Speech is power: A homecoming journey with Estelle Sia Yu Qi

“Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, be fortified by it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.” ~ Hermann Hesse

Introduction

Estelle Sia Yu Qi, a Han Chiang High School student who graduated in 2023, returned to Han Chiang High School on the 5th of June to revisit the place that shaped her road to success during her remarkable 5-year journey at the school. Over the years, Estelle Sia has accomplished extraordinary results in multiple competitions revolving around the English language.

Achievements

Estelle recently won first place in the 2024 ESU-Taylor’s Public Speaking Competition, held in May. She learned about the competition from a friend who had won first place the previous year. Before reaching the final round, Estelle competed in the preliminary and semi-final rounds, both conducted online. The final round took place in Kuala Lumpur on May 17.

Not only that, Estelle also excelled in the KGL Competition that was held last year. The KGL Competition was a contest about the overall aspect of English including grammar, speaking, writing and listening. She first participated in the first two rounds of the competition in Penang where she was the National Champion of Malaysia. She then proceeded to compete regionally with Malaysian and Thai students where she was also awarded first place due to her impressive performance at the competition. Unfortunately, she could not participate in the international round held in Greece as the competition clashed with her IGCSE examination. Nevertheless, she was still awarded RM1000 by the organiser.

Advice and plans

In offering advice to students who aspire to be like her, she hoped everyone could pursue their dreams truthfully. Despite that, she reminded students not to push themselves too hard as they might stress themselves out. Additionally, she believed that everyone is talented in different aspects. For example, some students may excel in sports, which Estelle could not do. She also wished the best of luck to the students at Han Chiang High School and hoped they could achieve even more greatness in the future.

As for now, Estelle is conducting her A-Levels at INTI Penang College and hopes to further her studies at universities in the U.K. and the U.S.