The Best Devotion to School award winner unified fragmented school media teams, led major projects and revived a video series.
Darren Ng unified fragmented school media teams, led major projects, and revived a video series, showcasing leadership and problem-solving skills. Photo: HandoutWhen Darren Ng Cheuk-yin stepped into the role of project manager when he was in Form Two at Diocesan Boys’ School, he faced the daunting task of uniting three fragmented teams.
His first major challenge was managing the media team that covered the Hong Kong Inter-School Athletics Competition at Wan Chai Sports Ground.
“Every year, we’d have to start planning months in advance,” Darren said. “We needed to secure floor plans, figure out camera placements, and ensure that all technical set-ups complied with strict venue regulations.”
His responsibilities included renting equipment and ensuring safety protocols were followed. “It’s a lot of problem-solving, from ensuring cables do not trip anyone to figuring out how to livestream effectively in a venue without internet connectivity,” he said.
His meticulous preparation kept events running smoothly despite numerous logistical hurdles.
Darren first joined the school’s media team in Form One when he noticed each team operated independently. He said he saw considerable overlap in the work of the photography, audio and visual teams. He proposed a unified team structure, leading to the formation of what became the Diocesan Media Group.
“This way, we could better utilise resources and manpower,” he said. By Form Two, he was overseeing a group of 150 members. “A typical club structure with just a chairman, vice-chairman and secretary wasn’t sufficient for a group of this scale,” he noted.
A significant achievement was the revival of the video series “DBS Booster”.
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“After Covid-19, we wanted to reintroduce this series to foster a sense of community,” Darren shared. He partnered with the school’s Moral Education Group to produce episodes that showcased various aspects of school life, including a memorable Easter episode featuring senior teachers cooking together.
Outside school, Darren volunteers at Paws United Charity, a non-profit dog adoption centre. Starting as a volunteer in Form Four, he eventually became the organisation’s youngest duty manager.
“As a duty manager, I not only supervised volunteers but also handled visitor interactions and adoption procedures,” he said, highlighting the role’s demands on his organisational skills.
“As a leader, you need to have a clear vision but also be open to feedback from your peers,” he said. Reflecting on initial resistance to forming the Diocesan Media Group, he remarked, “Before making decisions, I consulted with other team leaders and stakeholders. That’s how we minimised conflicts.”
Academically, Darren’s focus has been instrumental to his success. “I concentrate fully during lessons, which makes revision more efficient later,” he explained.
His interest in consumer electronics began in childhood, inspired by watching Steve Jobs unveil the MacBook Air. “I want to contribute to the development of smarter consumer solutions and explore opportunities in areas like smart cities,” he said.
Now an 18-year-old studying Master of Engineering in Computing (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) at Imperial College London, Darren looks back on his experiences with gratitude.
His dedication earned him the Best Devotion to School award at the prestigious Student of the Year awards, organised by the South China Morning Post and solely sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
“I’m grateful for the recognition, but it’s the journey and the people I worked with that truly matter,” he said.