[ nicolyong ]

Hanging up my scholar’s coat and hat in Hanoi after finally emerging as champion has left me with severe WSC withdrawal symptoms. 

The World Scholar’s Cup has played a major role in my secondary school life, and thus, it is only right that I give it due credit. May the documenting of my scholar experience begin. 

My first global round was in Bangkok during 2012. Zac was still whipping his hair back and forth, Burch was as loud as ever, and Daniel was still coming up with self-written notes for everyone. Current Affairs was an actual subject then. Debate? The World Scholar’s Cup was where I STARTED debating. As a fetus in the program, guess how many medals I won at Globals? Zilch. My team didn’t even qualify for the Tournament of Champions at Yale, but the experience was priceless for Nicole, Caleb, and I.

Yes, we were WSC fetuses.

That same year, I switched schools to Sri Kuala Lumpur where nobody had even heard about WSC. I remember wanting to join the competition again to the point that I attempted to form a club, but to no avail. Finally, in 2015, I had a team to go with - Ceri Holloway and Samantha Cheong. Together, we were the YongCheongWay. That year, our winnings exceeded our expectations, and we went to Yale! The experience we had there fuelled my childhood dream of getting a liberal arts education at a top US university. It broadened my horizons beyond a conventional classroom, opening up my eyes to endless possibilities. There, we made so many friends from across the globe, and those meetings have enriched me. 

Ceri wrote an article in the Star newspaper about our 2015 WSC season.

The YongCheongWay at Yale

The following year, Ceri and I decided to join WSC again. Suen Lin became our third member as Samantha was busy. We went to Penang for regionals that year as our exams clashed with the KL Round. We were the SuenYongWay (shocking, I know). In Penang 2016, my team and I peaked at regionals. Never in a million years did we think that we would’ve been able to become the champion team. In the same way, I never thought that I would’ve ever become a champion scholar in any way. You see, we were pessimists going into the competition. Other teams had coaches, set trainings, and established school clubs, but all we had was each other. In our minds, it was an impossible feat. That regional round, the three of us gained confidence in ourselves that we would never have gotten otherwise. 

At Globals, we only managed to study a week in advance due to our mid-year exams, but the experience was still unforgettable. Although we weren’t able to make it to Yale despite qualifying, the entire season was a special one. 

We were so committed to our team name that we spontaneously made team shirts in Bangkok. We also got somewhat matching pants. 

Finally, my fourth year as a scholar came about this year, in 2017. Unfortunately, Suen Lin was unable to join Ceri and I as she was busy. The hunt for a third team member ended once our new teammate Li-Lian said “yes”. Our new team name? The LIT Team. All three of us were Literature students. The preparation for WSC was as crazy as ever, and the three of us were only able to meet once before the KL Regional Round, making everything crazier. After a successful round where we managed to defend our titles, we each went our separate ways again. 

With Ceri self-studying Spanish, helping out at her parents’ English tuition centre, Modern English Puchong, and preparing for the CPE (which she got an A for, folks), she was one busy woman. Then there was Li-Lian, the “mayor of Subang”, as Ceri and I like to call her. She founded a Leo Club all by herself, running it as the President. She also had 5 A-Level subjects to study for. I, on the other hand, was busy helping my dad out at his office, learning how to drive, and volunteering in various outreach programs including a trip to Chennai, India, and running programs in various high schools back in Malaysia. To put it liberally, we were each swamped with life, and we only managed to meet up once before the Hanoi Global Round. We were certainly an unlikely team, staying true to this year’s theme: “An Unlikely World”.

Self-studying the entire syllabus with my team was certainly a challenge, but we had so much fun with it. I can’t begin to tell you how much laughter we had when shouting random facts at each other and quizzing each other relentlessly. Of course, we DID veer off topic A LOT. For instance, we found out that Walter Rothschild had a zebra carriage. (Because who needs horses when you can have zebras, right?)

Then there were the psychedelic works that we had to study. As Huang Yong Ping said, “Artworks are for the artist what opium is to men.” I’m sure you can imagine how amused we were when we saw this:

As we studied for WSC this year and came up with Kahoot! quizzes for each other, we gained the skill of collaboration - something the World Scholar’s Cup has drilled into each of its scholars. We also rapped the song Alexander Hamilton countless times by memory. 

This year was our peak year. Individually, it was my peak year without a doubt. As a scholar, I always looked up to individuals like Chauncey Lo and Dylan Kroft, the champion scholars of 2015 and 2016 respectively. In my opinion, they were the untouchables. Becoming the champion scholar at a global round with more than 3000 participants was impossible in my mind. There were too many obstacles. There were people who were more capable, more trained, more prepared. There were so many delegations that had established strong legacies throughout the years. So when it came down to receiving the title, I was shocked, to say the least. The past 4 WSC seasons culminated into a single moment, and now I’m a changed person forever. The World Scholar’s Cup has taught me to believe in myself. It has taught me to be more confident even when facing intimidating opponents. It’s truly such an honor to be a part of such a great community.

The LIT Team at the Hanoi Global Round 2017.

The World Scholar’s Cup has stretched me in so many ways, and I wouldn’t have it otherwise. It’s more than an event; it’s a journey, a community, and a magical experience. Yes, it has made me more conscious about the world around me. Yes, it has taught me a lot about my own capabilities and limits. Beyond all that, however, my teammates and I have forged friendships in a community built upon acceptance and tolerance. 

Throughout the years, I have learnt so much about various cultures, from the lingering effects of the caste system in India to the weight of Norwegian traditional costumes. The World Scholar’s Cup has enabled me to touch sand from the Maldives, dance with scholars from Kyrgyzstan, watch an African ambassador eat Vegemite chocolate from Australia, practice my calligraphy skills with mainland Chinese, and watch a live alpaca spit on someone in annoyance. I have learnt the value behind the word “possibility”. I have also learnt that collaboration is crucial in life. Collaborative learning with my teammates over the years has taught me that.

These are experiences that money will never buy, and for that, I am eternally grateful for the World Scholar’s Cup. Although retirement (as a scholar) calls my name, I’ll always be glad to help WSC in any way I can for as long as they will have me.

In May 2017, I was given the opportunity to visit Chennai for an outreach programme. 

I’ll always remember India as a land of hospitable people and good food -- a land of highly skilled drivers and vibrancy. All that was memorable, but what opened my eyes in India were the struggles faced by the people I was exposed to.

I thought I knew what overpopulation and soup kitchens would look like. Back home, I had been to soup kitchens, and Geography lessons included the topic of population density. I thought I kinda got what the caste system was. My knowledge of the struggles faced by countries that were not my own were superficial at most, and I was quickly shoved into reality once we landed in Chennai. 

What I know about the world around me is simply not enough.

Various issues were brought up during the trip as we visited leprosy colonies, soup kitchens, and a girls’ camp. 

Overpopulation, poverty, and social stigmas. These are increasingly prevalent issues that affect societies globally. 

Doing outreach in a foreign country was a fresh beginning for me - a moment that called for increased awareness of the world around me. It was an experience that reminded me that complacency breeds ignorance, and that it’s time for the world to act on the various issues that plague it.