Victorian Global Learning Awards -

DSC Wins Again!

The Victorian Global Learning Awards are a celebration and recognition of what brings us together, the strength of Victoria’s international relationships and the esteem with which we are held internationally for global learning and engagement. But most importantly it is a celebration of our students, teachers, parents, principals and homestay families, and the contribution they make to our schools and community.

Earlier this year we announced that DSC international student, Berry Eain, has been selected as one of the finalists for the Student Leadership Award category at the Victorian Global Learning Awards program.

Berry has also been selected as a finalist for the 2024 Ambassador Award International Student of the Year.

In term 1, the Department of Education visited our campus to create Berry's VGLA application video. You can watch it here:

On the 17th May, College Assistant Principal, Belinda McGee, and International Student Program Director, Sally Huang, accompanied Berry to the Victorian Global Learning Awards Ceremony held at the RACV City Club. We are thrilled to announce that Berry Eain has been awarded the winner of BOTH the:

Year 12 Student Leadership Award. Each year in Victoria, one international student from year 11 and one from year 12 will receive this award which recognises outstanding leadership.

And winner of the International Student of the Year – Ambassador Award. The Ambassador Award recipient will have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, the ability to represent Victorian schools, and leadership through engaging with both the school and wider community. It is also the highest award an international student can receive in Victoria.

Berry also held another record and became the first ever student to deliver a closing speech at the ceremony.

The Department’s official recognition of our international student achievements which include Harry BUI (2022 International Student of the Year – Ambassador Award) and Berry EAIN (2024 International Student of the Year – Ambassador Award) awards has made our international student program and our school a very attractive destination in the market! So well done to our international students and well done to DSC!

Berry is happy to share her full speech DSC community. Please find this below.

Berry Eain – Closing speech at the 2024 Victorian Global Learning Awards

Good afternoon consular and education representatives, Department of Education and Victorian school staff and to all the remarkable students and homestay families being recognised today. I would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri (pronounced W-ur-und-jerry) People of the Kulin (pronounced Cool-in) Nation as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we are gathered. I pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

I am honoured to stand among such an inspiring community and to deliver the closing speech for today’s Victorian Global Learning Awards. I am also honoured to be awarded this year’s International Student of the Year – Ambassador Award.

My name is Berry Eain. I am from Myanmar. And I use my voice to spread awareness that we can all be leaders even when we lack opportunities.

Growing up, I have always had strong intentions of striving for the betterment of myself, my family and my community. As a young teenager and a female student, I know what it feels like to not have my opinions validated. I have experienced what it’s like to be treated with a lack of respect. And I know what it’s like to not receive the support I needed to strive for a change. Therefore, coming to Melbourne and being educated in Australia has become one of my deepest gratitudes.

I was genuinely surprised by how much people encouraged student voice and even more amazed to hear that young people are engaged in leadership teams, sporting events, even in community councils – this was a whole new concept to me. Ever since I arrived, my intention was to grasp onto any opportunity that was presented to me and make the most out of my experience here as a proud international student.

In 2019, I took up a position in the Australia Air League to satisfy my curiosity of what it is really like to be in a structured organisation. Adopting such a role within the league assisted me to establish a sense of belonging in this new country where I was able to confidently speak up, challenge my capabilities and even learn how to demand to be heard.

As time progressed, I became the representative of my year 8 cohort at Doncaster Secondary College. I then attempted to get on to the school's SRC. However, due to lack of courage, I didn’t apply for the Middle School Captain position. Having missed out on such an opportunity was the biggest regret I have ever had.

Since then, I promised myself to seek any leadership roles even if it means to step out of my comfort zone. I later became part of the Principal and Student Improvement Team and finally had the confidence to expand my network beyond school and I am proud to have represented young people as a member of the Youth Advisory Committee at my local council.

And by acknowledging my underlying desires and recognising what transformations I truly want to make in the community, I was fortunate to be selected as the College Captain of Doncaster Secondary College last year. What I’ve learned from these roles is that what matters most are the connections built, the stories heard and knowing that I am making an impact no matter how big or small.

