Young people from seven different nations shared their inspirational tales during the 5th annual MonStar Awards Grand Finale, making it a night to remember. The awards ceremony was held in Panggung Bandaraya on 26 November, and the audience waited eagerly for the highlight of the show — the Top 10 Young Talents announcements.
Selected from among 900 nominees from 26 communities and campus partners in seven countries, the top 10 are the creme of the crop for this year. One of them is Christine Choo from Malaysia, with her submission story titled, Young Active Citizen.
Her story is an inspiration to those who felt lost during the pandemic and is a siren call for other young women out there that there’s plenty that can be and needs to be done to make Malaysia better.
Answering the right call
Christine, who was confined to her home due to a quarantine order, saw this time as an opportunity to step out of her comfort zone. She dabbled in various fields where she succeeded in some and failed in others. Despite that, her determination to grow and never give up was fruitful, as she is now on the board of directors of two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) — the Apex Club of Penang and Junior Chamber International.
Ultimately, Christine believes that service to humanity is the best work of life. This is evident in the various community projects she is involved in, such as the MoonCare Community Project which provided 100 groceries sets and mooncakes to 100 B40 families to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Regain with Dignity and Survive with Dignity projects where B40 families received 100 meals daily for 46 days during COVID-19.
The bigger picture
Moreover, Christine is seen as a positive influence on her friends. She arranged a Private Business Networking Session for her peers to obtain entrepreneurship advice. She is also part of other major business projects such as:
- Moderator of JCI United Penang 2nd RiseUP Young Entrepreneurs with one of the fast-growing property developers in Penang (Asia Green Group)
- Emcee of Malaysia Book of Records Financial Freedom Mindset 3.0
- Emcee of JCI Malaysia Sustainable Development Awards Sharing Session
Christine is a strong advocate for social entrepreneurship which is grounded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These goals are a road map to global peace and prosperity. Most recently, her transformative solution placed second in a Youth Entrepreneur challenge. Her plan is meant to address both SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
Other major achievements include 1st runner-up in Youth Entrepreneur Challenge 3.0 by Penang Youth Development Corporation, 2nd runner-up in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation App Challenge, and 2nd runner-up in iSpark International Pitching Competition (IIPC).
Suffice to say, Malaysia needs more strong young leads like Christine. With youths like her taking the reins, we can only see a brighter and kinder future for our beloved country. And when they’re young women like Christine, the future really is female.
Check out Christine’s submission story here.
The Top 10 Young Talents list can be found here.
Monsta Asia
Christine Choo
