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SCMP Reporter

Pauline Yeung of Diocesan Girls' School  impressed  judges and  competitors with an outstanding  all-round performance to win the South China Morning Post Student of the Year award.

The runners-up were Hugh Alexander Kam of  German Swiss International School, Joseph Ho Yiu-jo of St Paul's Co-educational College and Kimmy Wu Wai-ling of Sha Tin Government Secondary School. They each  receive a $5,000 Muji scholarship.

The award is the latest addition to Pauline's long list of achievements, which include 10 distinctions at last year's HKCEE, the Zonta International Young Woman in Public Affairs Award, as well as a scholarship to study at Princeton University in the United States.

The finalists,  which also included Elsa Sze of St Mary's Canossian College,  went through a series of assessments before entering the final stage at  City University.

They were asked to express their views on  relations between Hong Kong and the mainland during  a round-table discussion which was observed by  judges and an audience. It was followed by a closed-door interview with the judges.

Pauline, who  was elected best debater twice at inter-school debating competitions,  displayed  confidence and a keen knowledge of current affairs  which helped to rack up many  points, while her generosity won her friendship and praise from competitors.

After receiving her trophy, a $30,000 Muji scholarship  and a  course worth $1,500 from The Art School, Pauline did not hesitate to congratulate the other finalists and give credit to her school and family.

'I have to thank all the finalists who have all worked so hard to get here. Our differences  are remarkably small and everyone should be the winner,' said the Form Six student.

'I would also like to thank my family, my school and teachers, especially principal Mrs Stella Lau and Mrs Rebecca Yip, for their love, guidance and support.'

Despite her busy school schedule,  the 17-year-old - who plans to study economics, politics and history at Princeton - has been heavily involved in community work and  has a strong interest in human rights projects.

She was the chairperson of the Hong Kong student delegation to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2001.

As one of  seven  students selected from 2,000 candidates  around the world, she travelled to Florida to  participate in a panel discussion on how the power of young people  can make a difference in society. She is also a volunteer for Sowers Action and regularly visits elderly homes, conducts tutorial classes for disabled children and holds reading workshops for children with cancer.

Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, Secretary for Education and Manpower and one of the judges, said: 'I was particularly happy to witness the energy and enthusiasm of the students, who are the future elites of Hong Kong.

'All finalists have demonstrated their exceptional qualities in both academic and non-academic aspects. They have all gone through a very competitive and demanding selection process. So every finalist is already a winner in the truest sense.

'We [the judges] feel that the winner and runners-up should be those who are creative, effective in communication, enjoy learning and possess a breadth of knowledge, think independently, have an inquiring and analytical mind and a sense of commitment. The finalists all possess these qualities.'

Like Pauline, the finalists will soon leave Hong Kong to further their studies. Hugh has been offered scholarships  at Cambridge  and Yale Universities, Joseph will take international relations at  John Hopkins University, Kimmy will enrol  at the University of Michigan, while Elsa will study economics at University of Chicago.



Student of the year