Luna Wong moved from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom in September 2022 to pursue A-levels at Wrekin College, a boarding school in Shropshire, seeking a fresh start after struggling with depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges exacerbated by Hong Kong’s political unrest and COVID-19 lockdowns.
Luna’s parents, Hilda Leong and Thomas Wong, consulted with their daughter’s psychiatrist before approving the move abroad. They discussed Luna’s mental health history with Wrekin College prior to her admission and believed the school could adequately support her needs. However, Luna struggled to adjust to boarding school life. In July 2023, while attending a summer school placement in London, Luna took her own life at age 17.
Luna’s death occurs within a broader context involving the United Kingdom’s private education sector, which has become increasingly dependent on tuition fees from international students. Her parents’ case highlights concerns about a system in which private companies profit from international student placements while operating under minimal legal obligations comparable to those governing traditional educational institutions. The circumstances surrounding Luna’s death reflect both the mental health challenges faced by many young people and structural issues within an industry that accepts substantial fees from families abroad without necessarily providing corresponding levels of care and oversight.
Three years after their daughter’s death, Luna’s parents remain in Hong Kong, their grief unresolved. They had waited 14 years to have Luna, giving her the Cantonese name Lok Tung, meaning “happy child.” Before her mental health deteriorated, Luna was described as having brought happiness to the family, but her parents witnessed her gradual withdrawal as her condition worsened.
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