Graduate Stories｜Where dreams set sail

This tolerance for difference affected Steven directly. His own topic for Internal Assessment (IA) in IB Physics, which involved aerial photography, was quite unusual. Since the topic had been relatively little researched, he had to make up with experiments of his own. Rather than asking him to switch onto a less challenging track, his IB physics teacher Mr. James Lyng gave him full affirmation, encouragement and support. Mr. Lyng not only hunted down some relevant learning materials from his own high school days, but also patiently guided Steven through completion of the research, step by step.

Steven’s aerial photography work deeply impressed his teachers and fellow students. Steven said his interest in the topic was based on his love for model airplanes and fascination with changes in media technologies.  

Steven has never taken any special courses in photography, still less aerial photography. He completed every film himself, doing everything from planning, design of camera movement, post-production editing and toning, to dubbing. His interest and commitment has led to many professional awards in the drone industry, including ‘World Drone Conference - Excellent Aerial Photographer of China’ and the ‘DJI Drone Engineering Innovation Challenge - Team and Individual Best Project award. He found that participating in these competitions stretched his personal abilities and expanded his knowledge, making it part of what Pao School calls ‘whole person education’. His footage has been used by official media and organizations.

"Thanks to innovations in engineering technology, aerial photography has undergone tremendous development, from mounting large cameras on helicopters to the drone photography of today,” Steven observes. “These incredible achievements have brought my admiration for engineering technology to the point that I am determined to devote myself to it, and thus contribute to future developments in any way that I can."

Over the twelve years he spent at the school, he was immersed in its philosophy of ‘whole person education’. This is an idea he would often discuss with his family. Besides what he learnt at school, he also remembers his grandfather’s definition: “all-round development of moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic and work education.”

At school he tried out a variety of sports: football, rugby, floorball, basketball, volleyball, frisbee, and others. Through sports, he experienced growth and transformation. "Sports has an inexplicable magic power,” he said. “It positively shapes character and builds strong team cohesion. From this comes a strengthened sense of responsibility and belonging.”

Andre says he is a naturally introverted and shy person, who struggles to take the social initiative or integrate into groups. This deepens his gratitude for the kindness of his classmates. On one occasion, he remembers, a classmate saw that he was in a gloomy mood and broke out into a funny dance, saying: “Hey Andre, do you feel better now?" Andre still smiles at the memory.

After the summer break, Andre will travel to the UK to study physics and astronomy at Imperial College. His love for physics, he says, is due to it being the basic explanation for everything in the world. 

Hedy joined Pao School in Year 10. She was quickly enchanted by its expansive library, attractive dormitory buildings, and modern campus. The atmosphere agreed with her. It was not only a matter of physical structures, but also of a curriculum system focused on student choice, supported by relaxed and harmonious relationships between teachers and students.

Hedy’s fascination for engineering had another source. Her physics teacher Mr. Lyng would incorporate lively examples into his lessons, to keep the subject from being dry. For example, when teaching about the energy conversion of free fall, he played a video of his own bungee jumping adventures, asking students to calculate the elastic potential energy of the rope and the kinetic energy of his own falling body. Hedy found this vivid example profoundly engaging, and learnt from it that physics related directly to recognizable life problems. It also raised the spirit of the classroom. From this experience, a seed of insight was planted, which has carried Hedy to an engineering course at Cornell University in the United States. 

Hedy strongly defends the importance of a "useless" curiosity about the world. "Excessive utilitarianism leads people astray,” she says. “It’s better to listen to your inner voice. Then natural interest will lead you to discover what you really love.”