Endowment Society Projects
is pleased to announce the 2026
Dual Excellence Teenage Superstars!
FIRST PLACE: Jessica Lu
DISCIPLINES: Piano and Wushu
In the summer I was able to achieve my ARCT in piano performance. This exam had long been a significant goal for me, marking the culmination of my piano experiences and learning. Through many years of lessons and practice, I gradually developed my technique, musicality, and most notably, a love for the piano and music. I am very grateful to have received thoughtful teaching that shaped this dedication and inspired me to work towards this goal, ultimately allowing me to be successful and instilling a love for music in me.
Participating in Wushu and Taichi has taught me what it truly means to dedicate yourself to a discipline and what it means to give it your all on the competition mat. I have developed my strength, endurance, and flexibility through hours of training and regular practice. I have also improved my confidence and stability by performing around the city. I have competed and won awards at the National Championships and Can-am International Championships. I want to continue to push myself and continue to compete.
In this discipline I have also learned the value in being part of a community where there is constant support and encouragement, and where there are individuals that inspire me to be dedicated and disciplined. I am happy to be able to partake in these two disciplines and for the opportunity to apply for this award.
SECOND PLACE: Aiden Wong
DISCLIPLINES: Violin and Badminton
From a young age, musical values always sparked my interest, as I was later introduced to musical instruments such as the violin and piano. I was fortunate to be placed in childhood music program, Kodaly program, which
helped me develop a musical sense. At the age of seven, I started taking violin lessons, later joining the Amici Strings Program. Currently, I am still an active member of this program, as it has helped me work in an ensemble through chamber music. I am also a member of the Calgary Youth Orchestra.
Outside of my musical activities, badminton has also been an important part of my life. Training 3-4 times a week at a competitive level has influenced me to face troubles under pressure and to make decisions on the go. The commitment I made to this sport, most importantly, taught me to focus on a specific goal and to not get distracted along the way. This also pushed myself forward to not only perform well in a certain activity, but to keep a balanced lifestyle with school, music, and physical activity.
My dedication to these activities has been evident from 2024-2025, as I have accomplished RCM level 10 violin exam, RCM level 10 Music History, and ARCT Keyboard Harmony. And my growth in badminton has been shown through the intensity and commitment, eventually getting to compete in provincial-level tournaments.
With these “hobbies”, I have also learnt how to use aspects from one activity to another. For example, I understood how you can find your own rhythm while playing badminton. These teachings and morals learnt from each aspect have developed and improved me: striving to be a better version of myself every day.
THIRD PLACE: Anjali Datta
DISCIPLINES: Speech Arts and Water Lifesaving
This year I performed at the Royal Conservatory National Celebration of Excellence as a Gold medalist for Grade 9 Speech Arts. The nerves that hit me as I walked up to the stage felt exactly the same as they did before my first ever practical exam, completed over zoom as a sixth grader during the pandemic. Although public speaking feels no less daunting, I can now confidently say that I am a very different person than the scared little girl who used to cry before every performance. Speech Arts has challenged me, and with every opportunity to improve at my discipline, my confidence has increased. If I can recite Shakespeare in front of a hundred people, then I can just as easily present my final biology project to my class.
I was also not a natural swimmer. In fact, I failed Salamander 5 times! In the same way that I didn’t just become a natural performer over night, learning a new technique in the pool required discipline and practice. The habits and skills learned through Speech Arts have also allowed me to excel in the water as a competitive lifesaving swimmer. At a height of five foot nothing, I don’t exactly intimidate the other swimmers in my heats. Being smaller than my competition, means training harder, longer and better, similarly to overcoming my shy disposition in Speech Arts. Any level of competitive sport requires quick-thinking, reflexes and dedication, but most importantly, resilience under pressure. By forcing myself to perform under stress in both speech arts and swimming, I have learned how to adapt, manage my nerves and communicate confidently. Both speech arts and swimming have allowed me to grow and without either of them I wouldn’t be the athlete or the performer that I am today.
