By the middle of grade 12, I was approaching the end of high school with mixed feelings. It was not just about my growing distance from competitive mathematics. I had seen curious, hardworking students miss the entrance cutoff, while others with stronger preparation gained access. I remembered keeping up with competitions myself, then feeling exhausted afterward. I began to question how educational opportunities were distributed. Could education better support students whose potential was not fully reflected in their results?
The turning point came when I decided to take a budget solo trip to Malaysia. I cannot fully explain why I chose it. With a limited budget, I travelled by bus and train, stayed in a modest hostel, and walked tens of kilometres through its streets. I was surprised by the public transport and infrastructure I encountered. They made me reconsider the relationship between economic growth and everyday life. I had often followed GDP figures, but what I saw made me question how much those figures alone could tell me about the quality of public services and people’s living conditions.
Looking at Malaysia, I wondered: is GDP per capita a reliable measure of sustainable development? Do we give back to the world we take from, and provide for the generations that follow? I began to question the preference for immediate, measurable results over long-term investment. It reminded me of education: were we paying enough attention to what takes longer to develop?
To what extent does academic recognition reflect long-term potential?
the epiphany
At the same time, my black Converses were …