Two young Malaysians made our country proud recently after being named recipients of the 2023 Diana Award.
The award, established in memory of Princess of Wales, Diana, is given out to the most inspirational young people from across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Specifically, the award recipients are youth aged 9 to 25 for going above and beyond in their lives to create and sustain positive change and for their social actions or humanitarian works.
In the 2023 Diana Award Roll of Honour, two Malaysians were bestowed with the recognition, 25-year-old Nehemiah Aaron Nathan and 19-year-old Max Han.
Nehemiah Aaron Nathan
Nehemiah is a Tunku scholar studying Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) and received the award for co-founding ‘The EduLab’, a social enterprise aiming to improve English proficiency among Malaysian students, especially in the B40 community.
The EduLab developed the ‘Zing! English Card Game’, using a game-based learning approach to help children stay engaged with learning English.
The Diana Award lauded the enterprise’s tangible impact, asserting that over 850 children from 15 government primary schools – including Chinese schools, Tamil schools, and 6 tuition centres within the Klang Valley – are benefiting from the programme and experiencing great gains in their English literacy.
In fact, the initiative has garnered recognition from esteemed organisations like McKinsey and Co and the U.S. Department of State.
Max Han
Meanwhile, Max Han is a Yale student and co-founded the non-profit ‘Youths United for Earth’ (YUFE) which mobilises Malaysians nationwide for environmental action through storytelling, grassroots projects, and policy advocacy.
Living in regions affected by climate change, the non-profit aims to highlight Southeast Asian environmentalism internationally.
The Diana Award said that Max has led over 70 youths in spearheading campaigns that have reached 30,000 Malaysians and also launched Malaysia’s largest sustainability mentorship programme that connects undergraduates with environmental leaders globally, resulting in internships, jobs, and eco-startups.
Max has also advocated for environmental justice and environmental defenders’ rights in Southeast Asia through ASEAN and the UN.
Awesome! Congratulations to both Nehemiah and Max for their exceptional humanitarian works and let’s hope that the Diana Award 2023 would further invigorate their passion for their respective goals <3
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