My name is Zoey, a first-year international student. Though I’m often mistaken for a domestic Chinese student, I’ve been grateful to have received multiple high praises of being a “Honorary China-Chinese” by my local friends, a recognition of my advanced Xiaohongshu lingo and comfort navigating both cultures. My roommate once laughed, “Wouldn’t that make you not bilingual, but bicultural?” That made me realize how my Malaysian Chinese identity naturally plays a unique mediator role in university life — bridging perspectives, humour, and understanding between different worlds, with a sprinkle of Southeast Asian cultural richness too.

I’m applying for Student Leadership Board because I believe leadership begins with connection. I’m drawn to learning from different perspectives, backgrounds, and especially the small nuances that make communication human—like the subtle difference in pronouncing my Vietnamese friends’ names, “Phuong” and “Phung”. I dedicate myself to connecting with people on an individual level and creating an environment of compassion and shared purpose.

If selected, I hope to explore possibilities for cross-community collaboration: building more interactive opportunities between international and domestic student groups beyond the classroom through cultural-exchange initiatives, connected platforms, and shared projects.

Ultimately, I see Student Leadership Board as a platform that has immense potential to bridge gaps, whether technical or social, and to connect cultures through sustainable systems. I aim to bring to the Board not only the perspectives of an international student or a Chinese student, but also those who exist in between. To every conversation, I would bring empathy, curiosity, and a practical drive to convert communication into action.

For me, leadership is not just about bright achievements, but also the quiet understanding that sustains a community. Together with the Board, I hope to build a positive way forward—one that turns diversity into collaboration, collaboration into community, and community into action.