As many of you know,
Aquinas is the school of choice for several students from countries around the
world. Kids from all walks of life travel to Rochester in pursuit of an
authentic American education. Personally, I would not be able to handle
learning and conversing in another language, not to mention living thousands of
miles away from my family and friends - in an American household! It certainly
takes strength, optimism and extreme intelligence to thrive under these
circumstances. With a tip of the hat to all of our amazing international
students, let’s take a closer look at Kunru Li from China.
At just 13 years old,
Kunru is taking Aquinas by storm. In the classroom, her serious work ethic has
helped her to excel tremendously. The best example of this is the fact that she
is a sophomore. “Chinese students work really hard and we have so much
homework...we will go to school at five o’clock in the morning...most of the
time at six o’clock the middle school will finish... But we have study hall after
that and then teachers will give you more class after that. We probably leave
at ten o’clock - and that’s for middle school!” Kunru says. Even with the tight
schedule that students follow during the week, students spend their weekends
studying as well. “So many people just work to study and they don’t have
playtime.”
Kunru says she is
grateful for the opportunities at Aquinas like sports, theatre, school
gatherings, and community service that she would not otherwise get to
experience. Outside of the classroom, Kunru describes participating in
“Seussical the Musical” as one of her favorite experiences. She sang and danced
as one of the cheerful citizens of Whoville. She also learned a lot from
fulfilling her community service hours. She worked at a church sale, inspecting
the materials that were donated, labeling and sorting them. “It’s really good
to help people. So in my future, if I have a chance to do that, I will do
more.”
Overall, Kunru
says that being a student at Aquinas has already helped her to become a better
person. “It taught me that life in high school is not only for studying. You
need to...love your school.” Surprisingly, she did not have much of a focus on
being away from home. As Kunru recalls the homecoming pep rally and the feeling
of unity in school spirit, she says that is why Aquinas is her favorite place
in Rochester. I often take for granted how often the whole school comes
together for prayer and assemblies. But Kunru says “It makes people more
loving. It’s a good thing for teenagers to know this. It’s like a study; you
study how to love your country.”
by: Jasmine Benjamin
0 comments:
Post a Comment