It’s not knighthood, but Mark Cheng’s definitely chuffed nonetheless.
The 28-year-old environmentalist just made history as the first Singaporean to win the Queen’s Young Leaders Award — a prestigious conferral given out to people aged 18-29 across the Commonwealth who’ve taken the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives.
Cheng was one of the 60 people chosen for the award this year out of the over 2,000 who applied, reported The Straits Times. He got to collect his award from Her Majesty The Queen herself last week in a fittingly royal gala with the likes of David Beckham and Sir Lenny Henry in attendance.
Cheng’s numerous noble pursuits for the environment and community have garnered him significant attention ever since he was a wee lad. As a Secondary Two student back in 2001, he launched Green Xchange, an initiative that collected recyclables from elderly residents of one-room flats to be exchanged for foodstuffs such as rice.
He also co-founded Avelife, a non-governmental organisation involved in government-backed projects that promote environmental causes among the community.
