YOUNG people had a choice of drifting along aimlessly or stand up and shape the world they see around them.
''You have the choice to be a future leader or a minion,'' said Eric Li Ka-cheung, chairman of the Commission on Youth and member of the Legislative Council, to the girls of the Heep Yunn School.
Mr Li was speaking at the school's speech day held recently at its campus in Kowloon.
He urged the pupils to set and nurture goals and to recognise the value of independence of thought in their own personal development and in the welfare of society as a whole.
He said their futures, and that of the world in which we live, will be ultimately decided by their decision, and their's alone.
''The school has taught you to be independent, to think critically and to make the right decisions. You have the strength and you have the knowledge to help others and to be leaders in society.'' Mr Li's speech was received with rapturous applause by the audience. Earlier in the evening, a lengthy prize-giving ceremony had demonstrated the achievements of the girls in a whole range of activities.
It seems the pupils of Heep Yunn had every intention of fulfilling Mr Li's assessment of their potential.