The following International Student testimonials were gathered through voluntary end of the school year surveys.
Share your own HCDSB experience with us by email at isp@hcdsb.org.
What was your favourite experience while attending school at the HCDSB?
Parsa
“I gained lots of valuable experiences. The most favorite thing was joining the soccer team. Also I enjoyed being part of the Assumption music band. Even though my first language is not English, I got acquainted with this great community easily. Overall, every second of my life in Assumption was truly unforgettable.”
Student Name: Parsa
HCDSB School: Assumption CSS
Home Country: Iran
Victoria
“My favourite experiences are two field trips to go to University of Waterloo and Western University. Those are two amazing experiences and through that I finally knew what I want to do in university.”
Student Name: Victoria C.
HCDSB School: Notre Dame CSS
Home Country: China
Andres
“I can recall many favourite things/experiences that I lived while attending Loyola. One of them is being able to meet people from all around the world, such as Europeans, Asians, among other people that speak Spanish like me. Furthermore, the fact that I got to learn English and other subjects that I personally wanted, had amazing teachers and small things like having my own locker, made my whole experience very good.”
Student Name: Andres
HCDSB School: St. Ignatius of Loyola CSS
Home Country: Venezuela
Were you involved in any extra-curricular activities?
Emily
“I joined the L2L Tutor Program. With the help of my tutors, I managed to achieve very satisfying marks in English and later on I became a Math Tutor which provided me with a chance to pay back to the program and the school society.”
Student Name: Emily (Aijia) Y.
HCDSB School: St. Thomas Aquinas CSS
Home Country: China
Kerry
“I was a School Leadership Team Leader during the 2018-19 school year. What I enjoyed most was getting to develop my leadership and communication skills. I wanted to become a leader since I was little; I want to help as many people as I can. The Leadership Team not only helped me improve my communication skills, but also allowed me to help a lot of people.”
Student Name: Kerry X.
HCDSB School: St. Ignatius of Loyola CSS
Home Country: China
Keyas
“I [joined] the STEAM Club and luckily became an executive. I enjoyed the STEAM events, we hung out with elementary students and showed them how things work and explained things to them. I also enjoy the L2L Program, teaching others and also made friends there. I feel happy when I share what I have learned.”
Student Name: Keyas L.
HCDSB School: Notre Dame CSS
Home Country: China
Would you recommend the HCDSB to other potential International Students?
Yibo
“Yes, the school is very nice. The environment in Halton Region is also good.”
Student Name: Yibo F.
HCDSB School: Corpus Christi CSS
Home Country: China
Vivian
“It’s my first time in my life that I have an equal and friendly relationship with my teachers. They always help me and accept me even though I’m not a Canadian student.”
Student Name: Vivian Z.
HCDSB School: Holy Trinity CSS
Home Country: China
Shaojie
“I would recommend other international students to attend school at HCDSB because of the physical location of schools and class sizes.”
Student Name: Shaojie S.
HCDSB School: Jean Vanier CSS
Home Country: China
Do you have any other comments related to your experience at the HCDSB?
Linh
“Before I came to Canada, I was very nervous about a new country and a new school. However, [my choice] to be an HCDSB International Student was a good experience in every area in the school community. I feel very happy that I chose this.”
Student Name: Linh N.
HCDSB School: Jean Vanier CSS
Home Country: Vietnam
Sarah
“The school community is very welcoming and supportive, definitely going to recommend to other students to reach out for the extra help provided by the school and the HCDSB youth and settlement workers.”
Student Name: Sarah Z.
HCDSB School: Corpus Christi CSS
Home Country: China
Andres
“Attending Loyola has prepared me greatly for my post-secondary success. When I first arrived to Canada, it was a whole new culture for me, and I was able to adapt to it. Now I am going to study in Argentina, a place that I have never been before and it is going to be easier now because of my experience in Canada. Besides, nowadays globalized companies look for people that speak English fluently, and for this reason I feel happy that I got the chance to learn the language.”
Student Name: Andres
HCDSB School: St. Ignatius of Loyola CSS
Home Country: Venezuela
Some student testimonials have been edited for clarity.