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“My parents have helped cultivate my love for reading ever since I was young. My mother used
to read stories to me in bed every night, and my father bought me a lot of books. For me, reading is the
most ideal way of learning a language. We broaden our vocabularies through reading and at the same
Unravelling the Wisdom of a time, master the mechanism of that particular language. The next step is to practise using the language in

Future Leader : Poon Wing Yu daily communication. For instance, I actively seek opportunities to communicate with Malay teachers
to polish my Malay oratorical skill. Don't be afraid of using words wrongly. After all, learning from our

errors is one of the most crucial steps in finetuning our linguistic expertise.”

Passion, goals, friends, family —— what
Apart from being one of our school’s brightest intellects, Wing Yu could also be described as a
other values could possibly spur star pupil Poon
philosopher of sorts. Loyalty is a principle she firmly stands by. “It's not just loyalty to others, but more
Wing Yu on to greater heights? A prominent figure
importantly, loyalty to ourselves, and to what we are doing. Acknowledging our own needs and wants is
in the hurricane years of Kuen Cheng High School,
the key to discovering where our true passion lies. To be loyal to others and our work is to be responsible.
Wing Yu lays claim to the enduring courage of
It is the key to being trusted and having more friends. After all, no one likes a friend who has betrayed
harbouring prodigious dreams, and to making them
them, right?”
twist and morph into striking reality.

Wing Yu does not underestimate the power of having a positive family support system either.
With a six-year string of achievements under
“I'm an only child, so my closest kins are my parents. Family members are the only ones that will give
her belt—— ranking first in her year, emerging
unwavering support and unconditional love to us. My parents are very supportive in whatever field I'm
triumphant in multiple debate championships and
keen in. They have attended almost every competition I've participated in, and this gives me tons of
speech competitions, as well as taking up numerous
confidence. My advice to having a close-knit family? Don't take their love for granted, and never be shy
leadership roles —— Wing Yu humbly shares that
to express your love either.”
she has never really been an academically oriented

student.
Like most silver-tongued debaters, Wing Yu aspires to ascend to the field of law. She remembers
her mother saying how lawyers would not be “intimidated” by others due to their extensive knowledge
“At this stage of life, I believe students
regarding the government of a nation. Ever since then, she began to observe and research topics
should try their hands at a larger breadth of
concerning law. “What caught my attention was the concept of justice, and the role lawyers play in
activities to gain a fuller perspective of their aims
upholding it. I believe that a responsible lawyer is rightfully the advocate of the poor and needy. They
for the future. My advice would be to participate
allow voices from differing perspectives to be taken into regard, and to be represented in due capacity.”
voraciously in extracurricular activities and to
constantly interact with people from different
On this subject, Wing Yu sang praise of this year's magazine theme —— Voices. “I completely
backgrounds. If not, by the end of the day, one's
agree that students should be given the freedom of voicing out their opinions. Some might argue that
capability would only be narrowed down to scoring
students don't know how to differentiate between so-called “matured” and “non-matured” ideas
straight A's in examinations.”
due to the lack of analytical thinking, but this is an ability we learn through trial and error. School and
society need to embrace the voices from different perspectives. I think both parties have much to mutually
Multilingualism may be a formidable feat
learn from on this subject, but to allow students to speak is always the first step.”
for some people, but unsurprisingly, not in Wing
Yu's case. Being a masterful debater in the Chinese https://pixabay.com/images/id-1546822/
The contentment of attaining success, of being able to help other people, and of making her
language, and a well-informed fountain of words in
parents proud —— these are none other than the sources of Wing Yu's inspiration and motivation.
Malay and English forums, Wing Yu has her parents
“Dare to dream, and have targets of your own. Academics or achievements in any specific field cannot
to thank for this invaluable capability of hers.
truly define us. They are important, but they are not all we have. The future is bright before us, so don't
be discouraged by current situations. Also, be true to your heart. Everyone is the best in our own unique
way. We are who we are.”
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