On Friday, March 7th, 2025, the members of AIS Eagles Robotics Team 5253A—David Yi, Kevin Chan, Nicholas Chan, and Runbo Zhao, all in Grade 8—sat down with Learning Activator and Middle School Robotics Coach Mr. Jeremy Green for an interview following their recent success at the Greater Bay Area Robotics Tournament held at Victoria Shanghai Academy on 22 February, 2025. Team 5253A had a spectacular run during the tournament, finishing 3rd overall out of a field of 33 teams from 14 different schools across the region. For reference, 5253 is AIS’s school code for VEX Robotics.

Congratulations on finishing 3rd in the Greater Bay Area Robotics Competition! This comes after finishing second overall in the AIS tournament and taking first place in the AIS driving skills challenge. How does it feel to have made it this far?

Nicholas: I am very proud of my team because I didn’t think we would make it this far. After looking at other teams’ robots, ours was the smallest one there! I am very happy that we were able to achieve this result.

Runbo: Me too! When I look at our robot and our code—especially since our code needed lots of adjustments throughout the season—I feel very proud. We tried our best, things went very well, and we actually made it to the finals in the GBA tournament! We couldn’t believe the smallest robot in the tournament made it that far!

David: I am very proud.

Kevin: I am very happy. Sometimes during practice and even in competition rounds, our robot didn’t always work as we intended. However, by responding quickly to problems and making necessary adjustments, we were able to make it to the finals.

What was the inspiration behind your robot’s design? Did you make any major adjustments throughout the season?

Nicholas: Runbo designed our robot himself. His idea was to build a smaller, faster robot. Our robot’s speed and maneuverability were much better than the larger bots, which used pneumatics kits for their intakes. Instead of throwing the balls into the goal like many other teams, our design allowed for direct placement, making our robot more precise.

The main adjustments throughout the season involved reinforcing weaker joints and refining the arm mechanism to move more freely when placing balls in the goal.

Runbo: The build was entirely my design, which gave me confidence because I knew how to fix it if something broke. The biggest adjustments were with the code—we had to keep revising it to make everything smoother and more responsive.

Can you tell us about your specific roles on the team? How did you divide responsibilities, and how did teamwork play a role in your success?

Runbo: I was the designer, builder, and driver.

Nicholas: I helped write some of the code and contributed to design ideas for the build. I was also responsible for strategizing with our alliance teams before each round.

David: I was the main coder. It took about a month to develop the base code for our bot.

Kevin: I helped with strategy and organization on tournament days.

Did you have any experience with robotics before joining VEX at AIS?

Runbo: I had experience building with LEGO kits, which helped me understand some basic robot design principles.

David: This was my first time doing robotics, and learning to code for VEX was a new challenge.

Kevin: This was also my first time, and I’m very thankful for Runbo’s leadership.

Nicholas: This was my first time as well. The biggest challenge was understanding the code and troubleshooting issues. The building process felt more intuitive.

How did you feel at the start of the GBA competition? Did those feelings change as the day went on? What were the biggest highs and lows of the event?

Runbo: At first, we thought we wouldn’t do well because our robot was much smaller than the others. However, once the matches started, we realized that many of the larger, more complex robots weren’t necessarily more effective. That gave us confidence.

Nicholas: Every single robot was bigger than ours! But as the day went on, we noticed that some teams had issues with mechanical failures due to their complex designs. We were happy that our reinforcements had paid off, making our bot stable and reliable.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned during the competition? Was there anything unexpected that challenged you?

Runbo: Never give up! At the start, we had balance issues that made our robot less effective. We adjusted by adding weight to the base, which slowed it down slightly but made it much more stable.

Nicholas: Teamwork and communication are essential. We saw teams that got frustrated when things went wrong, which only made their problems worse. When we faced setbacks, we discussed solutions and focused on improving in the next round.

VEX uses a unique format where teams must collaborate with another school instead of just competing against them. How do you feel about that aspect of the competition?

Nicholas: The format is great because it requires strategy discussions with other teams. We analyze each bot’s strengths and decide on the best roles for each team in a match.

Runbo: I agree. Collaboration makes the game more enjoyable. If we didn’t work with other teams, the competition would be very different, and it would change how we design our bot.

Kevin: Nicholas and I act as the team diplomats. We make sure we communicate effectively with other teams before each match.

Looking ahead to next year, what are some things you want to improve or do differently as a team?

Runbo: We need to improve our coding skills. If we create a more complex design, we’ll need stronger programming to support it.

Nicholas: Our robot design was strong this season, but we need to refine it further to improve scoring efficiency. If we aim for VEX Worlds in the USA, we’ll need to rethink some of our approaches.

What advice would you give to students interested in joining the robotics team but who might be nervous about getting started?

Nicholas: Just give it a try! It’s not as complicated as it seems. We take it step by step, and experienced students are always willing to help.

Runbo: Robotics can be competitive, but good teamwork and planning make it easier. It’s important to have a design, test it, and keep refining it.

What was your favorite moment from the competition?

