Meet our International Captain
Xin Yi (Joy) Leong, International Captain for 2012
Where are you from and when did you come to St Catherine's?
I’m from Malaysia, the land of food. I came to St Catherine’s at the start of last year for Year 11 as a boarder. I’m boarding because, I don’t have any family in Melbourne. I do have a cousin who’s also boarding, though. She likes to cook and is always making delicious food.
Why did you want to be International Captain?
Onchon Sethi, the 2011 International Captain was a major influence to me wanting to take up this responsibility. Being new and tender at school last year, the transition from a place so familiar like home to one that was full of the unexpected was somewhat of a challenge for me. However, the care and concern that I received from Onchon, as well as the rest of the community at the boarding house made this seemingly impossible chore so much more pleasant and fun.
My cousin joined us in school towards the end of the year and it became my turn to aid her in her transition to life here in Melbourne. I can say with confidence that I’ve done a good job. Having felt the joy of being able to make the
slight contribution in helping another person, I hoped to be able to extend my reach to all of the international community at St Catherine's, to help each and every one of them feel the same way as I do – being here is like being at home.
What would you like to bring to the role that might be new, or something you see is needed?
I guess one of the key things this year for me is to integrate the international community more closely with the local community at St Catherine’s. It has been a misleading idea that ‘International Club’ is for the international girls alone and I hope to change this. This year, the International Club is officially opening our doors to every student at St Catherine’s, internationals and locals alike.
I hope that by extending this invitation to the wider community at St Catherine’s, the gap between the local and international students can be brought even closer, that we are able to communicate more with each other, and with that, have a better understanding of our different yet unique cultures.