And here I am, years later as the International Student of the Year with a chance to continue using my agency to inspire young leaders and people from across different stages in life – whether it be in my workplace now or at university studying optometry.

So, I encourage all of you – regardless of your age or experiences – to be brave and take initiative with whatever you want to do in your life. Because you could be the youngest person in the room – or the oldest – but you have a voice and an opportunity to make the biggest difference in the whole wide world.

In closing, I would like to take a moment to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the staff at Doncaster Secondary College. I’d like to thank principal Glenn Morris and my teachers for always being open minded when it comes to feedback and suggestions from our student leadership team.

I’d also like to thank Sally Huang, my international student coordinator, who shares the same values as me. Thank you, Ms Huang, for reminding me to strive for the best and to remain positive regardless of the situation. Thank you for your guidance and shaping me into a student that I could always reflect and be proud of.

I would like to acknowledge the Victorian Department of Education for going above and beyond to acknowledge students’ contributions and the esteemed judges, on behalf of all the award recipients here, I sincerely thank you for your dedication towards making this celebration come to life.

As we’ve seen today, this event is a celebration of achievements, resilience and the power of determination across multiple endeavours – academics, arts, global citizenship, leadership, community engagement, resilience, innovation and homestay care and support. So, to each and every one of today’s recipients, please allow me to emphasise a universal truth. You are never too young or too old, too inexperienced, or too qualified, to make things right.

Thank you.

Berry Eain

International Student of the Year, 2024

New international students enjoy DSC life

Recently Ms. Huang interviewed two new international students about their beginnings at DSC. Here are their experiences:

I started my high school journey term 1 2024 and I thoroughly enjoy my DSC life here! My friends, Ms. Huang and the international student team have provided lots of assistance. On my birthday, my friend Danny W. organized a big surprise. He hand-made a big and beautiful birthday card. On this card, Danny has written his greetings and drawn my avatar of WeChat, which is my favourite character in a video game. On my birthday, he came to school very early and found my other friends like Clovis P., Andrew C., Zimo Z. and Christian A. to write their birthday wishes. Danny also asked Ms Elkington, Ms Chiappa and Ms Pilkington to write messages to me.

My friends provided me lots of other helps while I was still finding it hard to fit in. Isaac was the first friend I made in DSC and he introduced lots of friends to me which made me feel like I belong. He also explained lots of things to me about school life in Australia. Danny came to Australia earlier than I did, so he has helped me a lot and cared a lot about me. When I came back from the Year 7 Camp, I got sick, so Danny looked after me on the way back to school from camp site.

Ms. Huang and her international student team has given me lots of help. On my birthday, Ms. Huang gave me a birthday gift on behalf of DSC, which is a set of rulers and compasses. It happens to be the exact thing I needed because I left mine in China. Ms Huang and my buddy has helped me a lot with fitting into the new environment. During international student orientation day, I was very happy to find that I wasn’t the only one with Chinese background. During term 1, I attended buddy program every Thursday where I did lots of activities with my buddy. We had games with our buddies, and I felt fitted in during and after the activities. I really enjoyed it and I have also made some local friends through the buddy program. Now, in term two, I was a lot more fitted in than I was in term one thanks to the helps from my friends, Ms Huang and the international student team.

- William Y., Year 7

William Y. is my best friend, and we often hang out at the international student learning hub during recess and lunch. When he got sick during Year 7 school camp, I took care of him on the way back to school. We study together and help each other out to improve our English.

My teachers and the international student team helped both William and I a lot since we started at DSC, and they encouraged us to participate in school clubs and other extra curriculum activities. I am very grateful to everyone around me who offers support, and I am very happy at DSC.

- Danny W., Year 7

International students volunteering on College Open Night

Our international students are active in all school activities which includes supporting College Open Night. The following are the reflections of two Year 10 international students on their experience of volunteering on College Open Night:

For me, volunteering at DSC Open Night was an enriching experience that allowed me to help with the school community in a meaningful way. I was drawn to the event because I believe that the role of a tour leader was important and can greatly benefit the school community, as well as it’s a good opportunity to develop my leadership skills.

