Every inch an ‘awesome’ kid

Remarkable feat: Jai secured his position as a finalist after just going through the preliminary and semifinal rounds.

LIKE Rowley Jefferson – a character from Jeff Kinney’s Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid – Jai Lim is keen on being a “good and positive kid who is always trying to do better”.

And the nine-year-old fan of Kinney’s works has shown himself to be just that through his participation in competitions such as the annual Olympiads.

Following his bronze medal win at the Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad last year, he took it up a notch this year by taking home the silver medal.

Recently, his endeavour saw him winning a spot at the World Finals of the Hippo English Language Olympiad to be held in Rome, Italy, from Sept 28 to 29.

He secured his position as a finalist after just going through the preliminary and semifinal rounds.

Two of his schoolmates at Sri KDU Primary School, Leong Haydee and Lim Yen Xi, will join him in competing in the “Little Hippo” category after having emerged as the top two winners in the regional qualifier round. The trio will be part of a 28-member contingent from Malaysia competing in their respective categories at the international English language competition that challenges students aged six to 19 from around the globe to prove their prowess in reading, listening, writing, speaking, and use of English.

Delighted to represent his school and Malaysia on the global stage, Jai credited his teachers, and Rowley – the best friend of Greg Heffley from Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid – with inspiring him to put his skills to the test.

“My teachers are always encouraging us to take part in external competitions to test our English proficiency,” he told StarEdu.

In preparation for the semifinals, the pupil who hails from Petaling Jaya, Selangor, said he worked on mock tests and watched educational videos provided by the Global Hippo Association to familiarise himself with the test format.

“There were some difficult questions I couldn’t answer so when the tests were over, I did some research so that if they came up again, I would know how to answer them,” he said.

With his sights set on winning the grand prize at the World Finals, Jai has been immersing himself in reading English language books and doing extra practice questions.

“I’ve also taken part in a storytelling competition at my school so that I can be more confident on stage,” he said, adding that he would be leaving for Rome earlier to adjust himself to the time difference, and to be prepared mentally for the challenge ahead.

For students to stand a chance in such competitions, Jai said it is important to inculcate a proactive mindset, as well as nurture a habit of reading.

“Keep trying and never give up. Practise speaking English with friends and family, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes because that’s how we learn.

“There are so many types of books for you to read. You are sure to find something that suits you. My favourite authors range from Kinney and Dav Pilkey to Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton,” he said.

This year, the Hippo English Language Olympiad drew the participation of 83,295 students from 63 countries, with over 11,800 students from Malaysia taking part – nearly double the number for the previous year. Around 215 students will be competing at the World Finals.

A joint initiative of the Global Hippo Association in Italy and Gatehouse Awards in the United Kingdom, the Olympiad aims to promote the importance of the English language, and serve as a platform for children from different countries to foster friendly relations and develop their international perspectives.

Sydney, 19, a student in Kuala Lumpur, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. To join Star-NiE’s online youth community, go to facebook.com/niebrats.