The programme allows students to attend school in Hong Kong for a week, with weekends spent exploring the city and its many attractions, with Hong Kong Disneyland a popular highlight. As part of the reciprocal exchange, students also host their partners at Dio, with Hong Kong students due to visit in August. Careful scheduling ensured participants did not miss lessons at home.
The host school organised a range of after-school activities, enabling students to immerse themselves in local culture, food and music while building independence and confidence, often through their first experience travelling without family.
Students described the exchange as both exciting and transformative. Kalie Chan reflected that living with a host family she had never met was initially challenging but ultimately helped her build independence and step outside her comfort zone. Having grown up in Hong Kong, she also gained a new appreciation for differences in teaching styles, noting that while academic content there can be more demanding, Dio places strong emphasis on balance and life skills. She says the experience left her feeling more confident and open-minded, encouraging future applicants to embrace the opportunity for both personal and academic growth.
For Lola Gordon, the experience felt like “organised chaos,” with the pace and crowds of Hong Kong creating an unforgettable environment. While leaving family behind was daunting, she quickly adapted, finding similarities between Dio and DGS alongside academic challenges. The trip broadened her horizons and sparked a strong desire to travel more in the future. Her advice to students considering the exchange is simple: throw yourself into every opportunity, be open and confident, and embrace the experience fully. Friendships formed during the exchange, she says, feel like gaining family.
Alyssa Burrows was surprised by how quickly she adapted, finding herself too busy enjoying new experiences to feel homesick. She noticed clear differences in school life, including larger class sizes and more compact learning spaces. The exchange strengthened her confidence and independence and reinforced her love of travel. She encourages future students to apply, describing the friendships formed and cultural experiences gained as life-changing.
Jadelyn Hoy Fong described the exchange as both challenging and deeply rewarding, particularly adjusting quickly to a new environment, language differences, and unfamiliar routines. Stepping outside her comfort zone to communicate with new people and try new experiences helped her grow in confidence and independence. She noticed that school life in Hong Kong felt faster paced and more structured, with cultural traditions such as students standing and bowing at the start of lessons, yet she found the students welcoming and hardworking. The experience strengthened her interest in future overseas travel and study, and she encourages others to apply, saying the friendships formed and personal growth gained make the experience unforgettable and well worth taking on.
Following overwhelmingly positive feedback, the exchange will return in 2027, with plans to expand opportunities so more students can participate and potentially extend the programme’s duration.
