Here are some of the winners:

Best Improvement: Mary To

Mary To Nga-man’s story of turning her life around is certainly an encouraging one. A student at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education, she is forging a path towards becoming a social worker helping youths. But, as she points out, her first experience with volunteering and community outreach happened almost by accident.

In secondary school, To was, in many ways, a “bad student”.

“I would fight with teachers over the most silly things,” she said.

“For example, I would fall asleep in class, and we would clash if they tried to wake me up. Or, when they tried to keep us after school, I would climb out the window. I just did not want to be there.”

Relations at home were rocky as well. To said she and her mother would often argue over her staying out late, and police even had to get involved once after To stopped responding to her parents’ messages.

“It got to the point where [my mother] just refused to pick up calls from the school, because she couldn’t handle their complaints any more,” To said.

Things began to turn around when To joined her secondary school’s volunteering team, which, she admitted, happened only because some of her friends were on it.

“I did not join because I would be able to help people, I just joined so I could hang out with my friends. I was not even enthusiastic about my first outreach trip to a home for the disabled,” she said.

But, To said, things started to change once she went there.

“I shared preconceived notions that the disabled people would be scary, rude and unhygienic,” she said.

“But as I got to know them, I found out they were very friendly people living simple lives. They just want to have fun, and crave human connection.”

She said many residents of the home had a difficult time recognising people, and volunteers always had to reintroduce themselves every time they visited. To recalled how happy she was when a resident called out her name without prompting after several visits.

“Many people I visit are underprivileged, or live on the fringes of society. That made me realise how lucky I was. I wanted to be better,” she said.

To applied for the Student of the Year Awards after being encouraged by the social worker at her secondary school, who witnessed her personal growth.

She is now working towards becoming a social worker to help youngsters like her find a purpose in life. Things at home have also vastly improved.

“I used to be bitter about how my mother had treated me, but I understand now how overwhelming it must have been for her. We have a great relationship now.”

Irene Chan Man-tuen, head of public affairs at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, was a judge for the “Best Improvement” category. She said she was highly impressed by the discipline, strong resilience and determination shown by all the finalists.

“I found them to have humble hearts, which is a great quality that leaders should have,” said Chan.

Community Contributor: Brian Ng (First runner-up)

Celebrations for the traditional Indian Holi festival, and a meeting with an entrepreneur from Azerbaijan – these were just some of the events hosted by DiverCITYhk, a non-profit organisation co-founded by Brian Ng Chun-yin, the first runner-up for this year’s Community Contributor award.

Ng, who just started his first year at Dartmouth College in the United States, founded the organisation with friends several years ago when he was still in secondary school. The non-profit organisation began with the aim of exposing the city’s youths to different cultures, but has since expanded into tackling issues of injustice and social inclusion.

Ng is an avid traveller. He said some of his most memorable life experiences were those had during trips around the world.

“Those are moments I hold dearly to myself, and they have really changed the way I view the world,” he said.

“I think there is not enough emphasis on helping people understand the world, and I wanted to find a way to let people enjoy that.”

The college freshman also helped organise TEDx Talks while still a student at Diocesan Boys’ School, where guests such as Legislative Council member and founder of the clothing label G2000 Michael Tien Puk-sun, as well as leaders of the charity Mother’s Choice, were invited to speak.

Through the event, he was also able to meet staff at Inter Cultural Education (ICE), the organisation that offered mentorship and sponsorship to Ng and his team in founding DiverCITYhk.

“It was my first experience in organising anything, and it enabled me to set up my organisation,” he said.

Ng wanted to pursue a career in entrepreneurship after leaving school.

“I like creating and starting things, and watching them grow,” he said.

Ng believed Hong Kong authorities could do better in promoting the city’s start-up culture. He said many resources for local entrepreneurs remained underutilised and underpublicised.

“For example, I had to dig really hard to find out that the government actually provides sponsorships for us, and I guess that is something that really discourages people from starting things here.”

He also noted that a characteristic of people in his generation was that they had a “much greater awareness on societal issues”, not just in Hong Kong, but around the world.

“For example, an increased emphasis on environmental protection is changing the way many big businesses are being run. It is also dictating the direction in which new technology is being developed, and things will continue to head that way,” he said.

“And this [shift] is definitely being led by people in my generation and how we view the world.”

The judges agreed.

“Young people are the future of our community, said Leong Cheung, executive director of charities and community at the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

“Among these finalists, I can see the qualities we are looking for in helping Hong Kong go forward. Apart from being intelligent and positive, they are able to demonstrate a strong self-awareness that helps them understand their limitations and reach a solution.”