Back to blackfriars old scholar international student Eddie Cui

Back in 2006, when Blackfriars’ International Student Program was in its infancy, a young Yu Chen (Eddie) Cui relocated from China to join our school community.

He was among 10 international students – the majority from China – to graduate from Blackfriars in 2007.

Over the past 17 years, Mr Cui has lived in various locations around the world, but he has always felt a connection to Blackfriars.

Now working as a lawyer in Beijing, Mr Cui this month visited the school for the first time since his graduation.

Eddie Cui (BPS’07) with International Students Program Officer Angela Honner during his recent visit to Blackfriars.

Touring the school with International Students Program Officer Angela Honner and English as a Second Language Coordinator Linda Harvey – who both worked with the international boys in 2007 – Mr Cui reminisced on his “very happy” years at Blackfriars.

“Back in 2006, home felt much more far away than it does today because of the limitation of internet technology and, of course, fewer Chinese restaurants in city. So, I remembered I struggled with homesickness when I just arrived,” said Mr Cui, who also spent some time during his visit talking with the current international student cohort.

“But one thing I loved about Blackfriars was how inclusive and culturally welcoming it was. The school did a great job to ensure students from all backgrounds feel included and understood.

“Thanks to the care from school staff, including Ms Honner and Ms Harvey, I soon settled in and began to feel that Adelaide and Blackfriars had become a second home.”

After graduating from Blackfriars, Mr Cui moved to England where he gained a degree in finance. He then returned to China to work for Deloitte as an auditor.

But he soon grew tired of numbers and spreadsheets and quit his job, moving to Hong Kong to work in public relations for a media company.

Deciding he “needed to explore something more” in his life, he returned to study, with plans to become a lawyer in China.

After years of hard work, Mr Cui – who has also lived in Denmark – passed the national judicial examination in 2020 and started work as an apprentice lawyer. He now works for a Beijing-based firm, specialising in international law and labour.

Eddie Cui was among the first international students to attend Blackfriars in the mid-2000s.

He said coming back to Blackfriars after so many year years felt “surreal”.

“Walking through the familiar yards and seeing young schoolboys still wearing same uniform was a deeply sentimental moment for me,” he said.

“I was happy to see how much the school had developed and been renovated since I graduated. And, of course, the highlight of my visit was the reunion with Ms Harvey and Ms Honner. Seeing them again brought back so many warm memories.”

He said his time at Blackfriars was a “truly rewarding experience in my life”.

“My advice to any international boys considering Blackfriars is simple: it’s the perfect choice.”

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