Runbo: Scoring a season-high 97 points in a single round when paired with another high-ranking team!

Nicholas: That match put us in the top six, and we stayed there for the rest of the event. We knew we had to stay consistent to make the finals, so we worked hard to maintain our performance.

Does robotics align with your future plans? Do you plan to go into a computer science, engineering, or design-related field?

Nicholas: Robotics has sparked my interest in coding. I think I’ll study computer science.

Runbo: I love VEX Robotics, and I hope to pursue a career in engineering and robotics. Designing, building, and coding something that works is an amazing feeling.

David: I plan to study computer science. Coding for robotics has been a fascinating experience.

Kevin: I’ll probably study computer science in high school. It’s really interesting.

Congratulations again to Team 5253A on an incredible season! We look forward to seeing what you accomplish next year.

On December 5 2024, AIS Grade 2 student Bambi Fong and her mother, Carole Fong, sat down with Learning Activator Jeremy Green to share some exciting news with the AIS community. The occasion celebrated Bambi’s remarkable achievement in the XXVI Joy of Europe painting competition, held in Belgrade, Serbia. Their conversation provided insight into Bambi’s creative journey and the inspiration behind her award-winning artwork. The interview is as follows.

Let’s start first with your overall interest in art and where it started. Can you tell me a little bit about how you discovered that you were interested in creating art?

S: I like to do crafts – cutting up paper. I use the cutouts in my artwork and also do origami. I started really getting into painting last year.

C: Bambi really first became interested in art as a result of the school’s field trip to the Apple Store for the educational workshop on using Procreate in Grade 1 Junior. We had an iPad at home, so we thought we would start giving her opportunities to try some artwork on the iPad.

B: So then we downloaded Procreate!

C: She enjoyed it so much that we decided to start taking art classes outside of school about once a week around the age of five.

So you’ve been really getting into painting since around the age of five. Have you been doing any fun painting projects here at AIS?

B: Yes! I did a few with Ms. Meyers and some this year with Ms. Janice. I made these at school (pointing to her portfolio) and drew this story. This one goes back to even G1 Junior.

Wow! You’ve kept all the artwork.

C: Yes, I try to so we can see her progress over the years.

What do you enjoy painting the most?

B: This character (pointing to her portfolio). It’s a fried shrimp from Sumikko Gurashi.

C: It’s a Japanese cartoon character set. There are about five main characters, but she really likes this one.

B: They are from a movie.

C: You also really love drawing dandelions. She usually includes dandelions somewhere in her artwork (pointing to the portfolio).

B: There are a lot of dandelions near my house near the MTR.

C: I think the school is doing a great job, especially with teaching digital art through Procreate. Bambi knows a lot more than I do. She often comes home and says, “Mom, let me show you this trick I learned about how to create this fun art using this new tool.”

B: I have done some 3D artworks too! I drew a 3D house (showing it on the iPad).

How did you feel when you found out you had won the Joy of Europe painting contest?

B: I don’t know.

What was your response when your mom told you?

B: Just “Okay.”

Well, do you feel like you’ve achieved a lot by getting the top spot in this contest? Has it helped you to grow your creative confidence?

B: Yes, I think so.

Can you tell me the story behind the specific artwork that you entered for the contest?

B: I drew it when I was five. It’s a deer. It’s looking at the flowers. The teacher in the art school helped me to select some pictures to look at for ideas. I liked this one. It’s not really a story, just a deer enjoying its time in the meadow. This is the one that will go on the stamp.

C: The class helped them choose an object, in this case, a deer. But she chose the colors herself and painted the whole thing through her own creative interpretation.

B: The bright blue is the sky and makes the deer very noticeable.

How did you hear about this competition?

B: Actually, the teacher didn’t tell us and just put this in the competition.

So it really must’ve been a surprise!

B: Yes, even my parents didn’t know!

C: I got a WhatsApp message from the teacher. She sent a certificate along with a little letter. I thought it was a regular newsletter. It was talking about how we had a student from our painting class who got an achievement, but I was too busy and just glanced at the painting and thought it was very pretty. I remember thinking, “I wish my daughter could achieve something like this!” After two more weeks had passed, they sent me another message with another letter asking if we would be going to Serbia. My reaction was, “Why am I going to Serbia?” They were explaining this package where I get free hotels and flights, and I just kept wondering why.

At that point, I backtracked the other messages and realized that it was Bambi’s name listed as the student who had won the contest and prizes! So it was actually quite funny and a slow-building surprise.

So you started art when you were five and you’re seven now. Over the last two years of growth, what role did your teachers, family, and friends play in your development of these art skills?

B: My mom. She always reminds me to practice my artwork and gives me ideas for things to paint and encourages me to learn new skills on the iPad in Procreate. She also takes me to my art class once a week.

Ms. Meyers also helped me a lot with one of my favorite artworks, the flowerpot (pointing to it in her portfolio). There are lots of different kinds of flowers and different colors and designs.

