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.