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“Bro, why are you doing that if you don’t get paid?” I’ve been told the same thing over and over throughout my time in high school. Sometimes, I get criticized for it. And most of the time, I was too afraid to explain why.

But it honestly never felt like work. Every project, every event, every little thing I poured my time into was never about $$ or recognition — it was about people. The most meaningful things are the ones you give freely: your time, your heart, your effort, and your dedication. Those are what last long after you leave. Ultimately, the growth we gain from our experiences and the lessons we learn shows the power of being curious and willing to try - and are far more valuable for our future careers than any paycheck ever could.

Taking photos and videos for events. Running Badminton socials and managing teams. Committing to endless hours of rehearsals for productions and gigs. Yes, they were unpaid – but the success, the impact, and the joy I helped create? That defines true success.

Thank you to my peers, friends, family, colleagues, mentors and teachers who never doubted me and my decisions along the way throughout my school journey. For constantly supporting, inspiring, and challenging me through every journey. Every interaction, every late night, and every shared memory over the past 13 years has shaped who I am today.

- Daniel Ng, 2025 🫶🎓 

Over the weekend, my photograph “Cold Air and Warm Bonds” was exhibited at the 2025 Youth Pop-Up Gallery, hosted by Howick Youth Council at Ormiston Town Centre. The gallery celebrated the creativity of young artists from East Auckland.

I’m honoured that my work received the People’s Choice Award and was also named runner-up in the overall judging!

Thank you so much to the team at HYC for introducing these opportunities to our community 🫶🙏

Last Wednesday marked the end of Ormiston Junior College (OJC)'s Competitive Badminton Season of 2025. As a student volunteer coach and manager, it’s been a privilege to lead, support, and grow alongside this incredible group of players.

This year has been one of the most successful and inspiring seasons yet for OJC Badminton — filled with growth, achievement, and the kind of teamwork that turns a sports team into a family. Regardless of facing both humbling losses and great wins, seeing our players’ game faces on, their sportsmanship, and the dedication they showed on court was truly something special — and that’s what makes us so proud.

With the introduction of the Premier A/B Grade Team and podium finishes across nearly every competition, our players pushed themselves further than ever before!

• 🥇 A Grade Girls Singles (Counties Manukau)

• 🥉 A Grade Mixed Doubles (Counties Manukau)

• 🥈 A/B Clash of the Smash (Girls Division)

• 🥈 C Grade Season, Counties Manukau

• 🥇 C/D Clash of the Smash (Boys Division)

2025 was not just about being a “sports team” — it was about being a well-connected family, who turned this sport into a home. The way our players supported one another and lifted each other higher no matter what — Proving that the strongest victories are the bonds that are built. That kind of bond is rare, and it’s what made this year of Badminton so truly unforgettable and inspirational.

It was a privilege to lead and guide this team through what was truly our best year yet. Here’s to building on this momentum and making 2026 even greater! 

Organised and led an EOTC trip last Thursday to the Auckland Zoo with seven of our most dedicated learners from the Ormiston Junior College Media and Sports Photography (extra-curricular) teams.

This experience gave our learners the opportunity to step beyond the usual internal school events and sporting tournaments, and instead explore the wider possibilities the photography world has to offer in a new and unfamiliar environment. They not only strengthened their technical and composition skills, but also provided a unique, hands-on opportunity to express creativity within the Arts.

Throughout the day, we saw just how capable these learners are — it was truly impressive! Soon they will be to exploring Lightroom, play around and tweak their stills, and submit one or two shots to Auckland Zoo’s #ZooSnaps monthly photo competition.

We later visited Te Mahurehure Marae to admire the unique architectural design of the Taumata o Kupe Marae, before heading to the Auckland War Memorial Museum to explore its exhibitions — offering yet another opportunity for our learners to broaden their photography practice and build their portfolios.

It was rewarding to see their curiosity and dedication as they made the most of the experience, exploring passions that we have in common. 

