Yennis Li is one of the 2020 cohort’s most tenacious students. Among her achievements is placing fourth in the state in Chinese and Literature and her success is remarkable, considering she has not been on site at Meriden since Year 11. Yennis, one of the School’s international students, travelled to China at the end of 2019 to visit her family and became unable to return to Australia due to border closures brought on by the global pandemic. With the support of Meriden staff, Yennis undertook her entire HSC year learning remotely.
“My subject teachers gave me a lot of support; they were willing to use their time to help me with lessons that I missed because it was hard to keep up with my classes in real time, with the time difference and internet connection problems. They provided consistent feedback on my homework submissions enabling me to perform better over time and I am very grateful to them,” Yennis said.
“Dr Greenhalgh issued me with the Fidelis Award for Courage, and my peers, some of whom I was not very familiar with, would send me messages, and all of this made me feel like Meriden never stopped caring for me. I am an international student but Meriden is like a warm and big family to me.”
Even with the enthusiastic support of the Meriden community, Yennis’ journey was lonely and difficult at times, requiring an extreme, sustained level of focus and determination.
“For me, my classmates are one of the driving forces for learning and I missed being in the classroom with my peers as we cheered for each other and worked toward the same goal. At times, I felt anxious about the process of self-directed study but the experience of overcoming these difficulties has made me more independent.”
Yennis is planning to study film production at university and has just produced her first micro film.
The Meriden community congratulates Yennis on her success which was brought about by her commitment to her education and to her goals. There is no doubt that her determination and strength of character will see her achieve her dreams.