It’s always inspiring when you hear about locals not forgetting their roots whenever they achieve international awards.
Which is the case for this amazing student from Kuala Lumpur!
Recently, we got the chance to interview Wong Chun Shen, a 23-year-old Malaysian that placed second at the Rotman International Trading Competition (RITC) 2019 held in Toronto, Canada. This is his inspiring story.
Source: Wong Chun Shen
The RITC is held annually and is the largest trading competition in the world as mentioned on their website. Each year, teams are invited from all around the world to participate in various activities such as electronic and outcry trading cases, seminars, and algorithmic trading. This year, RITC 2019 was held from the 21st to 23rd of February.
Chun Shen, who is an alumnus from Methodist Boys Secondary School (MBSS), KL, participated in the competition with his team that represented the City University of Hong Kong, China. He is an undergraduate student that majored in Science in Computational Finance and also minored in Computer Science and Mathematics.
Source: Facebook
In the interview, Chun Shen shared with WORLD OF BUZZ how proud he felt when his team was announced as the runner up of the competition. He also expressed how proud he felt being the only Malaysian standing on the international stage of RITC 2019. He said,
“I was so happy when they announced that my team got second place in the algorithmic trading case.”
“There was this great sense of achievement as I was the only student who wasn’t from China to compete on behalf of my university. Probably the only Malaysian in the competition.”
“I am also proud to be a Malaysian that was not only able to stay on par with the rest of the world, but to be even better than some of them.”
Chun Shen also shared with us about how hard it was to prepare for such a nerve-wracking competition as he had to face competitors from prestigious universities all over the world.
“As I was facing the top universities and ivy leagues across the world, a certain level of pressure did really pound on me.”
“In the midst of the preparation, I was constantly trying to get better results as I know I needed more to be on top. That’s when I decided to devote all of my time to the competition by researching trading methods, practising and improvising.”
“The majority of students participating were either doing their Masters degree or even higher. Even though I was only an undergraduate student, I kept telling myself that it wasn’t about the degree or paper I held, rather, it was the skill and experience that I have earned,” he said referring to a quantitative trading internship he went through in Hong Kong.
Source: Wong Chun Shen
However, there is a lot more to his story than just his unbelievable talent and knowledge. Just like many successful people, Chun Shen admitted that his success was also due to the endless amount of support he received from his family and friends. He said,
“My family gave me a lot of moral support. My mother would always tell me not to be too stressed and that no matter what results I get, she will always be proud of me.”
“She told me right before the competition, ‘Show the world what you are made of’. That became my greatest motivation to reach the top.”
Source: Wong Chun Shen
In his latest Facebook post, Chun Shen left an inspiring reminder to everyone who was still working hard, reminding them to never give up and to persevere through obstacles. He wrote,
“To those who are still struggling through your life, don’t give up! Your hard work will definitely reward you with something great. It is just a matter of timing. I look forward to seeing other hardworking people sharing some good news in the future.”
We’re very proud of Wong Chun Shen for his astonishing achievement in the Rotman International Trading Competition 2019! We hope that everyone reading this would be inspired by his story and work hard to showcase how talented we Malaysians truly are.
Also read: 11 Inspiring Malaysians that Made it into Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 List!
