Westbourne College Sydney: Global connections open doors to Korea

Westbourne College Sydney recently hosted student delegates from Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, South Korea on their recent 2024 cultural exchange trip to Australia in their only Sydney school visit.

This cultural experience began with Patrick McGing, Westbourne Principal introducing visitors to Australia and explaining what makes Westbourne College Sydney unique. In turn, Korean Supervisors introduced Sydney students to their school and island followed by a collaborative game borne from the world phenomenon series, Squid Game. After time to converse and exchange contact details, the morning concluded with a gift exchange and Westbourne students chanted, ‘‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, Oi, Oi!”

“This was a great opportunity to learn more about the history of Korea and work past the language barriers present in our meeting. The visitors were very respectful, approachable, and friendly towards me which created many pleasant conversations.” said Zain Mumtaz, DP1.

While students at Westbourne study Chinese: Mandarin or Spanish as part of their IB Diploma Programme, exposure to other cultures and languages around the world remains pertinent. Each additional experience continues to build upon Sydney students’ cultural awareness and respect for diversity.

“This cultural experience through Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, South Korea is a key example where Westbourne International continues to build bridges and open global doors for our students in Sydney. I am highly impressed at how the students of both our schools came together – College was exhilarating and full of laughter. We sincerely thank our new friends for the visit and wish them well for the remainder of their trip in Australia,” Patrick said.