08-13-2026
For Yolanda, a Grade 12 graduate of Huitong School, the answer to seven years of growth can be found in each of her explorations from idea to reality.
From creative arts to scientific experiments, and from fashion shows to international biology competitions, she has continued to ask one question: how can the ideas in her mind become work that influences the real world?
This application season, Yolanda received offers from the dual degree programme offered by Columbia University and City University of Hong Kong, as well as UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, UC Irvine, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Bristol and the University of Toronto.
She ultimately chose the joint undergraduate programme offered by Columbia University and City University of Hong Kong. Its interdisciplinary nature closely reflects her own journey.
Seven Years at Huitong: From Curiosity to Passion
Yolanda joined Huitong in 2019, during the school’s founding year, and studied here from Grade 6 to Grade 12.
Creative Arts first captured her attention. In secondary school, her interests quickly expanded to science and business. Yolanda participated in the school’s Science Inventors’ Fair for several consecutive years. In her first project, she compared the effectiveness of pasteurisation and microwave sterilisation. The following year, she investigated how the two methods affected vitamin C degradation.
Beginning with a simple question and continuing into deeper investigation, she gradually developed her own approach to scientific research.
Thinking Across Boundaries
Yolanda once wondered whether having too many interests made her appear insufficiently focused. Over time, she realised that what she most enjoyed was connecting different fields and bringing together people with shared interests to create something real and meaningful.
For several years, she served as one of the student leaders of Huitong’s fashion design studios and helped organise a large annual fashion show. She was also an iGEM team member and student leader, contributing to three consecutive global top-ten finishes in the senior division.
A sustainable fashion show and a synthetic biology project ultimately ask the same question: how can we create something meaningful while protecting the world on which we depend?
Entering the Chinese Academy of Sciences: From the Laboratory to the Real World
Yolanda also completed a month-long internship at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, where she participated in a research project on hypoxic-ischaemic brain damage.
The experience gave her first-hand insight into the complete research process. Her role as the lead presenter for an iGEM product pitch also revealed her passion for business. For Yolanda, business is a bridge that transforms a technology or an idea into real value that people can understand, accept and support.
Everyone Can Become a Leader in the Field They Love
At Huitong, students are encouraged to take initiative, explore and accept responsibility. Yolanda developed her own understanding of leadership:
“Leadership does not mean being the smartest person in the team, nor does it mean achieving the highest grades. It is more about keeping an open mind, genuinely enjoying what you do, and finding a way to bring people together to create something remarkable.”
