Students at Marist College Bendigo heard stories of resilience and hope today, when BSSC Year 12 students Fazeleh Seyedi and John Angeth, along with Multicultural Education Aide, Plokaw Phonwinyu, visited the college to share their experiences as refugees.
More than 100 Marist students listened in stunned silence as the three speakers gave detailed accounts of their escape from violence in war-torn Afghanistan, South Sudan and Burma, their time in refugee camps, and their eventual passage to Australia.
After his presentation, John explained how he had never felt confident to speak in front of people in his native South Sudan. “I was always shy and nervous when I had to speak in front of people back then,” he said. “Today I really enjoyed sharing my story with the students.”
Keep in mind that John has only been learning English for 10 short months and today spoke to a crowd of more than 100.
Congratulations to Fazeleh, John and Plokaw… and thank you so much from the whole BSSC and Marist College communities for sharing such deeply personal stories.
