Anh Quynh Vo

Based in Vietnam, Anh Quynh Vo is a 16 year old enthusiast in the areas of sustainability, visual art and design technology. She intends to use her talent and skills to collectively pursue a dual for-people and for-planet strategy towards sustainable development, including quality education, social equity and climate change, starting with small attainable steps and progressing beyond.  

Looking back, her most memorable childhood memories were during her first few months living in San Diego when she was 10. Leading up to this moment, Anh had spent all of her life in Vietnam, so moving across the world to another country gave her a new sense of excitement and anticipation. During this time, she enjoyed her trips to Target and HomeGoods the most as this was where she could pick out items to furnish her new room. As her room slowly came together, Anh realized the importance of an ergonomic and personalized living space in ensuring the comfort and well-being of its users. These trips eventually led Anh to realize her interest in design which she continues to explore.  

Now in high school, one of her favorite in-school activities is designing an artwork or product in Visual Arts and Design Technology - this is when she can express herself the most freely. Furthermore, this area allows her to decide what she wants to do without feeling the pressure of always confining to a set structure. She originally chose these subjects because they were requirements at school; however, in recent years, she has continued her work on these subjects both in-school and outside of school as they allow her to have the most creative freedom, to work on topics that are of interest, and to tackle problems that she cares about. To turn theory into reality, she is the founder of Eco-Schools, a flood-resilient house project, and I-Paw. 

In the future, Anh wants to pursue a degree in architecture and sustainability where she can apply her skills to create and take part in environmentally-conscious design projects to help the community around her. One day, she hopes to establish her own footprint in the field of sustainable design and development. As part of this ambition, she aspires to design homes and community spaces that are environmentally sustainable and do not deplete Earth’s resources, whilst improving the well-being of those in the community at the same time.