Oliver MacPherson has always been fascinated by history, language and culture.
His mini thesis for year 12 was on Mongolian emperor Genghis Khan – what would have happened if the Mongols had managed to get through to Europe? What would the world look like if the west wasn’t the “dominant power”?
It was this fascination with world affairs that prompted Oliver to go on exchange, through the Southern Cross Cultural Exchange program, to a small town in France for a year.
“I’d initially hoped to go to England, but learning a new language is something that I knew would, hopefully, be very beneficial in later life,” the Toolern Vale teenager says.
“Learning the language of another country, and the way they phrase their words helps you understand who the people are.
“The French won’t say they’re going to another country. They’ll say, ‘When will you be in this country? When will you be immersed in this country?’,” he said. Oliver, 16, finished year 12 last year with an 85.55 ATAR. He was 15 years old, for the most part.
And while he says he wasn’t “intellectually challenged” by being two years younger than his classmates throughout secondary school, making friends had been a bit of a challenge.
He plans to study a Bachelor of Arts on his return, with hopes of becoming a fantasy or science fiction author or a historian.
“I want to understand a lot more about the world,” Oliver says.
Gorton MP Brendan O’Connor last week gave Oliver an Australian flag for his hosts.
“Oliver is a remarkable young man … I look forward to following what the future holds for him.”
Details of the Southern Cross Cultural Exchange program are at scce.com.au.
