MAKING a significant positive impact on society is not limited to adults.
As evidenced by Ong Yong Xun (pic), students too have the power to do so.
As a Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia candidate, the Petaling Jaya, Selangor, lad often had to revise from physical books and notes during car rides to tuition classes.
“Reading in a car was already unbearable for my eyes, let alone doing it at night with only my smartphone as a torchlight,” the 24-year-old recalled.
It was during one such experience that he started thinking, “Isn’t there a better way to study anywhere, anytime?”
Fuelled by that thought, he set out in 2021 to create a free mobile application to ease students’ revisions after completing his Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia.
Having made an impact with JomStudy, which offers concise revision notes, quizzes, exam papers and various educational tools for Malaysian secondary school students, Ong is now in the running for the Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2024.
This annual US$100,000 (RM437,399) award is given to an exceptional student who has made a real impact on learning, the lives of their peers, and society beyond.
Ong, an accounting student at Multimedia University in Cyberjaya, recently made the top 50 shortlist, selected from over 11,000 nominations and applications from 176 countries.
The top 10 finalists are expected to be announced next month, with the winner to be chosen by the Global Student Prize Academy later in the year.
Ong said it was his friends who encouraged him to apply for the award.
“The inspiration to apply came from the desire to showcase the potential of educational technology in transforming student learning experiences.
“I am incredibly honoured and excited to be shortlisted in the top 50. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication I have put in, and I am extremely grateful for it,” he told StarEdu.
According to Ong, JomStudy has provided accessible education to over 450,000 students since its inception, with more than 50,000 using the application to revise every month.
“Because of JomStudy, students can now study anywhere, anytime, using our platform, instead of scrolling through social media,” he said.
The journey to this achievement was not without its challenges.
Ong said his biggest obstacle was building and coding the application from scratch.
As a self-taught coder, he relied on YouTube and Google, and even posed questions to strangers online when he encountered problems, such as unexplained bugs in the application or a computer that froze and stopped working.
A willingness to try different ways to solve problems or bugs, he said, is crucial for making progress.
While JomStudy initially catered to Forms Four and Five students, it has since expanded to include content for Forms One to Three, he shared.
Moving forward, Ong plans to enhance the application by incorporating more interactive features and expanding its content library.
“Additionally, we aim to reach more students globally by partnering with educational institutions and organisations,” he said.
He encouraged students to explore and engage with the resources on JomStudy, as “consistent use of the platform can significantly enhance students’ understanding and performance in their studies”.
When asked about his chances of making the top 10, Ong said: “While I am hopeful and confident in the impact JomStudy has made, I am also aware of the incredible achievements of the other nominees. Regardless of the outcome, being in the top 50 is already a significant achievement for me.”
This recognition is not Ong’s first; he has also been featured in Forbes’ “30 Under 30 Asia” and Tatler’s “Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow”.
Despite these accolades, Ong said the most fulfilling aspect of operating JomStudy is seeing its positive impact on students’ lives, such as improved grades and increased confidence.
“It fuels my thirst for learning, knowing it will continue to benefit my users and community in the future,” he said.
To students aspiring to contribute to social change, his advice is to “identify a problem you are passionate about and take small, consistent steps towards solving it”.
“Collaboration and persistence are key to making a meaningful impact,” he said.
Quoting his favourite saying, he added: “Never stop seeking discomfort.”
The Global Student Prize, now in its fourth year, is open to students aged 16 and over who are enrolled in academic institutions or training and skills programmes, including part-time and online students.
Applications and nominations for this year’s award opened on Feb 1 and closed on May 5.
Congratulating Ong on his achievements, Chegg chief communications officer Heather Hatlo Porter said the top 50 finalists deserve the opportunity to have their stories told and their voices heard.
“Our finalists this year have made a huge impact in areas from the environment to equality and justice, from health and well-being to education and skills, from youth empowerment to ending poverty,” she said in a press release.
Varkey Foundation founder Sunny Varkey said Ong’s story is a testament to the crucial role that education plays in building a better world.
“As time runs out to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, it is more important than ever to prioritise education so we can face the future with confidence,” he said.
The annual Global Student Prize was launched in 2021 by Chegg.org in partnership with the Varkey Foundation, as a sister award to the latter’s US$1mil (RM4.37mil) Global Teacher Prize.
Malaysian students have excelled in previous editions of the award.
Last year, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Perak, chemical engineering student Kenneth Chong was a top 10 finalist, and Keningau Vocational College (KVC), Sabah, bakery and pastry student Nurul Nazieha Jasnie made the top 50.
In 2022, KVC construction technology student Alesyah Asa was a top 10 finalist, while Petaling Jaya secondary school student Yiq Zhenn Leong made the top 50 in 2021.
The 2023 winner, 24-year-old South Sudanese refugee Nhial Deng, empowered over 20,000 refugees in Kenya’s Kakuma camp through peacebuilding, education and entrepreneurship, while also creating a safe space for young people to heal from their trauma.
The 2022 winner, 17-year-old Igor Klymenko from Ukraine, completed his high school studies in a basement during the Russian invasion while refining a mine-detecting drone he’d worked on for eight years.
The inaugural 2021 winner, 21-year-old Jeremiah Thoronka from Sierra Leone, launched Optim Energy, a startup that converts vibrations from vehicles and pedestrian footfall on roads into electricity, benefiting 150 households and 15 schools.
Li Zhen, 20, a student in Selangor, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. For updates on the BRATs programme, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
