I'm Ella, and I'm from a lot of wonderful places. Born in Singapore, raised in a sleepy coastal town within Thailand, though originally from Ireland, I'm never quite sure how to directly answer the question “Where are you from?” As I've gotten older, the concept of a home country has only gotten farther away. Home is not so much a place, but a warm feeling of stability, that familiar blend of coffee, the sound of someone you care about shamelessly ugly-laughing. It's through living over the past year in the vibrant and international city that is Shanghai, meeting friends that feel like family, and now with my little sister Iris also studying at AEBS - I feel I can finally begin to attach the word ‘home’ to a geographic place.
Ever since I was young, I've loved to read and write. In the back of my classes, in the car, and outside during recess - I fell in love with other people's worlds and the ability to borrow from their creations in writing my own. Although our world is now shaped by technology, and time is often passed scrolling through posts and TikTok, I still personally think the most powerful medium of communication is in the form of a paperback book.
I grew up intertwined with our natural world by living close to the sea and always seeing wild animals roaming about the roads on the way to school every morning. ‘Wildlife’ was normal life, a natural life synonymous with being our normal life. Through learning more about sustainability through volunteering and attending conventions and talks in Shanghai, I'm certain about two things 1) As young people, the change for a more sustainable future begins with us. 2) With small actions, you can begin to change the world around you.
Now that I'm older, that love for stories has morphed itself into a professional interest in communication in all its capacities. Be it doing WeChat articles, LinkedIn posts, interviewing guests for a sustainable podcast, I'm a part of called ‘EcoSparks’ or platforming awesome students on the ‘Rising Young Talents’ webinar I organize with Nichola - I don't only feel anything can be turned into a story, but undoubtedly everyone has a story that is worth sharing.
Shanghai has begun to feel like home, and as each week passes it feels like another turning chapter of growth and learning. With the genuinely lovely people and organizations I have worked and learned so much from, with some of my classmates that now occupy little parts of my heart, with the communities I have grown in - I am so excited to experience life post-AEBS (considering how great it is now - it can only get better!)
To whoever is reading and where your story currently taking you, I'd love to leave you with a quote I can never be reminded of too much. In times when we busy ourselves with school work, and internships, and face outside pressures, it is good to be reminded that: “Life is coming from you, not at you.” You are the writer of your own stories and dictate the direction life takes you, and with that mindset, I reckon we can all go pretty far!