Those who have been watching Mediacorp drama Emerald Hill would have been impressed by the acting chops of nine-year-old Ivory Chia, who plays the young Tasha Low.
Ivory has been showered with praise for her splendid performance as young Xinniang, a child beggar raised by Chen Liping’s Ah Zhu, a street con artist and compulsive gambler.
She was eventually taken in by the Zhang family’s second son Zhang Jinhe (Xiu Jie Kai) and his kind-hearted wife Li Shuqin (Jesseca Liu).
Ivory’s Instagram is now filled with compliments like “Xinniang, your acting was too good and natural. You have so much talent!” and “Her acting as a child actor is truly outstanding”.
But do you know that Ivory is also quite the high-flyer in school?
Recently, the actress shared on IG that she received the CCC – CDC Education Merit Award 2024.
The award, which is administered by the People’s Association, recognises the achievements of students in education and other areas.
It is given to students in the top 25 per cent of their school’s level or course, with students from Primary 1 and 2, which includes Ivory, being selected by their schools.
The award is also for those not receiving the Edusave Merit Bursary (EMB) as well as other Edusave awards from MOE, such as Edusave Good Progress Award (GPA), Edusave Character Award (ECHA) and more.
Many were awed by the young girl’s accomplishment, and her showbiz seniors have also flocked to the comments to praise Ivory.
“Too impressive!,” raved Jesseca, aka Ivory’s Emerald Hill “nya nya (mum)”, while her other “nya nya” Liping left applause emojis.
Meanwhile, local influencer Shirli Ng quipped that Ivory can now be described as someone who is “both successful in her career and education”.
Is it wrong for us to feel inadequate next to a kid?