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Teen who was locked out of Australia for the past two years, dealt with 5:30am starts AND bad internet while living with her grandmother is called DUX from her Sydney school
- Colleen Gao studied for two years at a school in Sydney from China during Covid
- Ms. Gao was on vacation at her grandmother’s apartment when the borders closed
- She continued her studies online at Burwood Girls High School from Shanghai
- After two years of waking up every day at 5:30 am for school, she got a dux
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An 18-year-old student who was trapped in China during Covid, more than 7,000 km from her school in Sydney, has received a dux from her class.
Colleen Gao was vacationing in Shanghai at her grandmother’s apartment when countries around the world closed their borders at the start of the Covid pandemic.
Ms. Gao was enrolled as an international student at Burwood Girls High School, an outback public school, and was determined that the distance would not affect her studies.
As of February 2020, she woke up at 5:30am every school day to attend her classes in real time.
Colleen Gao (above) studied for two years at Burwood Girls High School from her grandmother’s apartment in Shanghai, China
Ms. Gao got the dux from her school (above) after waking up at 5:30am every school day to attend her classes at her school in Sydney from China
She initially said she was “confused and stressed” by her situation.
‘The science teachers zoomed in on an iPad so I could see the class. My other teachers provided the work on Google Classroom and I asked my classmates about the assigned work,” she told the Daily telegram.
“Out of all the help, support and the online classes my school offered, I wanted to keep my grades to show them that it works.”
What was intended as a temporary fix soon became Ms. Gao’s norm, with the young student maintaining her vigorous routine for two years.
While studying in Sydney from Shanghai, Ms. Gao completed two Mathematics HSC tests as a Year 11 student.
Ms. Gao said she would use Zoom, Google Classroom and communication with teachers and classmates to keep up to date with her studies from more than 7,000 km away (pictured, Ms. Gao is studying from home)
Ms. Gao was grateful to Burwood Girls High School (above) staff for helping her continue her studies from China during Covid lockdowns
She was able to take them along with another HSC student from an Australian government office in China.
She said one of the hardest things during her extended lockdown, aside from a poor internet connection, was the distance from her Australian friends.
“Being away from people was the biggest challenge for me. I’m quite introverted so I didn’t approach them. We wouldn’t talk unless we had some work to do,” Colleen said.
In the coming weeks, Ms. Gao will complete her HSC tests for English as another language, biology and chemistry.
Ms. Gao earned dux from Burwood Girls High School based on her existing grades, demonstrating her determination and commitment to learning.
She said she hopes to study sports science or medicine at university next year.
Ms. Gao (above) said she hopes to study sports science or medicine at university next year