Represented Ormiston Senior College by assisting with Lighting, Sound, and AV for the Korean Positive Ageing Charitable Trust’s 80th Anniversary of Korean Liberation – Commemorative Concert, hosted in our school auditorium.

It was a full house with an amazing audience — I absolutely enjoy being immersed in different cultures while contributing to such a meaningful event in the events and entertainment space!

Thank you so much Yongrahn Park and Ormiston Senior College for offering such opportunities like these. 

Represented Ormiston Senior College by assisting with Lighting, Sound, and AV for the Korean Positive Ageing Charitable Trust’s 80th Anniversary of Korean Liberation – Commemorative Concert, hosted in our school auditorium.

It was a full house with an amazing audience — I absolutely enjoy being immersed in different cultures while contributing to such a meaningful event in the events and entertainment space!

Thank you so much Yongrahn Park and Ormiston Senior College for offering such opportunities like these. 

At the start of 2024, I was given the opportunity to coordinate and manage Badminton at Ormiston Junior College. What started as ONLY having a small team of 6-8 players from 2021 to 2023 has now grown into a powersport of 370+ learners involved across multiple badminton opportunities — from the OJC Badminton Teams, to Social Badminton, and the Internal Doubles Tournament, 1.5 years later into this role, it’s been a humbling yet incredibly rewarding journey.

Some highlights so far include:

• Running weekly before and after school Social Badminton sessions with over 200 learners engaged in 2025 alone...

• Planned and ran an in-house Doubles Tournament to give learners a competitive and social space to play. After strong interest in 2024, the tournament is making a return in 2025!

• Organized the annual Badminton team trials at the beginning of the year, that grew from around 90 trialists in 2024 to 160+ trialists in 2025 - which resulted in needing x4 separate days to get through all trialists!

• Coaching, managing and building relationships within the OJC Badminton Teams, supporting the development of our players through both wins and humbling losses. So far this year, we've won First and Second place for two of our tournaments. Looking forward to the upcoming ones in Term 3!

Taking on this role has taught me a lot about the sport and recreation space. It’s something I’m genuinely proud to be a part of — and seeing the commitment and dedication these learners bring to the sport, is what motivates me to keep going. Being an ex-student, these things weren’t offered to us back then. So it feels great to now be the person opening these opportunities to these learners. Seeing them enjoy themselves, grow in confidence and have fun through Badminton is what makes it all worth it. 

Just wrapped up Ormiston Senior College's 2025 musical; "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" last weekend!

I had the amazing opportunity to be Technical Director for the show — leading the lighting, sound, and stage teams, adding the final touches to the set, and showcalling during each performance. From back-to-back late-night rehearsals to last-minute sound issues, it’s been a wild but incredible journey.

Huge thank you to the director Jocelyn Scott for allowing me to take on this opportunity. None of it would’ve been possible without an awesome team (both students and staff) at OSC and I'm extremely grateful and proud of everyone for their part that was put into this musical.

The energy on and offstage was something special on the closing night... Shoutout to the cast, crew, staff, and those who came along to watch and support the show!!! 

As part of both Auckland Live and Ormiston Junior College, we were able to invite around 50 year 7 - 9 students to see backstage of Tāmaki Makaurau's most iconic and largest performing arts venues – The Civic, Auckland Town Hall and Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre.

Thank you to the technical team at Auckland Live for delivering this memorable, historical and authentic backstage tour to these dedicated learners (and staff) of OJC! 

Earlier this year, I was given the job to produce Ormiston Junior College (OJC)'s video application for the Apple Distinguished Schools programme.

I worked with a group of dedicated learners who helped capture footage and select interviewees to discuss how Apple technologies is utilised for learning at OJC. Within a couple of weeks, we were able to produce a 1-minute video application – which turned out to be a success!

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa7TxqS7Y_8

Ormiston Junior College is now officially an Apple Distinguished School (2024 - 2027)!