Meet the Outstanding Teen Who’s Bettering the Community Wherever He Goes

In a city as vibrant and dynamic as Beijing, it’s no surprise that its youth are equally remarkable. Our series, “Outstanding Teens of Beijing,” shines a spotlight on the city’s most inspiring young individuals. From self-motivated business owners to those who have started well-recognized clubs and organizations, these kids are making significant impacts in their communities. Join us as we share their stories, celebrate their achievements, and learn from their incredible dedication and passion.

This time we’re honored to shine the spotlight on a teen who’s giving so much back to the community. Grade 11 student Omar Santiago Florez at Chaoyang Kaiwen Academy has an impressive list of extracurriculars that include his love for sports, drama, music, and a whole lot of volunteer and charity work.

What really caught our attention about him is just how much he’s helped the community through various charity programs.

Omar Florez, better known as Santi by his teachers and peers, moved to Beijing from Colombia and has been a student at Chaoyang Kaiwen Academy for the past eight years. This Colombian-American student is the epitome of a third culture kid, moving around the world and building a community everywhere he goes.

During his time at Kaiwen, Santi developed numerous interests thanks to the opportunities the school provided. “I enjoy participating in sports, drama, music, and both volunteer and charity work. I’ve been involved in various projects at Kaiwen, including musical performances, sports events, charity events, and academic events and competitions, many of which I organized in collaboration with the school.” he shares with jingkids.

He became involved in extracurricular activities due to my curiosity and interest from a young age. “I’ve always had a passion for music and art, starting with learning guitar and exploring different genres. When I joined Kaiwen, my father, who is the drama teacher, created a musical about our school’s values called Behind These Walls. This experience sparked my love for performing on stage. I participated in many shows and eventually developed an interest in production and backstage work, such as operating sound consoles, lighting, microphones, and projections. I learned a lot from the school’s IT and arts departments, gaining the skills to manage equipment independently. Through my experience, I built a strong trust with the school and became a manager and student ambassador for these technical roles. I’ve volunteered to assist with sound, lighting, and logistics for school events like assemblies, open days, competitions, music concerts, and talent shows, always happy to support anyone planning an event.”

His love for drama aside, it was his charity work that really stood out to us. Santi is a teen who finds time to give back to the community he lives in.

“I began charity work in 2020 when we hosted music events at our school. We invited people to attend, with the condition that they donate to gain entry. Later, we organized a major project, the Christmas Gift Exchange, connecting Kaiwen with an underprivileged school. Students from the underprivileged school could request a Christmas gift, and Kaiwen students chose a student to gift the requested item. This project showed me how charity could genuinely help those in need and how grateful recipients were. Since then, I’ve incorporated charity into various events, collaborating with the school and the charity club. Seeing the happiness of those we help and the tangible impact of our contributions keeps me motivated and passionate about charity work,” says Santi.

This year, Santi played an integral part in helping raise over RMB 13,500 in just seven weeks “During the second week of school, I was involved as the stage manager for our school’s musical, Interview. I realized this would be a great opportunity to support the charity community, so with the charity club, we sold snacks and drinks to the audience. After our initial success, we continued sales on Sports Day and during break times, ultimately raising over RMB 13,500 over seven weeks. We also sold candy-grams for Halloween. All funds are being donated to the Rehabilitation Center for Autistic Children 宋宝玲（珍爱孤独症儿童康复中心) to help cover rent, teachers, and essential supplies like flour, oil, and rice. Without these donations, the charity would face significant challenges.”

It wasn’t just the community outside his school he has a passion for helping. Santi spends his free time putting together a daily newsletter for the Kaiwen student body. “At the beginning of the school year, I noticed that students weren’t receiving all the information they needed for daily activities. Previously, only homeroom teachers had access to this information, meaning students often had to disturb them for updates. I wanted to make my peers’ lives easier, so I spoke to our student council lead teacher for approval, and he supported the idea. Since the second week of school, I’ve been sending a daily newsletter that includes important events, assemblies, exams, and other updates in an organized, easy-to-read format sent directly to students’ emails.”

What’s the reward for his daily newsletter? The pure satisfaction of knowing that students have access to organized information about their daily and weekly schedules which helps each and every student make the most of their time and resources at school.

It truly is inspiring to see a teen with the drive to go above and beyond the academic requirements and truly want to better the lives of the community. His goal is to support everyone at Kaiwen as much as he can, whether within the student body or in the broader community, including parents.

And for the students (and parents alike) who believe that high school years should be dedicated to perfecting academic excellence and that volunteering can wait until later, it’s never too early to start. Volunteering demonstrates empathy, responsibility, and a willingness to positively impact the community, all valuable traits for personal development – not to mention college application.

Inspired? We know we are! If you’re a teen with an incredible achievement, let us know! Get in touch with Mina Yan via email at minayan@beijing-kids.com or WeChat (ID: Wilhelmina87).