Congratulations Louise Lin

Louise has been a highly effective and hugely generous contributor to her adoptive Dunedin community since she arrived in New Zealand in July, 2016. 

In her school community, Xulu is involved in peer support for junior students, peer tutoring for senior students, and is a junior Maths tutor. She is also on the international student committee, which meets once a month to discuss activities and support for international students. She is one of a group of highly committed and environmentally aware senior students who lead activities for Enviroschools, such as in her work clearing weeds and planting native flora on Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua and the Sinclair Wetlands. She is also working with Otago University on soil testing for our school garden, of her own initiative. Her environmental awareness and leadership skills were recognised after she had been on an intensive week-long ‘Waterwise’ programme, and was then asked to be a student representative when revising the programme. This included an intergenerational discussion with different and powerful stakeholders on water issues around Central Otago.

Xulu carries out extensive environmental work outside the school. Once a month she is one of the Orokonui Estuary Living Legend volunteers who plant and weed with DOC. She is also a DOC volunteer for War on Weeds, removing pest plants and helping to restore natural habitats, usually on Quarantine Island. She is an Environment Sub-committee member and a volunteer for the Youth Action Committee led by the Dunedin City Council, making sure that there is an active youth voice on environmental issues around Dunedin. She and a friend are contributing to the Marine Metre Square, in which they survey plants and animals on a local seashore and then upload the data to Otago University for their long-term monitoring.

Every Sunday Xulu is a gardening volunteer at the Dunedin Chinese garden, and she also helps our Chinese Garden with special events such as Chinese New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In the July school holidays last year, Xulu also volunteered to teach English in rural primary schools in Bali for a week. This shows the range of her concerns and generosity.