Scholarships recognise achievement, but they rarely tell the whole story.
Behind every award is a process of exploration, commitment and personal growth.
At YCIS Shanghai, students are encouraged not only to pursue academic excellence, but also to discover what genuinely interests them and develop those interests beyond the classroom.
For Freyja and Mancy, that process has taken very different forms.
One has transformed an interest in medicine into a platform that introduces younger students to healthcare and science. The other has used art to explore questions about the relationship between people and the natural world.
What they share is a willingness to take their interests seriously and follow them wherever they might lead.
Freyja:
Turning an Interest into Opportunity
When Freyja first joined YCIS, she never imagined she would become such an active member of the school’s sports teams.
Volleyball, basketball and football had never been part of her life before. That changed when Ms Vanessa Fung, the PE teacher, encouraged her to give volleyball a try.
What seemed like a simple suggestion became the starting point for much of her personal growth.
Through training sessions, competitions and teamwork, she developed resilience, responsibility and confidence.
"Sport really changed me," she reflects.
The skills she gained on the court would later shape many other aspects of her school life.
Perhaps the clearest example is the Medical Society, which she co-founded with a friend who shared her interest in healthcare.
From an initial idea to a well-established student-led CCA, the society now introduces students to topics in medicine and science through presentations, discussions and practical activities. Freyja and her team prepare teaching materials, plan sessions and help younger students explore areas they may not otherwise encounter.
With support from YCYW EdFutures, they have also taken part in medical immersion opportunities and cross-campus initiatives. Earlier this year, members of the Medical Society presented their work at TEDxYCYW, sharing their ideas with a wider audience.
▲Freyja at TEDx stage
For Freyja, however, medicine is more than an academic interest.
As a child, she accompanied her brother to hospital after he broke his arm. Watching doctors care for patients left a lasting impression and sparked an early interest in the profession.
Over time, that interest has developed into a clear sense of direction.
Alongside the Medical Society, Freyja has been actively involved in service learning, fundraising initiatives and student leadership.
Whether supporting Giving Tree projects or volunteering at school events, she values opportunities to contribute to the wider community.
There is, however, another side to her school life.
Freyja is also a keen performer and has appeared in several school productions. What she enjoys most is the opportunity to step into a different character and become part of a different story.
▲Freyja as a performer
"When you're on stage, you feel like you’ve entered another world," she says.
The same willingness to embrace new challenges can be seen in her experience of learning Chinese.
As her third language, Chinese did not come easily at first. Progress felt slow, and speaking in front of others was often intimidating. Yet through daily conversations with classmates and teachers, she gradually built confidence and discovered that language learning depends as much on communication as it does on vocabulary and grammar.
▲Freyja(the middle one in the first row) with her classmates
Today, she encourages other international students to speak as much as they can and not to be afraid of making mistakes.
Looking ahead, Freyja hopes to study medicine and eventually become a surgeon.
Yet what stands out most is not simply where she hopes to go next, but the way she approaches new opportunities: with curiosity, commitment and a willingness to get involved.
Mancy:
Understanding the World Through Art
For Mancy, art begins with observation.
Observing the relationship between cities and nature. Observing the connections between people and their environment. Observing details that others might overlook.
These observations have become the starting point for much of her artistic work.
▲Mancy's Artworks
As an IB Visual Arts student, she has spent much of her time exploring the relationship between human activity and the natural world.
Growing up in large cities such as Shanghai has allowed her to witness the effects of urban development first-hand. At the same time, experiences in more natural environments have shown her different ways in which people and nature can coexist.
One of her recent projects involved creating a three-dimensional sculpture using tree bark as the primary material.
The work took nearly two months to complete and required extensive experimentation with both materials and techniques. Throughout the process, she researched artists, tested different approaches and continually refined her ideas.
For Mancy, experimentation is an essential part of making art.
Whether working with charcoal, watercolour, acrylic paint, mixed media or sculpture, she enjoys exploring how different materials can communicate different ideas and perspectives.
She feels that YCIS has given her the freedom to do exactly that.
"Our teachers always encourage us to develop our own ideas, while supporting us throughout the process," she explains.
That balance of independence and guidance has helped her develop both technical skills and a stronger artistic voice.
Interestingly, many of her ideas originate beyond the art classroom.
Subjects such as Geography and Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) have deepened her understanding of environmental issues and provided fresh perspectives for her creative work.
Rather than viewing disciplines separately, she is interested in the ways they connect and inform one another.
▲Mancy and her friend at a field trip
This interdisciplinary approach is also shaping her future plans.
She hopes to continue studying art at university while exploring opportunities to combine creative practice with fields such as environmental science and biology.
Outside the classroom, she is also an active member of the Yearbook Design team, working with fellow students to create visual elements that capture and celebrate school life.
▲Yearbook designed by Mancy and her friends
Looking back, Mancy credits much of her confidence to the encouragement she has received from teachers, family and friends.
What continues to drive her, however, is a genuine curiosity about the world around her.
Through her work, she explores questions, shares observations and invites others to look at familiar issues from a different perspective.
From medicine to art, from laboratories to stages, from sports fields to studio spaces, Freyja and Mancy have followed very different paths.
One is exploring how she might help others through medicine. The other is using art to better understand the world around her.
Neither claims to have all the answers.
Yet by taking their interests seriously, embracing opportunities and remaining open to new experiences, both have discovered ways to turn curiosity into action — and, in doing so, shape paths that are distinctly their own.