HONOURABLE MENTION: Max Chen
DISCIPLINES: Piano and Karate
My passion for piano stems from the sense of musicality formed by my early introduction to piano at the age of five and my consistent commitment to it. Under the guidance of my teacher and parents, I earned my RCM Level 8 with First Class Honours certificate in 2025. In addition, learning music theory and combining it with the inspiration of life with love, I composed multiple pieces and participated in the ARMTA student composer competitions for four consecutive years. After receiving honourable mentions for 3 years, I was honoured to receive the 2nd place award in 2025. Also, I have learned to play piano not only from music sheets, but also by ear and improvisation, allowing me to create melodies and arrange harmonies. I share this skill with others through volunteering. Every two weeks, I perform a repertoire of 12 new pieces for senior residents and every time, I am greeted with smiles that remind me of how music brings us together and why I choose to play.
In addition to advancing skills in piano, I also train hard in the sport of Karate and aim to improve myself in every training. I have been practicing Karate since I was seven and joined the high-level competitive stream in 2023, training 15+ hours a week and participating in tournaments.
In 2025, I attained silver medal in Karate Alberta Provincial Tournament and became a member of the provincial team for the 2nd consecutive year. I represented Alberta in the 2025 Karate Canada National Championships
and recently represented Canada at the 59th Wado-Kai National Championships and the 2025 Wado-Kai International Cup in Japan. In a division of 23 athletes, I was able to attain 5th place in the International Cup.
HONOURABLE MENTION: Megan Fisher
DISCIPLINES: Piano, Voice and Dance
Dancing and singing are more than just passions for me. From a young age, I was drawn to the movement and melody of my body and over the years, I have put in countless hours to make myself grow.
Dance has taught me to be persistent when things become difficult. Whether I’m rehearsing my routine or learning a new skill, I understand that progress can take time and repetition. In every class, I set goals for myself, even if it’s one more rotation in my pirouette or getting my leg 3 inches higher in my leg lift. These little goals I set can help me grow. Dance has also given me the confidence to express myself through my body when words cannot.
Singing and piano, on the other hand, has helped me develop ways of storytelling an emotion. I love being able to tell the story through lyrics and sound. Singing has helped push me out of my comfort zone and has helped me find my voice. I try to connect to the message of each song and deliver that emotion to the audience.
Through both of these disciplines (music and dance), I’ve learned to be patient and to take baby steps, because everyday is different. Some days might be more difficult for me than others, but I always to give my 100% in what I do so that I can continue to grow.
HONOURABLE MENTION: Arwen Au-Yeung
DISCIPLINES: Piano, Violin and Orchestra/Wind Ensemble
I have been playing piano since I was 5 years old and violin since I was 6. Though I did take a short break from these instruments for a couple of years, exploring them more as I was older made me love to play them even more. Over the years I have enjoyed working through the RCM levels as well as doing other projects and pieces not related to RCM. My sister does voice lessons and we sometimes will do duets where I am either her accompaniment on the piano or playing the main melody with her on the violin. With piano specifically I have worked on a number of compositions which contribute to a series based off of the seasons. So far I have completed A Fall Day, When Summer Comes, and The spring Rain. Playing these instruments, especially the violin are definitely a challenge for me but the challenge only makes the results so much more rewarding. For example, when I finish a performance and I was able to play a piece from memory, or the feeling after I finished an exam after preparing for months.
I have also been doing orchestras with Ms.Phoebe Chan since I was in grade 5. Though I started playing violin 4 over the years I ended up switching to playing Clarinet 1 in the orchestra instead. CYWCE was every Monday for two hours in the evening and was similar to an honour band. We did have to try out for it and the pieces we played were a higher grade level than I usually had in my regular high school band. It took a lot of practice and on top of the regular wind ensemble there was also an additional
orchestra which I also played in on Sunday afternoons.