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?
Peter
“The variety of classes, and the friendly studying atmosphere. I enjoy learning history, and religion class is my favourite subject.”
Student Name: Peter S.
HCDSB School: Assumption CSS
Home Country: China
Crystal
“My favorite experience of attending school at the Halton Catholic DSB is that the school provided me an environment with multicultural diversity and everyone is equally respected. We created a club called Multicultural Club and had many activities. We held two Multicultural Spring Festivals which were very successful.”
Student Name: Crystal
HCDSB School: St. Ignatius of Loyola CSS
Home Country: China
Kyle
“The best part of the high school system here was that I could plan out my own high school life according to my dreams, goals, and personal interests. After filling in my time table with courses related to my post-secondary goals, the rest of the space was for me to take whatever I’m interested in, such as foods, personal fiance, and weight training.”
Student Name: Kyle H.
HCDSB School: St. Ignatius of Loyola CSS
Home Country: South Korea
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
Kevin
“I joined the Computer Club. Computer Club is more academic that prepares me for the competition [of university]. In contrast, I enjoy the music courses here, they offer me great opportunities learning different instruments.”
Student Name: Kevin Z.
HCDSB School: Corpus Christi 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
Would you recommend the HCDSB to other potential International Students?
Shirley
“Yes, for sure. I think I chose the best school board that every international student should go to. All the teachers and students and school staff are very willing to help us with school life.”
Student Name: Shirley X.
HCDSB School: Notre Dame 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
Emily
“For sure. All the school staff I have met are so nice and helpful. And because of the fact that the proportion of international students in our school board is not large, we have a better chance to communicate with the locals and get to know about Canadian culture.”
Student Name: Emily (Aijia) Y.
HCDSB School: St. Thomas Aquinas CSS
Home Country: China
Do you have any other comments related to your experience at the HCDSB?
Harry
“It is just amazing. One of the best parts of my life.”
Student Name: Harry Y.
HCDSB School: Holy Trinity 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
Ryan
“It is a great experience to study in HCDSB and be an International Student at Notre Dame. I really highly recommend other international students come to join the greatest school board – HCDSB! I really enjoyed all the memories in my two high school years!”
Student Name: Ryan L.
HCDSB School: Notre Dame CSS
Home Country: China
Some student testimonials have been edited for clarity.