As the old adage goes; if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
Now that he’s been on the board at The Maple Residences for almost a year, it doesn’t seem like the age gap between Andrew Tong and his fellow directors fazes him anymore.
But it wasn’t always like that for the now 18-year-old McMath secondary grad, who’s now studying sciences in his first year at University of BC.
After all, most of the other board members of the non-profit seniors community in Steveston were almost four times his 17 years when he joined them late in 2016.
“It was a little intimidating at first, especially when the financials were being discussed, for example. I did a lot of nodding and smiling,” said Tong, who lives in the Steveston area.
“But there are moments at these meetings when I can contribute; it’s just a matter of finding those moments and adding my perspective to the table.
“It’s exciting though, because I have a different perspective than them and can also bring in my technical knowledge.
“So there are definitely moments that I can contribute; those are the moments I live for really.”
Asked how he thinks the more mature directors feel about having someone almost a quarter their age on the board, Tong — who got appointed via his role in McMath’s leadership program — said he’s confident they value a more youthful perspective.
“In the back of my mind, I hope that they’ve come to accept me and realize that I can offer something different to the board,” he said.
“Hopefully, they can see that I can hold my own and can contribute and bring in projects without having to rely on anyone else.”
When his old school was asked by The Maple to nominate someone from its leadership program to lend a more youthful perspective — and bring down the average age of the board — Tong’s name rose to the top of the list, not least because he was the creator of two school clubs, founder of two start-up companies and was known to be a program coordinator and volunteer around Richmond.
As well as introducing technology into the seniors’ activities, Tong is currently working to connect more local youth with residents at The Maple.
“I’m actually working with the teacher coordinator at McMath right now,” said Tong.
“We have a kind of miniature board, made up of students, which is going to help organize events (at The Maple).”
