From the moment I stepped foot at Balmoral, I was welcomed with open arms by both students and teachers alike. The kindness and acceptance shown towards me truly made me feel like I had found a second home, far away from my “comfort zone”: family, friends and Italian food….. The diversity of cultures and backgrounds within your school has broadened my horizons, allowing me to learn and grow in ways I never thought possible.
I will be eternally grateful to my teachers who have always supported me and made me feel part of the class, considering me one of the many students to teach without distinction of gender and origin.
To my fellow students: thank you for embracing me as a member of your amazing friend groups. Your friendship, laughter and the shared experiences have given me amazing memories that I will carry with me through my life. The moments we spent together, whether working together in class or simply conversing during lunch, have made me both more confident with the English language and allowed me to create beautiful friendships that I hope I can maintain despite the distance.
I would also like to express my deepest appreciation to the support of the international department. The presence of an international room in the school had been such a great aid that had never made me feel alone during my abroad experience.
Lastly, I want to extend my gratitude to the host family that opened their home and heart to me. The generosity, patience, and willingness to share the everyday life and authenticity of each day that I found in my host family made my experience in this foreign country extraordinary. Living with them allowed me to immerse myself in the local culture, understand different customs, get to know the beauty of Australia and create a unique connection that I will remember for a lifetime.
In conclusion, my experience at Balmoral was unforgettable. I am incredibly happy at the mere thought of having had the opportunity and desire to live such a magnificent adventure.
To everyone I met and interacted with during my time here, please accept my deepest gratitude for making me feel like a valued member of this school family. Your kindness, support, and friendship will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Zeyang Wang
Hey Guys! My name is Zeyang Wang. I arrived at Balmoral SHS in September 2017. Two years of studying abroad has shaped who I am today. As locals will say: 'Three years make you an Aussie', I guess I'm nearly there. Moving into a new environment is always uncomfortable at the start. We miss old habits and crave for old comforts. To many international students, everything is new. But we are all committed to this new experience - just like me when I first walked into Balmoral SHS.
First week in school was an unforgettable, I put my best foot forward learning names and approaching different teachers for academic questions. Soon I was accepted by my lovely peers and started to hang out with them after school. At weekends we went to the beach, movies, gaming arcade and city shopping. Supportive teachers and enthusiastic administration helped me so much to integrate and I'm always grateful to all of them.
A part of integration was to learn about the country's history and culture. It was an honour for me to be a part of my local ANZAC March in two consecutive years and to be a flag bearer this year for Bulimba electorate. As I expanded my social circle, I started to learn about the indigenous culture. Last year we were lucky to have an indigenous artist to come and teach us about their language and art work.
Boeing is one of our school's Excellence Programs. As a senior member and one of the three leaders in this program, I've done many projects in the past two years. Now as the leader of Boeing, we will take on more projects to encourage students to find their pathways in life.
In 2018, I created the Balmoral SHS Student Council with the support of the deputy principals. All council members worked together and I was elected as the first Chairperson of Balmoral SHS Student Council. Later through the year, we managed to fundraise 1,000 dollars to donate to charity and funded a school dance for all students.
Recently, I participated in the English speaking competition by the English Speaking Union Queensland and won 3rd place. Every step was a shared success between my English teacher, deputy principal and me. Competing against native speakers was already a win for me; however, life surprised me yet again.
Not long after, I was nominated as one of the finalist for the Queensland Day Awards. This recognition was a symbol that our community had recognized my contributions, and was a representation of acceptance.
After the two years of getting involved, I ran for School Captain and am very grateful for every opportunity I have experienced in the past two years which helped me to become the School Captain for 2020.
Balmoral is a great school with untapped opportunities and I encourage all international students to study here!
Huang (Cici) from China
“As one of the Queensland Cup winners, I was given the opportunity to visit Australia and experience Queensland’s quality education, study environment and lifestyle. My host school, Balmoral SHS is a very good school. More importantly the Principal and teachers were very friendly and welcoming. They made me feel like I am in my own school and because of this I didn’t feel nervous and made friends very easily.”
Cici observed the following differences between her school in China and Balmoral SHS. “Firstly, the flexible timetable where students could go to different classrooms to attend classes. Therefore, students don’t stay in one place for the whole day. The uniform is very classical and beautiful. I don’t mind wearing it for the whole day. Also, I can walk to school from my homestay, but in Chongqing my father has to drive me to school because of the distance.”
“My homestay is perfect and fantastic. There are so many good words to describe it. I had the opportunity to attend a birthday party for one of my host family and we celebrated this at the golf club over dinner. On the weekend we went to the countryside, where we went boating at Lake Moogerah, and had a casual BBQ. We also played games together and watched a funny movie that night. On Sunday we went to Mount French National Park and I even saw some wild kangaroos. There are a lot of good things about having a host family. They are very friendly and hospitable and made me feel at home. I really liked it. Also the weather here seems quite dry, but chilly at night, and it’s sunny- I like sunshine.”
“It has been a very exciting trip and meeting the Minister for Education, Queensland was a highlight. I made new friends and did some memorable things during my short stay. At first I wanted to go to Germany to study at University, but now that I have visited Australia, I’ve changed my mind; there are lots of opportunities and maybe I should put Australia in my future plans.”
Cici testimonial (PDF, 135 KB)
Itsuki - from Japan
I really like the fact that Balmoral State High School is a smaller school because both international and local students mix well and get to know each other. I have enjoyed the many opportunities and experiences such as sharing Japanese culture with primary and high school students. We've been on a number of trips such as to Moreton Island, Sydney, Dreamworld etc. Having an International Room and Mentor teacher gives the school a "home-like" feeling. I've especially loved my Hospitality classes too.