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Rubi Inspires Our Girls

Can you imagine what it must be like to leave your home and everything you have ever known to come to a foreign country? That’s exactly what Ruby Chin did at the age of 9.

Last week the Year 11 Religion General classes were visited by Rubi, now 23 years old.  Rubi is a refugee from Burma, forced to flee her home with her family in order to seek safety because of religious and ethnic persecution. Rubi shared her inspirational story with the girls.

Rubi highlighted the inhumane circumstances her family had to endure on their way to Australia. This included hiking in steep, jungle mountain ranges at night for four days and being locked inside a small room for six months.

It has now been 14 years since Rubi arrived in Australia and she is currently studying Biomedical science at the University of Western Australia.

It was heartbreaking to see Rubi express her emotions when reopening the wounds of her experience, but at the same time inspiring to witness her courage and strength.

Since listening to her story, we have all developed a greater sense of appreciation and gratitude for the opportunities we have been given and the safety and security of our country. To have the opportunity to sit face-to-face with Rubi really made this issue real for us. This experience of human connection has truly changed and inspired us to see refugees through a lens of compassion and empathy, rather than fear and ignorance. If only more Australians could have the chance to really see refugees in this way.

“Hearing Ruby’s moving talk about her fearful journey – hiking through a dark jungle, having to face the possibility of death, and having to give up everything she knew and loved, brought tears, but mostly inspired us.” Eloise Davis and Laknavi Kutuwawala said.

Paige Jones said “Rubi’s visit to our class helped me understand the plight of refugees beyond what I could ever imagine. Opinions are often shaped by what the media feeds us, regardless of whether it’s truthful or not. As a society, specifically the younger generations, we tend to find ourselves stuck in a ‘grey space’ when trying to understand and develop an opinion on this important social issue. After hearing Rubi’s story, my personal opinion on refugees and the governments way of processing them has been flipped on its head, as have many of my peers. It truly was an eye-opener to hear the reality of someone who experienced the hardships and tragedies that come along with fleeing your home, leaving behind everything you’ve ever loved, in an attempt to both stay alive and to create a better life for yourself and your family. As a society, I think we most definitely need to rethink and reshape the way we perceive refugees.”

What A Term! So Many Opportunities – Jennifer Oaten

As I look back on the past nine weeks, I am so grateful for who we are as a community and what we have achieved. Through the dedication of our staff and the enthusiasm of our students, we have established new connections, immersed ourselves in opportunities and worked through challenges.

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