- Published:
- Thursday 22 February 2018
Making new friends, experiencing a new city and overcoming homesickness are some of the themes explored in the A Day in the Life of an International Student video competition.
Minister for Education James Merlino today announced the competition winners and congratulated them for providing a genuine insight into life as an international student in Victoria.
The top three winners are Calvin (Jiaxing) Gu from Frankston High School, Junjing Wen from Brighton Secondary College, and Frank Zhao, Yao Xiao and Jacky Zhang from Geelong Grammar School.
Khiseng Oeng from Oakleigh Grammar School, Jacqui Yang (Xinyi) from Camberwell High School and Alice Mei from Aquinas College are runners up.
The competition was open to currently enrolled international secondary school students at government and non-government schools as part of a range of events the Andrews Labor Government organises to enhance their experience studying and living in Victoria.
Victoria is Australia’s leading destination for international students.
One-third of all full fee-paying international school students in Australia are enrolled in Victoria, with the majority studying at senior secondary school level before going on to study at a Victorian university or TAFE.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education James Merlino
“Congratulations to the winners for creating videos that truly capture what life is like for international students studying and living in Victoria.”
“Both international and local students benefit from Victoria’s international education program by developing a better understanding of the world and an appreciation of different views, cultures and languages.”
Quotes attributable to Frankston High School competition winner Calvin (Jiaxing) Gu
“In 2015, I came to Melbourne to study at Frankston High School. I have made many friends that come from different countries. I live in a homestay, which is really great.”
“As an international student in Victoria, there is a lot of amazing things that we explore.”
Quotes attributable to Oakleigh Grammar School competition runner up Khiseng Oeng
“When I came to Australia I quickly realised that Australia is a diverse and multicultural country. There are people from all around the world coming to live here.”
“Seeing my school for the first time, I noticed that it was very different from my school in Cambodia but with the help of my teachers and members of my family, I quickly got used to it. I made many friends and every day is better than the day before.”