At the time of my writing this piece, it has been nearly six months since I graduated from SJI International in November 2023. In less than two weeks, I will turn 19 and simultaneously cease my position as a part-time Teaching Assistant at school – a role I adopted to bide the time before heading to university – thereby ending a six-year relationship with my alma mater. It is a bittersweet finish, yet one that I am wholly enthused by, because – as clichéd as it may sound – this end signals the beginning of the next phase of my life; one that SJI International has long prepared me for.

In reflecting, encapsulating my years at SJI International is challenging. In my time here, I made some of the greatest friends I have been fortunate to know; met wonderful teachers who have guided and mentored me, allowing me to grow both intellectually and as an individual; and relished a bevvy of memorable, difficult and, rewarding experiences, from trekking through a legitimately harrowing mangrove swamp for Biology IA data collection, to scrambling to polish theatre performances last-minute, to singing We Are Lasallian in tears during a final school-wide assembly. SJI International gave me the tools and space to become who I am today whilst instilling within me a desire for enrichment that drives me to become a more curious, compassionate, and persevering – or “better” – version of myself tomorrow. It is these qualities, and this drive, that I expect to sustain me as I head to Yale this coming fall to begin a new four-year journey of growth and adventure.

However, despite my endless excitement, I cannot say that I am not nervous about such an impending and enormous life shift. I often find myself wondering why I chose to head overseas to a country I have never lived in, to a university that is a twenty-hour direct flight and a two-hour train ride away from home. Yet, in these moments of doubt, I am reminded of the impetus for my choosing Yale: the wish to explore various areas of study with liberty, become independent, and engage in a new life challenge, not unlike my initial goals when filing my fateful application for SJI International in 2018.

Though I remain undecided about what exactly I wish to study at Yale (I am toying with the idea of a double major, perhaps intersecting the Humanities and Arts), I know that so long as I seek to indulge a passion for learning, as I sought to do at SJI International, all will be well. So, as I leave school for the final time, I must say a sincere thank you to my family, teachers, friends, peers, and every member of staff who shaped my time here and equipped me with the values and courage to take such a leap for my future.

Finally, in writing this piece, I was asked to share any pearls of wisdom I could conjure up for my juniors. Though I believe I am still far from wise, if there is any advice I can offer, it is this: truly enjoy your time at SJI International. Relish the community around you, the mistakes, challenges, and daily rigmarole, and have fun. It will all be over before you know it.

At the time of my writing this piece, it has been nearly six months since I graduated from SJI International in November 2023. In less than two weeks, I will turn 19 and simultaneously cease my position as a part-time Teaching Assistant at school – a role I adopted to bide the time before heading to university – thereby ending a six-year relationship with my alma mater. It is a bittersweet finish, yet one that I am wholly enthused by, because – as clichéd as it may sound – this end signals the beginning of the next phase of my life; one that SJI International has long prepared me for.

In reflecting, encapsulating my years at SJI International is challenging. In my time here, I made some of the greatest friends I have been fortunate to know; met wonderful teachers who have guided and mentored me, allowing me to grow both intellectually and as an individual; and relished a bevvy of memorable, difficult and, rewarding experiences, from trekking through a legitimately harrowing mangrove swamp for Biology IA data collection, to scrambling to polish theatre performances last-minute, to singing We Are Lasallian in tears during a final school-wide assembly. SJI International gave me the tools and space to become who I am today whilst instilling within me a desire for enrichment that drives me to become a more curious, compassionate, and persevering – or “better” – version of myself tomorrow. It is these qualities, and this drive, that I expect to sustain me as I head to Yale this coming fall to begin a new four-year journey of growth and adventure.

However, despite my endless excitement, I cannot say that I am not nervous about such an impending and enormous life shift. I often find myself wondering why I chose to head overseas to a country I have never lived in, to a university that is a twenty-hour direct flight and a two-hour train ride away from home. Yet, in these moments of doubt, I am reminded of the impetus for my choosing Yale: the wish to explore various areas of study with liberty, become independent, and engage in a new life challenge, not unlike my initial goals when filing my fateful application for SJI International in 2018.

Though I remain undecided about what exactly I wish to study at Yale (I am toying with the idea of a double major, perhaps intersecting the Humanities and Arts), I know that so long as I seek to indulge a passion for learning, as I sought to do at SJI International, all will be well. So, as I leave school for the final time, I must say a sincere thank you to my family, teachers, friends, peers, and every member of staff who shaped my time here and equipped me with the values and courage to take such a leap for my future.

Finally, in writing this piece, I was asked to share any pearls of wisdom I could conjure up for my juniors. Though I believe I am still far from wise, if there is any advice I can offer, it is this: truly enjoy your time at SJI International. Relish the community around you, the mistakes, challenges, and daily rigmarole, and have fun. It will all be over before you know it.