Karen Okabe

Moving abroad and joining an international school was a big change for me. It has exposed me to various types of cultures and enabled me to be more confident and independent. When I first arrived at XCL World Academy, I instantly felt welcomed, the teachers were kind and all the students were friendly”.

If you are looking for an international school in Singapore, I definitely recommend determining what you really want to do in future and what kind of learning environment you are looking for. I knew that I wanted to pursue an IB Diploma Programme in an international school with small-sized classes. After visiting XCL World Academy, I knew this school is perfect for me!

I have been a part of XCL World Academy for 3,5 years now and the school has given me some of the most precious memories and meaningful life lessons. On the first day of school, I was nervous and anxious, but at the same time, I was very excited to enter a whole new environment, have a great opportunity to study in an international school and meet students from different countries.

I was born in Germany and also lived in China and Japan prior to moving to Singapore. There are a lot of things that make XCL World Academy different from schools but the biggest difference is definitely the diversity of our school. XCL World Academy is a truly international school, we have students from 60+ nationalities. Every year the whole school community gathers together to celebrate a Cultural Day. Parents, students and teachers dress up in their national costumes and cook unique national dishes from all over the world. It is very exciting to see everyone united and celebrating our differences together.

Ever since I joined XCL World Academy, I felt a lot of encouragement and support from my teachers. They give me opportunities to challenge myself, learn new skills every single day, push my limits and achieve my goals. I remember I was always nervous to speak English in front of other people because I didn’t want to make mistakes or have the person I’m talking to not understand me. Teachers at XCL World Academy are highly qualified and I know they want us to succeed. They made me feel secure and small class sizes helped me to express myself without fear of judgement. As the number of students in each class is quite small, I know every single one of my classmates very well and it allows me to participate and communicate better in class. This kind of school environment allows us to learn more and build strong relationships with teachers and our peers. Today, I feel confident in speaking English at school and have a lot of friends.

My favourite class is Visual Arts and I enjoy expressing my emotions and thoughts through art. I am studying Visual Art as one of my Higher Level Diploma Programme subjects and dreaming about a creative career.

The school offers a great variety of afterschool activities. During the past couple of years, I tried playing different sports (touch rugby, netball, football and swimming), visual art, design and technology activities. I love playing sports and it has been an honour to represent our school in various competitions between international schools in Singapore. One of my last accomplishments at XCL World Academy that I will definitely look back to is a “U16 Touch Rugby Player of the Year” award. I am very passionate about this sport and managed to build strong relationships and friendships with my teammates.

The school has given me some of the most precious memories and meaningful life lessons. The most memorable part of my education at XCL World Academy is our trip to Cambodia. It was an unforgettable experience because not only we did sightseeing, but also did a lot of volunteering activities from building a water tank for the local community to teaching English to Cambodian children in a local school. The children we met there were very charming and welcoming. Although it has been more than a year, my friends and I often talk about how much we miss them and the experiences we have had.

All of the schools that I have attended in the past did not have teachers who are as determined as the teachers at XCL World Academy. Overall, this school offers a great variety of opportunities and helps students to get a head start to a successful career. That’s why I love this school!

Karen Okabe, Japanese
Class of 2021, Athlete & artist
Date: May, 2020