Introduction and Context
Hi, my name is Su April Aung, but I usually go by Su. I’m originally from Yangon, Myanmar, but I’ve been to a number of schools throughout my academic journey so far. Most recently, I graduated from Prem International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where I completed the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
A little exploration
I’ve been strong in academics since a really young age, but I didn’t know what to do with such skills and knowledge until around the end of my sophomore year of high school. My parents are both doctors; naturally, I was initially inclined to follow that path. Yet, after exploring different subject styles in more depth during my IGCSEs, I came to the conclusion that I was far more passionate about the social sciences, humanities, and the law. Coming from a family where almost every single person went to medical school, this wasn’t what people expected. Regardless, this branch of academia has stuck with me since.
Academic performance
During 9th and 10th grade, I followed a British-patterned curriculum and received 10 A*s across all 10 subjects I had taken in my IGCSE examinations. Interestingly enough, I had to self-study 2 of the aforementioned 10 as our school only allowed us to take a maximum of 8 subjects to fit our timetables.
After sophomore year, I decided to pursue the IB Diploma Programme as its high interconnectedness and nuance resonated with my learning style and strengths. I took 3 HLs (Economics, Mathematics Analysis and Approaches, Global Politics) and 3 SLs (Biology, English Language and Literature, Spanish Ab Initio). In the end, I received a score of 42, so I’m really content with how I ended my high school career.
Aside from official curricula at school, I took a number of standardized tests to push my application even further. I took the SAT in March of 2025, where I scored a 1540 (800 in Math and a 740 in Reading and Writing). My IELTS score was an 8.5 (Listening 9, Reading 9, Writing 7.5, Speaking 9). I also engaged in numerous academic contests and programmes consistently during all four years of high school.
Awards
My awards were nothing crazy at all; I leveraged the opportunities I had and tried to maximize my effort in each and everything I partook in.
Within school, I’ve received the Academic Award for attaining the highest semester GPA among my class cohort during the IB Program as well as several Subject Excellence Awards during my IGCSE years (these are given to a single student in the class with the highest overall percentage in each subject). Later, I was also awarded a Distinction by the University of Cambridge as part of their International Certificate of Education in recognition of my final examination results.
I was the Individual Overall Champion Scholar during the Regional Rounds of the World Scholars’ Cup and also ranked first in the debate category among 700+ participating students. To enrich my skills in public speaking further, I also participated in the Congressional Category of the Harvard Debate Council Summer Program during the summer after my sophomore year. Rather than having fancy titles and labels, what’s most important is for you to truly enjoy what you do and give it your all.
To expand my practice and knowledge of public policy and economics, I also attempted international essay competitions, including JLI’s Law Category as well as a competition related to income taxes hosted by the Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association where I placed in the Top-30. In order to challenge my quantitative reasoning skills, I also joined the University of Waterloo’s Cayley Math Contest alongside several mathematical olympiads including SASMO (2nd in my country), IJMO, SIMOC, etc.
Extracurriculars
- Asian Debate Union - International debating club/society I founded back in 2024 with over 240+ international students across 9+ countries. We mainly did skill-centric or debate-format-specific workshops and really tried our best to tailor to the needs of each and every individual who joined. A single workshop would last at least 5 days, and we’d work with the same students for more than 30 hours in total.
- Autism and Neurodivergent Advocacy and Anti-Discrimination / Employment Law Research done under the mentorship of a Cambridge DPhil candidate
- The Relief Wellness Society (school-based refugee charity for people displaced by the Burmese civil war + natural disasters)
- Student Council Vice President (general, typical things such as organizing events, promoting student wellness and mental health, donation drives, etc)
- Two-month-long internships at a CB Bank (one of the largest commercial banks in Myanmar) and also a smaller local law firm called HighSee12 Associates
- One of the organizers for the Chiang Mai Blood Drive with the Thai Red Cross Society, mainly in charge of logistics, participant retention, and managing permission documents for under-17 donors
- Joined as a Burmese-English bilingual content writer for the Yangon School of Social Work during the summer between Grade 10 and 11; was also a writer for the school magazine at MISY in grades 9 and 10 + briefly taught primary school students journalism skills during Grade 11 in weekly workshops
Research Work
Beginning in the fall of 2024, I started academic research and wrote a paper on anti-discrimination laws related to neurodiversity, possible employment levers, and economic benefits of utilizing even the non-traditional skills offered by neurodivergent individuals → i was mentored by an economics pHd student at Cambridge university and utilised publicly accessible data sets such as MEPS (Medical Expenditure Panel Survey) and R-coding to produce more quantifiable results in my paper beyond qualitative analysis as well.
Application Process
Unlike other typical scholarship processes, the LBP Scholarship requires a nomination from your school; each school can only nominate one student during each application cycle. After submitting your initial UofT Application on OUAC, you’ll have to complete separate requirements of the scholarship itself: supplemental essays, activities, awards, etc. It could change from year to year, but they are very similar to the style for the American Common App, where the student can discuss their passions, ambitions, future contributions, and so on. Everyone has a different way to approach this, and there isn’t a template/activity/award that gets you the scholarship. Portray your true self and seriously try to unpack who you really are as a person and individual in broader society.
The application is due quite early on during senior year, so it’s always good to begin preparation as soon as you can. Always make use of the official website to stay on track with updates and start brainstorming what you want to showcase about yourself. Remember, you're only considered for the LBP Scholarship for your first choice program (make sure to think carefully about what your preferred UofT Campus is when applying on OUAC).
I found out about the scholarship quite late and only managed to start my application around mid-October. It was quite a hectic, chaotic, and stressful journey, but it truly was rewarding in the end. After seeing the profiles of previous scholars, I felt I was unqualified and wouldn’t stand a chance. Turns out, the scholarship process isn’t a linear process, and they really do evaluate you as a whole. Always put your best foot forward and pour your whole heart into the things that you do (not just for college applications but also in life). The scholarship recipients are notified in rounds from late Jan to the end of April. I was in Singapore travelling with my dad when I got my offer letter, and I still remember that memory to this day. I never even thought of studying in Canada until around a year ago, and I submitted my application so late in the game. This just shows that you never know what’s coming for you, so always be optimistic about your ability and potential.
Overcoming the Challenges
Every student in Myanmar was struck with several educational restrictions during our college application journey. While finalizing my CommonApp college lists in junior year, we faced a full travel ban from the United States. After scrambling and taking my law-entrance exams for UK Law schools, I struggled to maintain my emotions when the UK announced that study visas would no longer be issued for Burmese nationals starting in early 2026. Luckily enough, I had applied to a broad range of universities across multiple countries. Were they all something I had dreamt about for so long? Not necessarily. But that doesn’t mean a streamlined approach is worth it. It never hurts to have back-up plans and be extremely open-minded when applying to colleges.
Tips and Final Words
If sophomore me saw my college application journey in senior year, she’d probably scream from horror. Even though I've always wanted to pursue my undergraduate studies in the States, my passport completely solidified that such a route was no longer possible. You might not end up where you initially thought you would, but you will enjoy your new community regardless.
Keep doing what you’re doing; be passionate and intentional about your activities. Your outcomes and results tend to be far better when you’re actually genuine and authentic about everything you do. And for my Burmese peers and other juniors who may also feel let down by political restrictions, make sure you always have back-up options and flexibility with your college lists. Trust me, your efforts won’t go to waste.
