Through both scholarship and storytelling, one student is using learning and imagination to explore how we can build a more sustainable world.
Through both scholarship and storytelling, one student is using learning and imagination to explore how we can build a more sustainable world.
Phan Hoang Bao Anh (Sue Phan), a Grade 10 student, recently reached two meaningful milestones in her academic and creative development: her admission to the Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) program and the publication of her first book, A City for Us All – From Grey to Green. Though different in form, both reflect the same quiet commitment that has guided her work over the past several years: a belief that education, creativity, and thoughtful imagination can play a role in shaping a more sustainable and responsible world.
“For me, sustainability is not only about big policies or future technologies. It begins with how we learn to see the world around us. Writing my book and applying to YYGS were both ways of asking the same question: how can we design cities, systems, and choices so that people live not just more efficiently, but more responsibly with one another and with nature?”
Sue explained that her YYGS application was guided by the same spirit that inspired her book. A City for Us All – From Grey to Green invites young readers to rethink how cities are designed and lived in, encouraging them to notice the connections between daily choices, environmental responsibility, and long-term sustainability.
In a similar way, her YYGS application approached global challenges through an environmental lens, exploring how thoughtful policy, innovation, and community awareness can contribute to greener and more inclusive development. For Sue, both writing and applying were less about individual achievement and more about articulating a consistent set of values.
She shared that one of her long-term hopes is to live in a world where sustainability is not treated as an abstract concept, but as a shared responsibility embedded in everyday decisions. This outlook has informed not only her academic interests, but also her creative work and community engagement. Writing for children, she noted, was a deliberate choice. She believes that cultivating environmental awareness early can empower the next generation to think more critically about the spaces they inhabit and the futures they help shape.
Sue also took the opportunity to express her gratitude to the teachers and mentors who supported her along the way. She credited Mr. La Roi Williams, her English teacher, for nurturing her creative thinking and encouraging her to see writing as a tool for inquiry rather than performance. She noted that this perspective was particularly important when shaping reflective and authentic application essays. Sue also thanked Mr. Gus Marantos, the School Counselor, for his patient and strategic guidance throughout the YYGS application process, especially in helping her understand how to meet Yale’s academic expectations with clarity and integrity.
Reflecting on her experience, Sue emphasized her strong belief in the School’s well-established support system. She shared that the combination of academic rigor, creative freedom, and personalized guidance has been instrumental in helping students clarify their goals and pursue them with confidence. In her view, these structures do more than prepare students for applications. They help young people understand who they are, what they care about, and how they might contribute meaningfully to the world beyond school.
As Sue prepares for the next chapter of her learning path, she remains grounded in the same simple idea that first inspired her book. As she put it at the close of the interview, “I am still learning, but I hope that whatever I do next continues to reflect a sense of responsibility, curiosity, and care for the world we share.”
