Thank you all for gathering here today.
My name is Marina Chi and I am a South Korean international student studying
B. Visual Arts and Design at the Australian Catholic University.
I’d like to start off, with a question. What were you like 2 years ago today? Maybe
you were a couple of inches slimmer around your waist, or perhaps you only had
2 lines around your eyes instead of the 4 you have now.
Two years ago, I was still a teenager and having just finished high school, I was
going through a bit of an identity crisis. I was faced with the decision to either
move back to my motherland or study Early Childhood Education in Australia – a
course selected for me by my parents. I chose the latter, but struggled as was it
was not what I wanted to study.
In Education, they say that children need a sense of belonging, being, and
becoming in order to flourish. 2 years ago, I felt very much like a child and a
sense of Belonging, Being and Becoming were 3 things I desperately needed in
order to be happy.
That’s why I am extremely grateful to have been given this opportunity to say
“thank you” to Susana, the City of Sydney and the ISLA Program they created for
international students like me.
Through the ISLA program, I found - first and foremost - a place to BELONG, in a
country where I was considered a foreigner. I finally had a group to identify
myself with and friends I could relate to. We wore the same t- shirts, were trained
together and worked together to create change for other international students
living in Sydney. I was thoroughly moved, as well as motivated by so many
inspirational people of my age, from a variety of cultural backgrounds all with
unique stories to tell.
A sense of BEING in the present moment, and having fun was also a big part of
ISLA. We were invited to amazing dinner parties, participated behind the scenes
for NAIDOC week, Youth Week, Harmony week, been on interviews, not to
mention winning first prize for the International Student Awards at the Opera
house last year. A real highlight for me was the Chinese New Year Parade. I was
just walking down George St, as I would on any other day, but this time I was
walking with all my ISLA friends. Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate us
walking down that street together and although we had all come from different
countries, in that moment in time we were truly one. It was an extremely special
moment for me personally and one I will always remember.
Finally, BECOMING. Through the ISLA program, I have truly become a different
person both personally and professionally. My dream since high school has
always been to work as an artist and curator, and having learnt the importance of
undertaking professional internships through ISLA, I applied for an internship with
the longest running art exhibition in NSW - the Hunter’s Hill Art Exhibition. I got
the position because I had not only received training in relevant professional
areas such as event management and public speaking but also because I had
developed my teamwork and leadership abilities through the ISLA Program. In
2014 for example, led by Hendra, our group created and coordinated a free city
tour guide event for newly arrived international students. Earlier this year, I was
also given the opportunity to lead the logistics team for Chinese New Year
Parade. All of these learning experiences made possible for me through ISLA
have brought me closer to my dream job.
2 years ago, I never spoke to anybody except for my counselor. I skipped
classes because the thought of being around people scared me. But here I stand
today in front of all of you, having learnt so many valuable lessons, and looking
towards a much, much brighter future. So as cliché as it may sound, with all of
my heart and being, thank you, thank you and thank you to Susana and the rest
of the City of Sydney team, the Lord Mayor of course, and my amazing ISLA
family for always having been there for me. I wish you all the very best, and look
forward to our amazing future together. Thank you.