When I entered Oxford University, I wasn't particularly interested in joining the rowing club. I just wanted to know what it is like to row in one of those narrow boats, so I signed up with the intention of quitting after the first session. At least that's what I thought.

Six months later, I found myself sitting in a rowing boat with three teammates, waiting for a 2000—meter race to start. In the boat alongside us sat a crew from the university's team, two of whom had won medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. My crew was only rowing at college—level and we had only trained a few times as a team, so facing such strong athletes was quite terrifying. I tried to focus my mind on the race, not on my opponents.

Go! We pushed off with all our might and rowed as fast as we could. As we reached the halfway mark, the other crew was ahead of us. But to my amazement we were gaining on them. If we could win the race, we would get through to the final! We pushed even harder, ignoring the pain in our legs and drawing energy from the cheers of our college friends. I could already sense the sweet taste of victory.

But then, disaster. One of my teammates lost control of his oar（桨）, knocking him nearly out of the boat. We came to a sudden stop, and watched as our opponents crossed the finishing line. It was the most disappointing moment in my life. I wanted to punch my teammate who had ruined everything and push him into the water. But when I saw how angry he was with himself, I gave him a hug.

Although we lost, I'm still proud of how well we did that day facing a much stronger team. What I remember now is the thrill of racing, not the pain of defeat.

Isatou Ceesay was born in 1972 in a small village in Gambia Africa. As a teenager, Ceesay was forced to drop out of school because of poverty. She carried some goods with many girls like her to sell in the market to raise herself. At that time, the plastic bags, being strong and light, became popular in Gambia. The problem was that people did not reuse the bags and simply threw them behind their homes. Over time, the houses were surrounded by trash.

Ceesay lived in such an environment for many years. She kept learning from the surrounding environment and planned to take action to change. In 1997, she started a recycling movement called One Plastic Bag in Gambia. She educated women in Gambia to recycle plastic waste into income for themselves. In the beginning, the movement had a mission to educate their village colleagues about the need to reuse garbage and recycle plastic waste, rather than letting the garbage increase behind their homes.

Over time, the movement became big and able to support and provide income for women around. It was also able to greatly reduce plastic waste in Gambia. But the work of collecting trash turned to be taxing. During the rainy season, plastic waste became wet and difficult to take, and after that it still took patience to dry it before it could be processed.

Ceesay said, “As a habit, people are used to pouring their garbage behind their houses, and because it is not visible, they forget it. But the bad effects again knock on your door very quickly-dirty air, various diseases and so on. Of course, if one man’s house is clean but his neighbor’s is not, then the man is also not healthy.”

For 17 years, Ceesay has contributed to one of the most important problems about the plastic waste. In 2012, she got the TIAW Difference Maker Award in Washington, D.C., United States. Her story was written into a book, which inspires many others to join or become makers of change in their own communities.

After university in 2011, Samuel went to a rural primary school for native children, where, on his first day, another teacher told him, "Samuel, you don't have to do much, they're just Orang Asli-native children." This was what Samuel would spend years fighting against.

The Orang Asli community has struggled with poverty, melting into society, and losing their own identity and culture due to others' disregard (漠视，不尊重) of it. Samuel saw that the main barrier in teaching these children was the attitude on the part of many teachers that the native children were not worth their efforts. It was thought that whatever was taught would make no difference, so nobody bothered to try. The children themselves ended up believing these stigmas (污名), often doubting what they can achieve. Teachers skipped or slept in classes, and little effort was made to create an appropriate learning environment. Consequently, the school was one of the worst-performing in the district.

Samuel bonded with his native students and accepted their culture, leading him to see their potential. However, he also came to see that they did not have equal opportunities compared to urban schools, due to the lack of facilities. So he set up a crowdfunding project to create a fully equipped 21st-century English classroom with tablets and computers. The Orang Asli children now learn technology, experience English and communicate in English with volunteers all over Malaysia and overseas.

Consequently, the students have improved in national standardized examinations, from a pass rate of 30% in English (2008-2012) to an average of 80% (2013-2017). These efforts have resulted in a shift of what local children are considered capable of academically.