When Yoyo Wu You arrived in Hong Kong from Shanghai in March 2024, she was immediately struck by the city’s efficient infrastructure and the acts of kindness extended to her and her family. These gestures eased the stress of settling into an unfamiliar city.
Still, adjusting to life in Hong Kong required Wu to adapt to different social norms.
“Hong Kong places emphasis on privacy and individual independence,” she explained, adding that this cultural shift led to more self-directed daily routines.
“Academically, the change was stark. My teachers in Hong Kong expect students to plan study schedules, select past papers to practise, and self-monitor progress rather than rely on their direct instruction,” added Wu, now a Form Six student at Delia Memorial School, Glee Path.
Another challenge was learning to recognise traditional Chinese characters, which are widely used in Hong Kong textbooks and other sources of information.
“My mother helped a lot in this area,” 19-year-old Wu recalled. “Before our arrival, she gave me a booklet compiling traditional Chinese characters mastered by Hong Kong primary school students. I tried to memorise them. This has helped enormously in my current studies and navigating around the city.”
Faced with higher expectations for autonomy, Wu developed her resourcefulness and time-management skills, which helped her transition smoothly into the demands of student life. Within less than a year, she caught up with her studies and ranked first in her form under the local curriculum.
Her efforts earned her a place among the winners in the Best Improvement category of the 2024/25 Student of the Year Awards, organised by the South China Morning Post and solely sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Wu overcame the language barrier and progressed rapidly thanks to community support and daily practice.
“I attend church youth activities, take Cantonese beginner classes for guided learning, and intentionally use real-life interactions to build conversational skills,” she said.
Practical immersion at events like summer camp accelerated her speaking fluency, while daily exposure at home helped her internalise vocabulary, pronunciation and cultural context.
She has also embraced an English-speaking environment at school, as many of her classmates are from the city’s ethnic minority communities.
Wu said proactive involvement helped her integrate on campus.
She serves as a monitress, event assistant and marine coral conservation volunteer. In all of these activities, she aims to foster a tightly knit team.
“I’ve learned that leadership means meeting team members’ needs responsibly and owning tasks rather than passing them on. It’s about balancing accountability with attentive support,” she said.
“I show them care, and they reciprocate. It’s helped enhance relationships and team spirit.”
Her conservation work has taught her the importance of education and outreach: “When schoolmates mistake growing coral for ordinary rocks, I explain the project and invite participation, engaging them to deepen their environmental understanding and sense of responsibility,” Wu shared.
Wu advised other newcomers to seek support early because taking small steps can quickly build everyday competence: “We should value our background as a strength. We should not change ourselves to please others,” she said.
