put academic performance first, but having had the experience of the previous three years, I better understood the importance of integrated development. I wanted to offer the freshman a chance to engage their lively instincts and involve themselves in more external activities, so their experience would be a catalyst for action.