Looking at the stamps, how do you feel about your artwork becoming a stamp? So many people will see your artwork now. What do you hope will be people’s reaction when they see your artwork?

B: I feel good about it. I think this is good for celebrating young artists. I just want people to feel happy.

What do you hope that you can do more related to art in the future?

B: I want to do more 3D!

3D digital art and design will have lots of opportunities in the future. What advice might you give young artists your age who are just getting started?

B: Find an area or character that you like and practice drawing it a lot. Through practice, you’ll get better and better.

Earlier this term, Oscar Yu (Class of 2024) returned from Mongolia, where he had been representing the Hong Kong junior team at the East Asian Youth Games. It is wonderful that Oscar was selected to represent Hong Kong in this U18 age group International tournament. Even more impressive, Oscar managed to do extremely well in his match ups, in the 63-73 kg category, and ended up placing second bringing home the silver medal for Hong Kong.

Oscar has been learning and practicing Taekwondo since he was about ten years old. He began doing it with friends, and although at one point he became more interested in football he just kept going as he enjoyed the challenge of taking on opponents and the battling, competitive nature of the sport! Nowadays, Oscar trains 4-5 times a week for between 2-4 hours at a time. It is hard work, but it pays off with successes, like his recent ones in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

When our High School Principal, Mr. Wing asked him about his most recent tournament success, Oscar said that he had to battle hard to overcome his opponent in the semi-finals with last second kicks in each round to score enough points to defeat his opponent from the Republic of Korea. It was a very exciting match, and Oscar described it as his best ever performance. When asked why he thinks he did so well in that match up, he said he “just kept going and never gave up”. He was determined to win and kept believing in himself. “Just one more kick to his torso and I’ve got this”… and he did!

“When I am focused on something like my opponent in a Taekwondo match, I am so in the zone that I can’t hear anything else; it is the same in school: when I am focused on something I do not get distracted by anything else around me.”

— Oscar Yu

Oscar says that he believes the training and work that he has to do for Taekwondo has contributed to his determination and focus when it comes to schoolwork too. He says “…when I am focused on something like my opponent when I am in a Taekwondo match, I am so in the zone that I can’t hear anything else; it is the same in school: when I am focused on something I do not get distracted by anything else around me”.

Mr. Wing had a wonderful time speaking with Oscar. We can all be proud of our fellow Eagle and his international sporting success, but we can also all learn from Oscar’s experience and the importance of hard work, determination, believing in oneself, not giving up and staying focused no matter what challenge you may face.

On March 28, 2023, Mr. Jeremy Green, the AIS Learning Activator, and Mr. Zachary Post, the AIS Middle School Principal, sat down with Xuan Ao (Steven) Liu and his mother, Esther Liu, to discuss his passion for art and a rare, out of this world, accomplishment. 

When did you first discover your passion for art?

S: I was very young! Probably around Grade 1. I enjoyed drawing for fun in my free time here at AIS.

What are your favorite art forms?

S: I prefer drawing cartoons, but when I want to draw properly, I enjoy sketching using pencils the most – sketching realistic stills such as scenes from nature or the city, even smaller items like fish and turtles. I have entered competitions for drawing Victoria Harbour and Lion Rock as well.

I really enjoy drawing scenes from the natural world, especially when I see complex or complicated things.

What’s the most complicated artwork you have created?

S: Definitely it’s the historical wild animal sketching that I have done. In total, a piece can take me up to 30 hours to complete. That was for an art school competition. 

Have you ever tried digital art?

S: I have tried but I find digital art to be more complicated as I have to relearn the tools in order to create. I prefer the traditional methods. 

Who are your favorite artists?

S: I honestly don’t know many artists that I really like. Many of the artists I have studied usually use humans as the subject of their artwork and since I have not yet begun to draw humans, it’s more difficult for me to relate my interests with their work. I’m just not there yet. The closest I have drawn to a human subject is a character from “Pirates of the Caribbean” and some “Dog Man” comics.

I would say my biggest influences have been my mom and dad and my art teacher Ms. Shackleton. My dad is an architect and has encouraged me to create drawings a lot since I was a child. Both of my parents often give me ideas for making my artwork more unique.

Mrs. Liu, are you an artist as well?

E: Not this kind of art, but I actually have a Masters in Opera.

Steven, since you have been here at AIS since EC2, you are a great person to speak about how the school promotes creativity and builds confidence for creating.

S: The art teachers here are amazing! They give me a lot of freedom and ownership over the types of art that I want to create. They provide materials and guidance but I get to create what I want. Right now in art we are practicing still life.

What types of contests have you been involved with and what awards have you won?

S: I have been involved in some competitions here at AIS, including the Literacy Week Bookmark Contest for 2022-23 and the Winter Fair Poster Contest for December 2022. I also received honors from the International Youth Art Exhibition Repin Academy of Fine Arts in June, in July I won the 2022 Youth Artwork Competition of China and French from the Sino-French Youth Art Competition, and I have received honors from the CEIBS Youth Pioneer Art Competition, Central Academy of Fine Arts Foreign Art Education Exchange Center, China Academy of Art Wangjing Creative Competition Center, and the China Academy of Art.

