The spotlight was on Niagara Catholic’s International Students department at the May 12 Committee of the Whole meeting, sharing great news about the program’s success.
After a few challenging years for international travel after the pandemic, Fred Wilson, Niagara Catholic’s Administrator of International Students, brought a presentation to the board sharing that the number of international students enrolled at Niagara Catholic schools increased by an overall 22 per cent over the 2024-2025 school year, including a 58 per cent increase in fee-paying students. In all, 1,099 international students were served by the International Students program this year.
The best part of the presentation was the testimonials from five international students who spoke about how important the program is to them.
“Joy Hwang: Saint Michael Class of 2026, South Korea
“I was here for three weeks’ program in 2023 winter – and I had a really good time in school – it was very welcoming and the energy was so good … so I went back to Korea for Korean high school, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about it so I came back September of that year (Grade 10).”
Joy was recently recognized with an Ontario Volunteer Service Award and plans to attend Niagara College Events Management/Business Development.
Dhosef Rafael da Silva Santos, Holy Cross, Grade 11, Brazil
“It has been an adventure every single day, it’s like a daydream, because it’s actually happening in reality. I keep saying that it’s just like the movies that I watched when I was a kid, and that when someone asked me how it’s going in Canada, I think that’s the easiest way to describe it to them. I chose HC because it was the most beautiful and largest one among the others to be honest, and I also liked how encouraged the students were to get into sports, to get into clubs, and to get into school events.”
Ainara Vicente Medrano, Saint Paul Catholic High School Class of 2026, Spain
“I have to say, being here these two years made me super mature. I feel like in a different way, meeting people from other cultures, made me feel an open mind, at the same time, I felt really comfortable at STP – it was just staff there, teachers, students – they are all really lovely, it was like a small family for me. They are always in my heart … I just wanted to say thank for everyone to give me that opportunity to be here and feel like home, even though my home is on the other side of the world.”
Emmanuele Marino, Saint Michael Catholic High School Class of 2026, Italy
“I think that the best part of being here and the most like helpful part for me is my friends. I found really good people here. They’re different from my country. I feel like here people are more warm, they help you here, they are more friendly … I really appreciate that I had this opportunity b/c I think that it’s not for everyone, this opportunity, but since I was young, I felt really tied to my country and my family, but I wanted to you know, go around the world and see how other countries and cultures work together.”
Izzy Wong, Saint Paul Catholic High School Class of 2018, Hong Kong
“When I arrived here, I remember being really nervous, and just having the fear of not being able to fit in. And all that negative feeling sort of just went away when I felt really motivated and encouraged by a lot of the teachers to get involved, and so I got involved in the music department right away. And being surrounded by loving and welcoming people, it just helped me a lot and helped me through the heartache.”
If you are interested in welcoming a student into your family for the 2026-2027 school year, please contact Niagara Catholic’s International Students program by phone at 905.682.3360 ext. 204, or online at niagaracatholicinternational.ca