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Victorian International School Student Award winner
22 May 2017
On 26 April 2016, the Victorian Government announced the winners for the prestigious Victorian International School Student Awards at a ceremony held at
Parliament House. Whitefriars College, Donvale, student Ziyu (Mike) Chen was awarded the Year 12 Sports Achievement Award.
Mike is a tennis and badminton champion and serious lover of sports and has won a myriad of sporting awards both in Australia and in his homeland of China. His sporting achievements include the Shandong Province Singles and Doubles Champion, China Open Tournament Championships Primer, China Nike Cup Singles Runner-up, Associated Catholic Colleges (ACC) Open Badminton Runner-up, ACC Open Tennis Runner-up and most recently the Victorian Badminton Open Tournament coming in at third place.
Mike is also a member of the Team of the Year for tennis. As a result of these sporting achievements, he was voted the Whitefriars College Badminton Captain in 2016. As an international student, Mike understands the role sport can play to transcend language barriers, build friendships and unify across different cultures and continents. Mike has also focused on his academic studies and he looks forward to undertaking a Bachelor of Science at Swinburne University, majoring in Applied Mathematics. Mike is a shining example to the whole school community in both academia and sportsmanship.
Mike said, ‘Sport has been a wonderful pathway for my integration and many true friendships. I am very competitive and love to win but I am also aware of the many social benefits I have received just by being actively involved in sport. I have had a great experience in Australia and sport has been a big part of it.’
The awards, now in their fifth year, recognise and honour the unique and significant contribution made by international students to Victorian schools and the Victorian learning community. International students add cultural and linguistic diversity and develop the global perspectives of local students and teaching staff.
Read more about Mike and the Awards at (吃瓜不打烊's International Student News website).