It’s really cool that your artwork has been sent to space! What was your motivation to join the Tian Gong Painting Exhibition?

S: The rockets! Ever since I was very young, I have enjoyed spacecraft and rockets. I love astronomy.

At the time of the competition, the Winter Olympics were being held in Beijing so I decided to create a painting around that theme to celebrate how China had successfully arranged the event and built the stadiums for it.

How did you feel when you got the results that you had finished second?

S: I felt really good, but I honestly was expecting to finish in first place. With more experience, I hope to get first place when I am older. 

Are you thinking about being an artist in the future?

S: Yes, thinking about it. I would love to study art in Cambridge. 

Mrs. Liu, how have you motivated Steven in his artistic endeavors and what advice would you give to parents with younger children who want to get them more involved in art?

E: In the beginning, I had no specific idea for giving him motivation to pursue art, but I just helped him to develop some ideas and did not give him any rules or limitations. It was just about ideas, the freedom to draw. Ever since EC2 with his first teacher, Mr. Wise, who encouraged Steven to draw in his free time because he saw that he had potential. His first real direct encouragement to draw came from Mr. Wise.

The second teacher is Ms. Shackleton, his Middle School Art Teacher. By this age, during parent-teacher conferences, I began to express areas that I wanted to guide Steven’s progress in and she was very supportive and was happy to guide Steven in the areas that we requested. She is very supportive and always says Steven has lots of potential. Because of their encouragement, Steven now attends art classes outside of school as well for more intensive training. He’s been attending them for two years now.

Steven also spent a lot of time during COVID school closures taking online classes for sketching and his skill improved a lot during that time.

Lastly, Steven, if someone was interested in getting into more serious drawing, where would you suggest for them to start?

S: Just grab a notebook and a pencil and bring them with you during the day. Try to sketch whatever you see that you find interesting. If it doesn’t look good, it’s okay. You can always redraw it and keep redrawing it until you develop an understanding of lines and shading. There’s lots of great YouTube videos that offer tutorials. You can also try to practice drawing things you see in your books, like comics. 

So, just don’t be afraid to give it a try and it doesn’t have to be perfect, just keep working on it.

Ms. Aishani Chaudhuri, a sixth-year student at AIS, has achieved a notable accomplishment by recently being accepted to the prestigious University of Oxford. Her journey towards this achievement was unconventional. Ms. Chaudhuri sat down for an interview with Mr. Mike Wing, the High School Principal, Ms. Vicky Lam, the Director of Admissions and Advancement, and Mr. Jeremy Green, the Learning Activator, to reflect on her time at AIS and to shed light on her journey through the university application process.

How long have you been at AIS?

A: This is my sixth year at AIS.

What is your favorite memory at AIS?

A: There are a lot, but one of them that stands out is when in Grade 9 History class, Mr. D did a simulation to walk us through World War I. It was a lot of fun. In the simulation my country was called “Bahkan”, but in reality it was meant to represent Serbia. We ended up rewriting history by winning World War I. This definitely made me love history a lot more. It’s a year long simulation and we are taught lots of content, with more and more being added for each stage of the simulation. We started with creating our countries, and then it became more and more complex, eventually even having to establish trade with other countries. It was interesting to see how our decisions had impacts, not only on our nations, but also the rest of the world. Mr D also does mock trials which were a lot of fun, too.

Are there any other classes or activities that you particularly enjoyed?

A: I am part of three after-school clubs which I am very passionate about; Model United Nations, TED, and the American Mathematical Competition. But aside from these, all my classes are pretty fun. Right now in AP Literature we are reading Macbeth. The language and characters are so layered and rich, they evoke a lot of emotions. It’s really cool to unpack everything.

Please share your experience with applying to Oxford.

A: I had an unconventional journey. I decided to apply to Oxford in late August. I had a major dilemma between whether I wanted to major in English or physics.

That’s quite a contrast!

A: That’s the reason it was such an issue!

You’ve referred a lot to your experiences in the humanities at AIS, what have been the experiences that led you to pursue physics?

A: We had so many labs in Chemistry last year. It’s one thing to do the lab and the reports after, they seem like a lot of work, but once you finish them and you go through all the results, methodically organizing and discussing what you found in the lab, it feels so rewarding. One lab in particular, the titrations, had such beautiful colors. It was a lot of fun to do and we made mistakes, sometimes we would add a little too much, and we’d have to figure out how to fix that. To understand the mechanism behind that and be able to explain it, then have Dr. Rines tell you that you’ve done a great job was a very rewarding experience.

What has drawn you to physics?

A: In the summer between Grade 9 and 10, I attended a course called, “Big History and Collective Learning” at The Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education. The course spun the entire history of the universe into one thread. It was interdisciplinary. It started with the Big Bang, and then categorized the history of humanity into different thresholds of development, ranging from star formation to the more modern development of language. Seeing everything put in context was very interesting but also introduced me to a lot of things that I hadn’t thought about before like how elements were formed. As a student in Grade 9, it blew my mind that elements were formed in the stars. This developed more of my interest in astrophysics.

