Behind the sharp blazer and the cut-edge tie, lies the man who stands at the pinnacle of success. Weiyi Jiang. Weiyi is a man with many labels. He is a Prefect and Academic Honours recipient who inspires all. At home, he is a brother and a son who is loving, who strives to help out his loved ones, but behind all the layers of this life, who truly is Weiyi Jiang? Well, he is a person like us, ordinary, but unique.

Born on the 30th of October 2006, Weiyi was brought up by parents Chengyang Jiang and Xiaoyou Fu in Fuzhou, China. Weiyi lived in China until the age of four, where he then moved to Hamilton, New Zealand. Weiyi’s dad Chengyang still lives in China as an engineer, but his mother Xiaoyou Fu lives with Weiyi along with his two sisters in New Zealand. Weiyi’s mother doesn’t work anymore, but when she lived in China, Weiyi’s mother was a Doctor. While living in New Zealand, Weiyi's sisters, Zhixing Fu (10) and Jane Jiang (7), were born. Starting school was said to be difficult for Weiyi, with him saying, “When I first moved to New Zealand I didn’t know any English, so it was hard for me to make friends or learn. I had to learn English on my own. It wasn’t until intermediate where I enjoyed myself as I knew English and could make friends.”

After attending Maeroa intermediate, Weiyi didn’t get a choice in which high school he would attend, instead his father chose for him. Weiyi stated, “ My father chose which high school I would go to, and he chose HBHS.” Weiyi said that even though he didn’t choose which high school he would go to, he feels like it was the best decision for him, as it allowed him to meet so many amazing people. While at HBHS, Weiyi stated that there were so many great overwhelming opportunities, and although he didn’t participate in sports, he had a different passion; academics. Weiyi currently takes Mathematics, English, and triple sciences, all at Scholarship level. By pursuing his academic dreams, Weiyi was able to achieve many goals such as getting top in Year 11 academically. Weiyi had told us that when getting top in Year 11 it felt earned as he put in effort by studying two hours a day and by focusing in class.

The present is one thing, but the future is another. Currently, Weiyi aspires to be like his dad and become an engineer. He feels that his way of doing so is by attending university, studying Engineering along with Science, and building a foundation that can help him prepare for later in life. The one thing that helps Weiyi, and will continue to help in his future, is a driving force that is formed by the guidance of his parents, the wisdom of his teachers, the kindness of his peers, and the hidden values bestowed upon him by his sisters.

Weiyi Jiang is a student, a son, a brother, but most of all, he is himself. He continues to live as this great man day by day, showing his individuality through all his hardships. He continues to inspire us all. As Weiyi once said, “I had never wanted to be a Prefect, I thought they were scary, hard to talk to, but once you really get to know them they are really cool and inspirational. When I found out what they were actually like, I too wanted to be like them, to help in my own way.”