School & Program
Western University with Advanced Entry Opportunity (AEO) to Ivey Business School, Social Sciences & Business

Meadowridge Student Since
Grade 8

Born in
Beijing, China

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m involved in the community and in sports. I’ve played volleyball for a few years now, both at school and with a club team. Off season, I like to go to the gym and work out. Besides that, I do a lot of volunteering with the City of Port Coquitlam. I help out at events like Canada Day and at the recreation centre running kids camps. I’m also passionate about business. At Meadowridge, I ran my own business club. Outside of school, I am involved with a non-profit called The Homeful Project where I serve as the Director of Finance. I help with budgets, financing and applying for grants. Together, we create care packages for the homeless population. I do all of these things because I’m passionate about them, but it’s also a great chance to connect with other people. At school, we are so focused on academics. Through these initiatives, I can focus on different perspectives, experiences, and people.

I’ll miss the Meadowridge community and the teachers who really care about you

How did you first find yourself at Meadowridge?

It was actually my sister, who came to Meadowridge about two years before me. She had been at an IB School back in China, so came to Meadowridge when we moved straightaway. She liked the small community here and felt like she was cared for. My parents saw this and told me, “oh, you’re coming here as well.” They brought me here in Grade 8, and I was actually quite shy and quiet back then. Events like the New Family Orientation and Week Without Walls helped me get to know my classmates, and I found out there were actually quite a few other new students that year. It was a pretty easy transition for me!

Tell us about your year ahead.

I’m headed off to Western University. Once I’m settled, I’m looking forward to meeting new people and getting involved in clubs. I was actually talking to Noah [Wong ‘21], who goes to Western, and he told me how there are many internship opportunities. I’ve also heard they host Business Case Competitions, so I’ll be sure to join that as well. I chose Western because it has a smaller community—it’s a lot like Meadowridge—and I wanted that in a school. I’ll be living on campus and am just in the process of picking out my residence and roommates.

What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?

I look forward to meeting new people and making new connections. I can’t wait to form new knowledge and go beyond high school and settle into university life. I’m excited to move and gain some independence. Western, and the city around it, has great recreation centres and gyms and I’ve heard there’s lots of great food—Chinese Food, specifically—I look forward to all of that too.

What will you miss most as you move onto the next chapter?

Definitely the friends and connections and relationships that I have here. I’m going to miss coming to school every day and being around people who are going through the same things as me, like, “Oh, you haven’t started that yet either? Okay good. Me too!”. I’ll miss the Meadowridge community and the teachers who really care about you. I’ll miss the routine of driving from Coquitlam to Maple Ridge each day, and even the uniforms. Having less than 50 students in a grade, you end up forming a tight bond. Because of that, it’s also much easier to get involved in anything you want to be involved in. Here, you don’t have to have the exact knowledge or experience to try something new. The teachers will support you and so will your peers. Your teachers will always be there for you, too. The Diploma Programme (DP) is hard, but your teachers get it. Ms. Tao made class enjoyable and fun. She also helped me with running my club and gave me lots of great support and advice. The other students help too, and they are all so uplifting. It is both supportive and competitive, so it motivated me to want to do better all the time. At Meadowridge, I’ve been able to grow a lot as an individual.

Favourite Meadowridge Memory.

Probably playing on the volleyball team. We made so many memories while playing at tournaments and even during practice. It’s a team sport, so it’s a fun environment where we can work together. I remember this one tournament, back in Grade 10, when it was the finals and we were playing against a team that we always lost to. This time, we were able to push through and fight back. It was a fun and competitive game, and all the girls supported each other on and off the court. We were just so focused on the game… and we won!

Making the most out of Meadowridge – what wisdom can you pass on?

Get involved beyond what’s expected. Get into clubs that you enjoy. Maybe, since Meadowridge is a smaller community, they might not offer that club. But why not start your own? You don’t have to just wait for something to happen. At Meadowridge, you can start and initiate what you’re interested in if you’re willing to do the work. Get involved with as many school activities as you can. Myself, I served on Student Council with the Service Committee. During weekly meetings, I got to interact and meet people beyond my usual grade level. I got to interact with people in Grade 9, and students even younger than that. Through this leadership role, I was also able to improve my communication skills. I was also involved with the Yearbook Club. I served as one of the editors, along with two other students. At a pretty young age, my mom said, “try everything and see what you’re interested in.” I did everything from piano to swimming. I hated some of it, but it also helped me to open my interests and see what’s out there. I think Meadowridge provided the perfect environment for me to build on this. Being here, there are so many programs and opportunities and experiences to try new things or develop your passions.