Going back to my application, I decided to do physics but, in August, I wavered again and decided that I would apply to major in English in the UK at Oxford. Our high school counselor, Ms. Luk Van was very supportive. She encouraged me to apply early, gave me plenty of guidelines, and helped me follow up on deadlines. She was also very good with giving me immediate feedback on my essays, highlighting areas for improvement. It was quite an easy process and I didn’t have any issues with deadlines.

We sent it off in October and the notifications regarding interviews came in December. I had my interview on the 6th of December. It was a conversation with two professors, and they treated it like a mock tutorial. Half an hour before the interview started, I was sent two poems and an excerpt from an analogical reading.

During the interview, they asked me to discuss the poems in light of the concept from the reading. There were plenty of questions during the interview and then they gave additional information which was followed by them asking me to reevaluate my perspective based on the new information. At one point, they asked me to defend two opposing arguments using the same piece of evidence. It was a very intellectually stimulating interview and I loved it.

Do you feel like there are areas of our curriculum that gave you the skills necessary to excel in that situation?

A: Definitely! Well, it seems a little obvious, but I’ll start with AP Literature and AP Language where you are taught to break down writing and analyze it for meaning. Even History, I know I keep going back to Mr. D, but I can remember in Grade 9 History learning how to analyze a source given historical contexts and the author’s background. This was something that was specifically thrown at me in the interview. I was given two poems. They told me the first poem was written during this time when people were pushing back against older influences and “the greats.” That was something that I was used to doing by this point – seeing how the context of the times influenced what was created and said.

Regarding support, everything is very accommodating here at AIS, especially when it comes to course conflicts. In Grade 11, I took six APs thanks to Mr. Wing who helped me figure out I could do so by skipping Pre-AP Chemistry which allowed me to take the five courses I wanted to take plus another that was beneficial for my major.

You’re being modest on that because it was Calculus BC which is a double block, so all seven blocks you had were APs.

A: The month after the AP exams was incredible! I had nothing to do.

And you still managed to fit in student leadership responsibilities. In that year of all APs, how did you manage to maintain yourself as a well-rounded individual?

A: I would say I am pretty well-rounded. Even outside of school, I play piano and have played practically all my life since I was three years old. I never lost that habit. I also did MUN and Math Club. I read books, watched things online, and still talked to my friends.

Are you reading stuff that’s related to physics and engineering?

A: Last summer I read, “A Brief History of Time.” I felt like I should. It’s a staple. But my reading is mostly fictional.

You’ve also been more involved with sports this year, even joining the Girls Touch Rugby Team.

A: This year I have been doing more sports. My mom has wondered what happened to me. I actually won two medals on sports day! The Rugby Touch Tournament was also very fun!

Do you think those sorts of things – challenging yourself, pushing your boundaries and trying new experiences – that’s obviously part of developing as an adolescent. Do you think this is being encouraged for AIS students?

A: Yes, definitely! I wouldn’t have thought of joining the sports teams if not for the many people around me being so encouraging. In this case, it was not just the teacher, Ms. Brosnan, who encouraged me, but more importantly my friends encouraged me to just give it a try and it turned out to be a lot of fun.

Are there any other universities you are applying to at the moment?

A: The only other universities I am waiting for are Columbia and Georgia Tech, but I am currently leaning more towards the University of Toronto Scarborough as I received a sizable scholarship package from them. I applied through UCAS for Oxford, a few universities in the USA, and two in Canada.

You have such a range – English Literature at Oxford and Physics at Columbia. What’s the thinking behind it?

A: I applied for physics in North America. And that’s something I may not have gotten outside of AIS, because here there are no limitations on the courses you can take and you really get to choose what you want as long as you meet the necessary credits. That’s something I love about the American system – getting to choose your own courses.

Is that influencing your decision on where to go?

A: When I chose all the universities to apply to, and that was a long process, it was about the programs they offered and their rankings. Now that all the decisions are coming in, the decision is more financial. It was also about finally choosing between English and Physics. English can still be my hobby and I won’t lose touch with it if I don’t study it, but I can’t casually do astrophysics.

What do you hope to do with your degree?

A: I want to be involved in astrophysics research. If I went into English, I’d want to be a professor at a university.

Do you write on your own, outside of classes?

A: Yes, I write poetry. I have been published. There is the Berkeley Poetry Review (BPR). I was accepted for their Made at Home edition and it is being shipped to me at the moment. I have also been shortlisted twice for the Hong Kong Young Writers Award.

What’s the poem that’s been published? 

A: The theme of the zine is ‘Made at Home’.” This poem was one that I wrote this summer when I went home to India after not having gone there in three years and how weird it felt to be in a space where I felt like a child and now I am no longer a child. Everything in the house seems visually different because it’s not the way I remember it – everything is a little smaller. It’s a sense of alienation in a place that was so familiar.

