Wilson Wong

Hong Kong Spirit Ambassador 2010

"Life is a marathon. Even if you fall down or are injured along the way, as long as you have the right mindset, you can still finish smoothly."

I grew up in a humble family. My home was small and it was very messy, so I often went outside to play, even as a child. I started smoking when I was in Primary 5. In secondary school, I would hang out in the park and at friends' homes all day instead of going to school. I skipped school regularly (up to three months at a time!) and I didn't go home for long stretches of time.

I tried drugs for the first time when I was 12 years old when a friend offered me “ice” (crystal methamphetamine). I felt a little nauseous after inhaling just a little bit and for a few days afterwards, I couldn't eat or sleep. At the time, I thought that I was in control, not seeing how the drugs were controlling me.

With failing school grades and with no job prospects, I moved in with some friends. Every day, I would sleep late into the afternoon, then go to the disco and party until sunrise. At one point, I was taking special K (ketamine) every day. Drugs are expensive and to keep up with my habit, I started dealing drugs. I knew the risks were huge - I could be arrested and sent to jail, or even killed over drugs. At the same time, I felt like the people I took drugs with were my friends. I couldn't see a way out of it.

I finally got out when I was 20. I was arrested and the judge sentenced me to three years at the Christian Zheng Sheng College. Life was very basic there - air conditioning, hot water, and computers or phones were all in short supply. All we had were our studies and work.

One time, I bullied a 13-year-old classmate. When my teacher saw this, he told me off and said, "This isn't the triads, we're not gangsters!" Very few people had ever reprimanded me before and I thought, how was I ever going to make it through the next three years of my life? I knew I didn't want to go back to my previous life, so I made up my mind to study hard and turn my life around.

Zheng Sheng had a strict 'lights off' policy at 10pm, but the teachers knew I was determined to do well on my tests, so they would let me stay in the classrooms to study late into the night. My hard work paid off. I retook my exams and scored 14 points, which meant I could enter Form 6. I wanted to keep studying, so the principal helped me to find another school so I could continue my matriculation studies. I am grateful to Zheng Sheng for helping me learn self-discipline so that I could study for 8 hours a day. As a result, I passed my college entrance exams and was admitted to study accounting at Lingnan University. Today, I work as a manager in a restaurant. I'm responsible for purchasing wine and tea.

Over the years, different organisations have invited me to share my story with young people. I am always happy to share and I hope that my story can encourage others.