EMILY
WANG
Emily Wang is a Year 10 student at Wycombe Abbey School in England with a deep passion for global issues. As a first generation Canadian born in Vancouver, Canada, and having moved to the UK at the age of eight, Emily has developed a distinctly international perspective. When faced with global challenges or complex international issues, Emily is able to view them through multiple sociocultural lenses, allowing for a complex, layered point of view. Emily’s varied travels have cultivated a curiosity and respect for different cultures and sparked her interest in global current affairs.
The Story
After the pandemic, Emily returned to China for the first time in six years and was shocked to see both the remarkable advancement in economic and technological development but also the lingering inequalities and gaps in living conditions. She was particularly struck by the everyday challenges many people there faced. She realised that even the smallest details of daily life, like getting a drink of water for the tap, was something she took for granted in Canada.
This eye-opening experience inspired her to become more interested in water security, for example water quality and limited access in some communities. Later, while studying rivers in her IGCSE Geography course, she explored the importance of the Yangtze River and how millions rely on it for water - despite the rising levels of pollution. She learned that the impact of water insecurity is not just social but also an environmental issue; for instance the Yangtze River dolphin, Baiji, has potentially gone extinct. These experiences and issues motivated her to launch HydroHorizon, a youth-led organisation aiming to improve water security around the world through grassroots activism, public education campaigns, and hands-on community projects.
Through her work with HydroHorizion, Emily hopes to raise awareness about water insecurity and offer ways for youth around the world to get involved in local water issues. She hopes to study Biology or Chemistry and pursue scientific research using her knowledge to better understand the environment and find solutions to the many challenges nature faces.