While we’re on the topic of families, what was your parents’ reaction when they found out you have been accepted to Oxford?

A: They were completely ecstatic! My mom likes to say that she always knew I was going to get in. They took turns passing around the laptop looking at the little box that says ‘this university has offered you a placement.’ I wasn’t even sure if I’d been accepted because I couldn’t get my laptop back from my parents as they were busy reading the letter themselves. My grandparents are also very excited. Everyone was really happy.

So you remember that day very well? 

A: Yes, because I had actually gone to Crossroads for service work and forgot that it was January 10th, which was the day the decision was coming out. My mum had not forgotten. When I got home, she asked me, ‘Do you know what day it is?’  I changed slowly before opening my laptop because I was pretty sure I hadn’t gotten in. I have a friend who I knew had already gotten a second interview, so I thought I wasn’t moving forward to that stage. It turns out that the process wasn’t the same for everyone.

Maybe they just knew. Aishani ‘knocked it out of the park’!

A: It was a great interview and I had so much fun. The pieces they sent me were right in the sweet spot. I loved it. Speaking about confidence, I wasn’t too nervous in the interview.

What made you feel confident so you weren’t nervous walking into it?

A: I knew that the interview was going to be analysis, something I really enjoy and I’ve been told I am good at it. There wasn’t much more I could do to prepare myself. Going and reading a bunch of poems and trying to cram wouldn’t have done any good. The poems I received were all about creating art and whether art is something that is invented or recreated. I loved that debate!

Mr. Su, my English teacher – I love him. He’s so great! He has been such an important guiding stone throughout this entire journey – he knows all about my physics/English dilemma and he’s given me great advice. He’s also just been so supportive. Every time I turn in work, he provides me with so many comments that are both constructive and helpful, as well as encouraging. He’s the best!

What kind of advice would you give to future students who are thinking about applying to Oxford or Ivy League universities?

A: Ivy League university applications aren’t really different from any other university. I would say getting started earlier is better. Deadlines are important. I was ahead of most deadlines, and most of my applications were early action. 

The important thing is to know your own voice. A lot of people give you advice on your essays and their advice is very important. But you have to be able to apply that advice in a way that is authentic to you. Say what you want to say. Don’t lose sight of your voice. That’s what the universities want. They can tell if an essay is scattered or listening to other people. That’s definitely something to avoid. I might not know everything, but I know myself. It’s important to know yourself and also what you want other people to know about you. I am an introspective person and therefore my writing is also introspective, and more lyrical. Know how to represent yourself with words – be clear and coherent, but most importantly, be natural.

As we celebrate the scholastic achievement of the previous year’s Advanced Placement exams, one student in particular achieved a rather remarkable feat. In mid-September, Ms. Qiaorou (Yuki) Ji, currently in Grade 12, received a letter from Mr. Trevor Packer, the Head of the Advanced Placement Program, informing her that she had accomplished what only 197 students in the world had managed to achieve: a perfect score on the AP 2-D Art and Design Exam. 

Yuki began developing her interest in creating art at the age of eight. She credits her parents for exposing her early on to the process of creating artistic compositions by enrolling her in after-school courses where she learned painting and sketching. Yuki looks back from time to time on her portfolio to see how her skills have developed, as well as how her style and tools have changed over the years. 

Senior High School students spend a lot of time reflecting on the areas where their talents meet their interests, and what they may want to pursue in university. Yuki states that her results for Art and Design have “proven to me that I’m doing the right thing. It’s proven that I can do this. I have talent but I still spend a lot of time on my artwork.”

Yuki takes inspiration from a few modern artists. In particular, she states that Yang Yingying’s brand TUYUE is a notable source of ideas for her recent works: “She tries to show Chinese culture and history through clothing design which has given me a lot of inspiration.” 

For Shanghai Fashion Week this year, TUYUE used the The Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes, as a source of inspiration for the theme of “existence.” Yang’s designs help shed a light on her worldview that civilization is ever changing in its course. Where once a vibrant culture existed in Dunhuang, now is only a memory, but aspects of their society’s imagery live on in today’s contemporary Chinese culture. Similarly, Yuki says that “for my ideas, I also use my own figure mixed with natural scenes to express a message.” For one of her most notable pieces, she took a photo of Shenzhen Bay with the city just over the horizon and combined it with a self-portrait to “show the similarities between the female body and nature. They are both powerful and beautiful. My artwork tries to show the connections.”

“Don’t be afraid to try new things. Do what you want to do. Spend more time observing your surroundings and use different tools, techniques, and technology to create.”

— Qiaorou (Yuki) Ji

Yuki says most of her artworks occur as sudden inspirations. She enjoys taking walks alone in nature to feel the connection with her surroundings. These walks have become a part of Yuki’s process. She also recognises Ms. Lynsey Reeves, the Head of Visual and Performing Arts at AIS, for encouraging her to experiment more with different tools for creation during the AP Art and Design course. Using more items from everyday life to produce compositions opened new pathways for creation as well as a feeling of interconnectedness with her surroundings for Yuki during her time as a student in Ms. Reeve’s AP Art and Design course. 

