Marie
Yan

Marie was raised in a blessed middle class family in affluent Hong Kong, but poverty was only a few feet away. Growing up Marie had a domestic helper in her household and whom she had a very close friendship with. Through this relationship, she would become aware of the injustice of the “domestic helper system” and would often reflect on the stark disparities between her life and the challenges faced by those who worked in her home. This awareness became a pivotal part of her life as she learned that privilege carries a responsibility to advocate for those who may not have a voice. Witnessing her friend’s hard work and dedication despite societal limitations inspired Marie to explore issues of inequality.

 

She is currently involved in her school’s HOSA club, Philanthropy club, and Medtalks club. HOSA is a competition based club where students from many different schools gather and compete in different events related to the medical or science field. Philanthropy club is a club where we distribute a large sum of donated money to local non-profit organizations and charities. Finally, Medtalks is a club where students can work with peers to research on any genetic disease and create a presentation to spread awareness and even think of a potential cure to that disease.

 

Marie’s main objective in attending a great university is to study psychology, neuroscience and other areas she is interested in. She has always been fascinated by how our brains work and how they influence our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Marie especially wants to explore topics like mental health, cognition, and the biological processes that underlie our behaviors. I believe that by studying these fields, she can contribute to improving mental health awareness and support in her community and abroad, as she could be able to help those with mental disorders by providing them with support and resources, as well as raising awareness on various issues revolving around mental disorders so that people could get more recognition.