Articles

Interview with a Malaysian H&R Block Budget Winner in the US

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Jul 20, 2017

Earlier this year, a Malaysian teen Micah Bong, was among the five students named winners of the H&R Block Budget Challenge in the US.  The winners were selected from among 74,000 students participated in the program, and nearly 2,000 schools were participating throughout all 50 states.

SchoolAdvisor got in touch with Micah to ask him a few questions. Here's what he had to say!

1. Why was the decision made for you to go to the US for your high school?My family and I migrated to the US because I wanted to pursue a better career and educational opportunities and we just chose to settle down in Texas.2. What is it like studying in Texas?

I start school at 7:30am and finish at 2:45pm. Here in America we are given more freedom in choosing the courses and subjects that we want to take. However, there are core classes that we must take such as Math, English, a foreign language, social studies and Science. The school environment is very encouraging and one would always be motivated to climb higher, both academically and personally. I live in Houston together with my family. The students at my school are really friendly and accepting so as time passed, I did feel like a native US teen that fit in.

3. Where do you spend your free time after school? Are clubs and extracurricular activities encouraged?

Most of the time I would stay back after school for DECA activities. DECA is an international organization that basically prepares students for careers and education in marketing, finance, hospitality, management, and other business areas. Definitely, we as students are all often encouraged to pursue our passion and dreams to the fullest so we usually do enroll in clubs that best fit our interests.

4. In your opinion, what are the major differences between Malaysian and American schools?

In American schools, students are encouraged to freely express themselves, even if that means standing out and having a totally different opinion from society.  In short, the traditional individualistic culture of the west versus the collectivist culture of the east in which one is encouraged to conform to social norms and fit in.

5. What are some of the main considerations for high school students in the US when it comes to picking a university?

Some of the main factors are definitely the cost of attending the university, the university’s location, and opportunities such as internships and researches that the university can provide.

6. What are you plans for college? Why is that your choice?

I am planning to major in Management Information Systems and Business administration. I am not a hundred percent sure on what I am going to major in but I am definitely going to double major in a business field and technology field respectively. Business is my passion and I believe that being able to work with technology is an important skill that we all need to have in the future with the pace that technology is progressing at right now.

7. Are you considering working and living in the US once you graduate?I am just going to see where life takes me.

image via SugarLand.com

To end on a less serious note, we asked Micah a few fun, random questions.

8. If you could spend your scholarship money on a holiday, where would you go?

I would go to Paris, France. Because it is in Europe and it would be cool to explore a whole different continent.

9. What’s the best thing about your favourite president?

My favorite president is Abraham Lincoln. He freed the slaves by issuing the emancipation proclamation and thus made huge progress for the cause of social equality.

10. If Texas had its own superhero, who would it be?

Mark Cuban, he is currently residing in Dallas, Texas. He is a superhero because he redefined social norms by proving that you don’t need to be a straight A student to be successful in life. Also he is currently supporting the culture of entrepreneurship by investing in young entrepreneurs’ businesses, as shown in a popular TV show- Shark Tank.

 

See also: MALAYSIAN TEEN AMONG FIVE SELECTED AS WINNERS OF THE H&R BLOCK BUDGET CHALLENGE