Throughout the event, I led a tour group and assisted the parents and kids by touring around the school, providing information about the facilities, school programs as well as activities. Although everyone was nervous at first, I think we all did a great job overall. The positive feedback from the parents, children, teachers, and principals made me feel like I made a great decision of volunteering at event and proud of the value of giving back to the school.

- Stella Z., Year 10

We opted to volunteer for the Open Night because we thought it would be a good opportunity to learn more leadership and communication skills. It proved to be such! When the parents provided positive feedback, I was very glad and grateful the school gave us such a chance.

- Ruby Y., Year 10

Reading program

In Term 2 of 2024, our team has remained dedicated to supporting our international students in improving their English skills. We engage in a tailored reading program for their EAL class, assisting them in understanding vocabulary, sentences, and stories learned in their classes.

During our reading sessions, we explored the short story "Made in Australia" from the book ‘Fortune Cookies’. The EAL teacher explained and analysed terms such as ‘victim’, ‘discrimination’, ‘racial slurs’, and ‘prejudice’ from this story. We use our reading program to support students in fully understanding these terms in line with the story’s content.

We also read "Like father, like son," another short story from the book ‘Fortune Cookies’. This story was explored along with the historical context of Cambodia from 1975-1978 during the rule of Pol Pot, which may have been the inspirational background behind the story. We consolidated the questions from students’ EAL classes into our reading program, verifying their ability to identify words related to prompts suggested by the teacher. For example, finding all the words suggesting a bomb has destroyed the village in paragraph one.

Our international students have shown progress in their English skills, and our team remains committed to further improving their language abilities and fostering a supportive learning environment at DSC. Together, we continue to grow and learn!

Ning Jie Hong

International Student Program Assistant

'Art Olympia' Competition

Our 2024 international student voice ambassador Venus F. is leading the international student forum team to promote global learning and engagement at DSC. Please find her report below.

“ART OLYMPIA” COMPETITION

1. Introduction

The International Student Forum has organized the ‘ART OLYMPIA’ Competition - an initiative aimed at leveraging the power of art to express and celebrate the cultural diversity within our campus community. By providing an opportunity for participants to explore and share their diverse cultural backgrounds, we hope to create a vibrant tapestry that celebrates our multicultural heritage.

2. Objective

The primary goal of the 'ART OLYMPIA’ Competition is to enable our community members to showcase their personal cultural narratives through the medium of art. We organize this competition as a means to facilitate cultural exchange and foster mutual understanding between different culture.

3. Details of the Event

The theme of the competition is representative art, where participants can select any art form that best symbolizes the cultural diversity of Australia. The competition will run from February to May and attract 25+ participants. Submissions can be made till the 8th of May. Sign-up and submission forms are available separately for students and teachers. Note that the digital file size should not exceed 1GB. However, physical submissions can be made at the International Student Learning Hub (L1) in case of technical issues.

Prizes Await:

1st Prize: $ 100 voucher

2nd Prize: $ 80 voucher

3rd Prize: $ 50 voucher (4 available)

4th Prize: $ 40 voucher (2 available)

4. Promotions

The competition will be promoted through morning speeches, informative and eye-catching posters across school, Campus TV, the Compass newsfeed and social media platforms.

5. Expected Outcomes and Evaluation

We anticipate that the art competition will augment understanding of diverse cultures among the community, foster cultural exchange, and boost artistic expression. The winners' artwork will be showcased at the front office and on school TV to celebrate their achievement and to further promote cultural diversity.

6. Conclusion

The ' ART OLYMPIA’ Competition is an intersection of art and culture, and it offers an exciting opportunity to reveal the cultural myriad that exists within our school. We urge you to lend your full support and active participation to make this event a great success. Through this platform, we aim to honour the cultural diversity that exists within our campus and foster a community that is continually learning, celebrating, and growing from this diversity.

Sally Huang

Director of International Student Program

Doncaster Secondary College

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