As Launceston Church Grammar School prepares to journey to Vietnam for the 2023 AEAS Study Abroad Day, we are thrilled to introduce you to Julia Tran, an outstanding alumna from the Class of 2022, hailing from vibrant Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This week, Julia will play a pivotal role as our translator at the event, facilitating connections for Vietnamese families seeking to provide their children with an exceptional Australian education, right here in Launceston. Before we embark on this exciting trip, let’s delve into Julia’s transformative journey as a former international boarding student at LCGS, and discover the experiences that have shaped her into the global citizen she is today. Learn more about her unique story and the impact of a Launceston Church Grammar School education on international students, just like Julia.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi, my name is Julia Tran and I’m a former international student at Launceston Grammar. I’m from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I graduated in 2022 and I studied at Launceston Grammar for three years.
What did you love most about boarding at Launceston Grammar?
Talking about boarding at Launceston Grammar, many things left deep impressions on me. The house, the boarders and the staff were like a second family to me. It was where I could pour my heart out and talk about the struggles that I had been through. The house was a place where everyone acted as a small community and did small activities together every weekend. It was a place where I could comfortably share my culture with others, enjoyed special occasions and experienced the Australian culture with my friends. I love that there was no distance between the staff and the boarders, which reminisced the feeling of having siblings that always reminded me of my family in Vietnam. The dedicated care that I received from the boarding house was something that I think I’ll not be experienced somewhere else.
What was the biggest challenge of attending boarding school overseas?
One of the biggest challenges for me was adapting to this new environment, which I had never experienced when I was in Vietnam. Boarding was something out of my comfort zone, I was so nervous and scared when I first arrived at the boarding house, knowing I had to somehow make new friends and get used to the environment here as quickly as possible. However, the experiences were not that bad, the head of boarding, the staff and even the boarders there made me feel so welcomed. With their help, I easily overcome the challenge that I thought was the toughest.
How has life at Grammar equipped you for life after school?
At Grammar, I learnt many life skills through a range of extracurricular activities and experienced many things that I believe will help me through life. Alongside getting academically prepared for university, boarding also taught me a sense of independence and prepared me for the demands of university life, which helped me have a smoother transition to university settings. Besides, the school also motivated me to learn more languages through the influences of the diversity of students and teachers, and I believe that being at Grammar helped me develop my cognitive and my English communication skills.
What are you up to now? What do your next few years look like?
I am now focusing on my university life as an architecture student at VGU, a university based in Vietnam. Getting myself ready for the German educational settings and the new language for the next four years so that I’m prepared to get my MFA at the Hochschule Anhalt University of Applied Science.