Art has become more of a reflective practice for Yuki because of her AP Course. She says that the AP curriculum required her to review and reflect on her approach and process to ensure they are aligned with her overall vision. Because of this, Yuki ended up moving away from acrylic paintings to a more digital approach – something that was very new to her. She enjoyed the process of creating her own unique style by layering alterations of digital images until she achieved the desired effect. 

For students who plan on studying art in the future, Yuki says “don’t be afraid to try new things. Do what you want to do.” Citing her own experience, she suggests aspiring artists “spend more time observing their surroundings and using different tools, techniques, and technology to create.” 

After graduation, Yuki currently plans to study at City University of Hong Kong and join their new major of Creative Media. She is interested in this program because it uses new, modern technologies to create art. In the future, she hopes to continue with her passion of being an artist. 

Nicholas Wong is a senior at the American International School Hong Kong. He is currently in AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Psychology. Last year he took AP Biology, AP Statistics as well as AP Research working to achieve his AP Capstone Diploma. He was accepted into Emory University to study Biology and Applied Mathematics and hopes to become a microbiologist.

Nicholas Wong’s AP Research Paper “The Effect of Ascorbic Acid on Glucose Respiration of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae” received the highest score possible – a 5 – and was subsequently published in the Youth Medical Journal, an international student-run publication dedicated to sharing medical research and journalistic articles crafted by students. 

What was your AP Research question and why did you choose it?

N: Over the summer, I received a book from an epidemiologist which got me interested in fungi in humans. Over the summer, I explored fungi like yeast in more depth. I also studied bacteria in plant and animal cells. I believe that bacteria is overrated and fungus is under-appreciated because when we typically think of non-viral infectious diseases we usually attribute these to bacteria in our Health and Biology classes because they are “found everywhere”. Yet funguses are not only abundant in numbers, but they also have the potential to be infectious and are more closely related to human cells than bacteria. Both have overlapping features and are ubiquitous yet not studied much, which led me to my research question “How does ascorbic acid affect the cellular respiration of baker’s yeast cells?”

How did you choose methodology and conduct the experiment?

N: I chose a cause and effect approach because I wanted to see if a treatment would affect fungus. I had a connection to a friend’s mother who is an epidemiologist at City UHK and who supported me with access to materials. Due to COVID-19 and AP Guidelines, I was able to conduct a lab at home. 

The experiment was as follows: 

1. 1. 1. 1. I took baker’s yeast and put it in water. 
         2. I swabbed the yeast and placed it in three different petri dishes, two filled with glucose and one without which was my control group. 
         3. Then I let it grow overnight. 
         4. The next day, I observed a white streak. 
         5. After the yeast had grown, I added ascorbic acid into one of the petri dishes that contained glucose. I also measured the initial and final amounts of carbon dioxide concentration in the air and identified the change from the yeast.
         6. I used iodine to observe the death of the yeast under a microscope.

Essentially, the main goal was to disrupt cellular respiration in order to use it as a remedy for the growing concern of the lack of treatment for yeast infections. The results were that there was no statistical significance in changes between the control and non-control groups. In other words, the treatment did not work.

“Writing this AP Research Paper was like the final battle in Avengers: End Game; so many people came to help. There are lots of people in the world that are willing to help you. Embrace them.”

— Nicholas Wong

Why do you think you received a high score from the College Board?

N: I think that compared to other papers where they evaluated the good side of the experiment, the College Board finds papers with scientific errors just as valuable. Also, just because the original outcome didn’t happen, there were still other implications in the evaluation that carried weight.

How did you get your paper published?

N: Over the summer after the AP Exam, I connected with AIS Director of Learning Innovation and previous AP Research teacher Ms. Kathy Abel to identify starting points to publish papers. I stumbled across the Youth Medical Journal and checked for its credibility. Currently in the medical field there is a push for more open-access in publishing in academic research. I submitted my paper, and they accepted it.

What advice do you have to future AP Research, med, and research students?

N: F. Skinner, an American Psychologist best known for his work on Behaviorism, once said, “The rat is always right.” In other words, what makes a scientist is not only curiosity and knowledge, but his/her willingness to change his/her beliefs and expectations based on the evidence. Thus, follow the data. I did that in my AP Research Project.

Writing this AP Research Paper was like the final battle in Avengers: End Game: so many people came to help. Under the AP Research guidelines for advisors, not only Ms. Hoong, AIS HS Biology teacher; Epidemiologist Professor Sophie St-Hilaireat City UHK; Mr. Benestante, a Chemistry teacher; Mr. Kang, AIS Physics teacher; PhD biologist Dr. Lloyd Mirto; and Dr. Jennifer Gresham. Another piece of advice is that there are lots of people in the world that are willing to help you. Embrace them. 

