Taylor House has Yen Sim to thank for taking out back-to-back Chess Championships for the past two years. Yen’s impressive mental dexterity is matched by her physical prowess in the Japanese martial art of Aikido. “As a woman, it’s important to know how to defend myself and to be prepared to react to any situation if I need to,” she says.

At MGGS, Yen describes being selected to take part in the Monash Scholars program as among her proudest academic achievements to date. “It was wonderful to have the opportunity to visit Monash University, to participate in workshops and socialise with students from other schools.”

Yen’s experiences beyond the red brick walls also extend to volunteering at the Richmond Community Centre where she was called upon to translate for Mandarin-speaking senior citizens. “They told me they were finding the language barrier a real struggle, so it was nice to be able to converse with them in their language,” Yen says. “When you show people that you are willing to help, they naturally want to connect with you.” Since completing her Field Award, Yen has begun pursuing voluntary work at her local Red Cross.

To find out more about the Field Award program click here. The full list of this year’s Field Award recipients can be found here.