Outstanding young persons honored

A boccia athlete, a former Miss Hong Kong, and an assistant medical dean at Chinese University were selected as the city's outstanding young persons this year.

The Junior Chamber International Hong Kong announced the results of the "Ten Outstanding Young Persons Election 2023" yesterday, but this year, only six people received the award.

The theme of this year's event was "Lead To Future."

The awardees include Paralympian boccia player Ho Yuen-kei, the assistant dean (research) of the Faculty of Medicine at the Chinese University Owen Ko Ho, explorer and polar researcher Wilson Cheung Wai-yin, consultant radiologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Neeraj Ramesh Mahboobani, Miss Hong Kong 2009 winner Sandy Lau Sin-ting and the current head coach of the Hong Kong fencing team Lam Hin-chung.

"We have selected outstanding individuals from among many excellent applicants this year," said former secretary for food and health Ko Wing-man who has been the chief judge of the award. "In them, we see the future and hope of Hong Kong."

Paralympian Ho said her childhood wish was to be an ordinary person who could take care of herself, but due to spinal muscular atrophy, she couldn't fulfill her wish.

But she encountered many "heroes" in her life who encouraged her to explore sports and the arts. With their support, she became a boccia athlete. She said she is grateful to her parents for taking care of her and teaching her to never give up despite physical difficulties.

"I will continue striving for achievements for Hong Kong and hope everyone continues to pursue their dreams," she said.

Lau said that after she was crowned Miss Hong Kong in 2009, she engaged in social services. Lau is the second Miss Hong Kong winner to be selected as an outstanding young person, after 1975 Miss Hong Kong Mary Cheung received the award in 1988.

Through the process, Lau said she learned about the plight of elderly people who became solitary due to family emigration or busy work schedules, and some even suffered from depression. She visited senior centers with counseling psychologists and organized activities to improve the emotional well-being of such elderly people.

Lau said after becoming a mother, she gained a deeper understanding of the needs of school children and founded a charity organization to volunteer teaching Putonghua. She also established an association to encourage overseas students to return to Hong Kong and contribute to society. She described charity work as climbing a mountain, and receiving the award is like receiving a mountaineering award. She said she plans to work even harder to "make Hong Kong a better place."

The awards organizing committee will collaborate with young playwrights and creators on November 12 - Social Service Day - to share the inspiring stories of these outstanding individuals through stage performances. The aim is to inspire inclusiveness among young people from diverse backgrounds, including disabled individuals, ethnic minorities and grassroots individuals.