KITTY NGAI

The Change I Want to Bring to the World

It is a common belief that the harder you work, the more it will pay off. However, hard work does not earn the same rewards for everyone. In the city I come from, Hong Kong, the chance of getting into university for students from a wealthier family is 2.8 times higher than for those coming from an underprivileged background. The fact that one group has the opportunity to work hard on their school work without worrying about living spaces and material conditions is evidence of privilege. Being a tutor for children coming from under-resourced backgrounds, I have seen high school kids studying 14 hours a day but still struggling to pass exams. I envision an egalitarian social system in which people are given sufficient opportunity and resources to maximize their abilities and potentials. The key here is to resolve the problem of educational inequality such that education can open doors for students regardless of their backgrounds.

How I’ve Been Involved in Changemaking So Far

I believe in getting hands-on learning from experiences. Since secondary school, I have launched initiatives in my community to address educational inequality. I pitched my proposal to a panel of judges when I was 15 and was awarded a sponsorship for my initiative. During the summer, I organized workshops to increase children’s exposure and to provide soft skills training. 

When I grew older, I worked at an NGO that hopes to cultivate future leaders of the educational equality movement. 

Upon entering university, I designed an award-winning prototype idea (L-E-T’s Begain!)  that addresses the unfairness faced by underprivileged tenants. 

Each footstep, regardless of its success, shaped my understanding toward ways to alleviate educational inequality. Building on previous experiences, I am now setting off on a new journey, combining the initiative I came up with at 15 and the start-up experience gained in recent years. My first step is to find more community partners. Recently I have cooperated with a Legislative Councilor and a well-established NGO to discuss the possibility of launching a youth empowerment program in one of the poorest regions in Hong Kong.

What Drew Me to This Fellowship

There are limited formal channels for people to learn how to make change. Previously I learned from other leaders and through participating in various initiatives. This fellowship provides a great opportunity for me to be trained in how better to make change. Last year, I was thinking about launching a new initiative in addressing educational inequality. However, learning from previous lessons, I hope to be better prepared before running the prototype of the program. I hope that the Mentora Youth Changemaker Fellowship can help me overcome this obstacle.  

I am also looking forward to exchanging ideas with other dedicated changemakers and look forward to the inspiration they provide. I firmly believe communication is crucial to generating great ideas.