YOUNG WONDERS

THEY ARE TALENTED, HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED, AND MAKING WAVES ON A GLOBAL SCALE. WE SPEAK TO THREE EXTRAORDINARY YOUTHS UNDER 21 ABOUT THEIR REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS IN ADVOCACY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND THE ARTS.

- CHERYL LAI-LIM & CHELSIA TAN

STRONG ADVOCATE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS AVA SOH, 17

Founder and designer of socially conscious fashion label Daughters of the Revolution

It’s not every day that a 16-yearold gets a mention from the leader of a nation on a world stage. When Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy made his virtual address at the Shangri-La Dialogue last June, he wore a T-shirt designed by St Joseph’s Institution International student Ava Soh, which featured an image of a girl wearing a traditional Ukrainian dress and spray-painting the Ukraine flag.

The graphic, which Ava created as a non-fungible token (NFT), was inspired by street artist and political activist Banksy. It was launched under her fashion label Daughters of The Revolution (DOTR) to raise funds for Ukraine’s war relief efforts.

“I wanted to do my part to aid Ukraine, and I was compelled to create an NFT after learning that the country was receiving funds by crypto,” she says. “With the design, I wanted it to be an empowering message to show that women can build the nation too.”

This design is one of four that Ava has created, and she intends to launch the other three in the coming months. Her hope is that, eventually, she will be able to build a collection around the spray-paint flag design to support different countries and women all around the world.

While she was encouraged by the wave of positive feedback that came after President Zelenskyy’s headlining appearance, there was also a slew of negative reactions.