In thrilling news, YCIS Shanghai Puxi alumnus Zakea Page (Class of 2017) has been announced as the winner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s medal design competition for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020.

Zakea’s winning design, entitled "Beauty in Diversity", was selected by a panel of judges from among nearly 300 entries from 60 nations. His design will be cast in the form of gold, silver, and bronze medals for the Winter Youth Olympic Games, which will be held in Switzerland in January 2020. Zakea will attend the Games, including the Opening Ceremony, and will witness first-hand the athletes being awarded the medals featuring his design. In addition, he will receive his own set of medals.

The 20-year-old, who graduated from YCIS Puxi Secondary, is now a creative media student at Massey University in his home country of New Zealand. He has combined his love for art and hockey into an incredible work of performance art, coating a ball in ink and using his stick to create art, integrating sporting equipment into his artist's toolkit. His next dream is to perform his live performance art with his painting at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

Zakea explained the background of his design, saying “It was inspired by Maya Angelou’s quote, ‘In diversity there is beauty’. This is fitting because the Youth Olympic Games are not only a celebration of human excellence but also of culture and humanity. The spiral represents a culture of respect, friendship, and excellence as young athletes gather at the Youth Olympic Games to celebrate their success. The spiral also celebrates the journey of hard work and dedication made by each individual athlete. These journeys are specific to each athlete, but they all lead to the Youth Olympic Games, where the athletes will compete and showcase their abilities.”

During his visit to campus, Zakea looked back fondly of his time at the school and shared that the highlights of his time at YCIS were the people that he met, the long-lasting friendships that he made, and the myriad of opportunities that YCIS provided for him.

According to Ms Isabel Xu, Co-Principal of YCIS Shanghai Puxi, “Zakea’s passion and talent for art are amazing! We were absolutely delighted when he joined YCIS Puxi because of the Arts department. He is now not only pursuing the art career he dreamed of, but he’s also doing it at such a high level! We are thrilled that his studies in our IB programme helped him to realise his dream. Personally, I am very happy to hear the news of his success, and to have witnessed his transformation from a gifted student to becoming an award-winning artist.”

YCIS Puxi Secondary Art & Design Teacher, Mr Regimon Augustine, who taught Zakea during his time at the school, said that he is also exceptionally proud of his talented former student, stating, “Everyone at YCIS Puxi Secondary is so proud of Zakea and his achievement. He is a fully-fledged artist, full of creativity. It was clear when he studied in my class that he was especially talented and that he possessed a creative outlook and was very forward-thinking, drawing inspiration on the latest, modern trends in art and design. His medal design was definitely the worthiest winner.”

Of this time at YCIS Shanghai Puxi, Zakea said that he wholehearted recommends the school to other students, stating, “YCIS Puxi is a place where you learn and you grow. The teachers and people at the school are phenomenal, and it’s a fantastic and safe place in which to be challenged. YCIS is a wonderful environment from which I have really benefited.”

Zakea’s visit served as a fantastic illustration of the enormously positive impact a YCIS education has on shaping the exciting career and life paths of our alumni. We warmly congratulate Zakea on his win and look forward to his future visits to campus!