This year, grade 11 student Arav Vashisht joined AIS and is the epitome of an international student. He was born in India, but by the age of 7, he was swimming at state-level competitions in Dubai’s 40ºC summers, and by the age of 9, he witnessed Moscow’s Red Square turn white in its -10ºC winters. At the age of 11, Arav returned back to India and transitioned from international schools to boarding schools where he learned to be independent. At 13 Arav transferred to private schools in Bangalore where he created “Gesture Talk” a glove designed to help the mute community communicate to the rest of the world and delivered three TEDx talks: “Finding the Passion Within,” “Thrill from Adventure Sports,” and ““How Movie Makers Merge their Reality with Ours.” The reality of this seemingly glamorous life of an expatriate sunk in when oceans separated him from his friends or even family during moments of celebration or isolation. But throughout all these experiences, Arav learned not to take anything for granted and that persevering through adversity leads to success. This notion became the foundation for the book he wrote, Take the Wheel; Drive Your Passion, which he published at the age of 15.

“Everyone has the potential to do something great; they just need a catalyst.”

In Take the Wheel; Drive Your Passion, Arav combines context, interview, and reflection about a diverse group of 14 professionals from medical doctors to actors and nuclear physicists to judges all with a common connection: they achieved success despite obstacles through following their own passions. In his first chapter, Arav tells the story of Dr. Koppillil Radhakrishnan who despite being born from a poor village became the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization between November 2009 and December 2014 which led the Indian mission to Mars. Similarly, Dr. Shivana Gowda H Patil, who he interviewed in chapter 3, lost an eye when a shard of glass fell in it as he was sleeping, yet with that loss of vision still became one of the most well-renowned nuclear scientists in India. From these stories, Arav learned that, “everyone has the potential to do something great; they just need a catalyst.”

Arav’s catalyst and inspiration for writing this book beyond the people he interviewed was his mother who advised him early on, “If you aren’t creating knowledge, you should at least know how to distribute it.” And Arav did just that: he articulated that this book isn’t about sharing an original thesis but rather synthesizing the wealth of wisdom from the people he met. In fact, an important part of writing this text was ensuring that he chose people from a wide range of disciplines. Much of his process was trial and error, asking questions and interviewing only to realize that there were follow-up questions he wanted to ask that he missed the chance to, and thus revised them before speaking to new people. He drafted and revised in multiple iterations and worked with an editor for feedback. This was done with a clear target audience in mind: teenagers, the very group of people whose passions are malleable. 

“Go where your heart takes you, not just where your family tells you. Let your passions guide you.”

Through this process, Arav learned to “go where your heart takes you, not just where your family tells you. Let your passions guide you.” Though too humble to admit, Arav followed in the footsteps of those he has interviewed by taking the wheel and driving his own passions.

Every day at AIS, I have the pleasure of seeing artwork displayed proudly in hallways, classrooms, stairwells, and walls. It is amazing to get a glimpse of the way students interpret the world through their eyes. At our school, we have an accomplished group of art teachers that guide and foster our students’ LOVE of beauty in the world. Art is a way for children to express themselves with different mediums. Our children become confident artists in our art program, sharing their masterpieces for the world to enjoy.

In anticipation of our whole-school art exhibition, “Journey,” we are very proud to announce that grade 12 student Scarlett (Yuxuan) Huang has achieved a rare honor for her artistic talent. Principal Mike Wing was recently notified by the College Board that Scarlett’s performance on the AP Studio Art: Drawing Portfolio Exam in May 2018 was so superior that it fell into a select category.

Students in AP Studio Art spend an intensive year creating 24 art pieces for submission to the College Board. AP exams, which include the AP Studio Art portfolios, are scored on a scale of 1 to 5, where a 5 is equivalent to an “A” grade in the corresponding university course. Scarlett not only received a 5 for her work but was also one of only 18 students in the entire world to earn a perfect score.

“I tend to observe my surroundings a lot and find interesting things that can be a potential subject for artwork, or can be translated and modified into a design element. For example, my concentration is fully based on the local MTR. I really like to illustrate details of the subject I’m drawing, so I am more of a realist when it comes to artwork because I just really appreciate the beauty of form of everything. It also challenges my technical skill.”

— Scarlett (Yuxuan) Huang

Scarlett’s AP Art teacher last year, Mrs. Katherine Chiu, says, “I’m so utterly and completely thrilled to hear Scarlett’s wonderful achievement. Scarlett’s achievement is down to her own hard work and practice over many years. I’ve had the huge pleasure of knowing and teaching Scarlett since 2013. Being able to watch her grow as an artist has been truly wonderful. Her dedication to her craft is inspiring to others (including myself!).”

It’s clear to see that art is an important part of Scarlett’s life and she continues to put a lot of time and effort into improving her skills. We could not be more proud of her accomplishment, and to see her years of dedication be recognized. We’re glad AIS got to be part of her artistic journey!

You can view some of Scarlett’s art here, and, if you want to see more of AIS’s budding artistic talent on display, be sure to come to our whole school art exhibition! The opening ceremony will be held on May 28th from 3:15-5:00pm, and general viewing will be open from 3:15 to 5:00pm May 28-30.