Samantha Yung

Lawyer, KELY Alumna

"Be brave and believe in yourself. The sky is your limit. You can do it."

Growing up, my parents were both very busy, so I was on my own a lot. Without the support and affirmation of my parents, I felt unsure of myself. At school, I struggled with my identity and tried to gain the approval of my peers by copying the cool kids. At home, I felt lonely and sad. I would cry all the time and I felt like nobody could help me.

In a year of high school, I joined KELY peer support programme. The KELY volunteers who led the programme were like big brothers and sisters - they were so welcoming and friendly. They taught me about empathy and that I didn't always have to follow the crowd. They encouraged me to be confident in myself.

I was afraid to try things because I didn't want to fail. The KELY volunteers helped me to see that I could make a difference and encouraged me to take initiative. With their support, I helped to organise an event to encourage everyone on campus to show their love to each other through personal notes and hugs. It was the first initiative that I led, and it was so moving to see that such a simple idea could make such a difference for others.

Later that year, I went on a trip to Malaysia with a group of my classmates to hike the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia. At first, I was reluctant to go. Then I thought, even if I didn't make it to the summit, surely I could try. When we made it to the halfway point, we had a choice - we could continue on to the top, or we could end our journey there. At that point, I felt like something had shifted in me. Even though continuing on would take me way out of my comfort zone and I had no idea what the outcome would be, I decided to take on the challenge.

I remember shining my headlamp in the dark to see the route ahead - I saw how steep the mountain was, how far away the summit was, and I felt so discouraged. I told myself I had already made the decision to continue, so I would just take it one step at a time.

At that moment, as I looked out at the clouds below us, I realised that I could do more than I thought possible, that my ability was greater than I had imagined. That experience really changed the way I face challenges.

Without the encouragement of the KELY volunteers and my experience on that mountain, I never would have been able to make it as a lawyer. Law school is extremely competitive and the legal profession requires a lot - if I didn't trust in myself to take on this challenge, I wouldn't be here today.