GBA Lifestyle News
Founder and director, Ampla Education
Canadian-born, UK-educated Hongkonger Julianna Yau founded tutorial organization Ampla Education in 2016 after switching gears from what she thought would lead to a career path in the finance world.
The Cambridge University maths graduate says most of her coursemates went on to become bankers. “Initially, I thought that would be the path for me — but after trying out different finance and banking internships in London, Beijing and Hong Kong, I realized that my passion doesn’t lie in the industry.”
She began working as a tutor and education consultant after moving back to Hong Kong — and pinpointed the struggles faced by pupils in the city’s education system.
“Before founding Ampla, I often come across Hong Kong students with great academic potential who didn’t have the opportunity to fully realize their skills, due to inadequate teaching or attending tutorial centers with overcrowded classrooms,” she explains. “Having been through different education systems myself, I understand the needs of children.”
Ampla Education works with students aged between 6 and 18 to achieve their academic goals. The organization “delivers high quality teaching and catering to the individual needs of each child,” says Yau. Meanwhile, the organization also provides free support for underprivileged children across Asia, providing free support and literacy classes.
Yau is a teacher at Ampla. “I love working with children as they energize me,” she says. “That’s the main reason I decided to continue teaching on top of my business development responsibilities.”
Her first job? Summer internship in finance in Hong Kong.
What is she proud of? “That I found a career in something that I truly enjoy doing.”
