For Year 10 student Ike Finlayson, joining Xavier College at the start of 2025 has already opened doors to experiences that will shape the way he sees himself, his community, and the wider world.
As a boarder at Xavier from Albury, NSW, Ike has embraced the opportunities available across the College, including his selection in the 2026 Global Leaders Program, a highly selective transdisciplinary experience for just ten Year 10 and 11 students.
The Global Leaders Program combines history, politics, debate, leadership and global engagement, encouraging students to explore one central question: what does it mean to be a young leader in 2026?
Across seminars, preparation sessions, international travel and meetings with global figures, students are challenged to become the best version of themselves and to inspire those around them to do the same.
In 2026, students will travel through Rome, Brussels, Paris and London. The itinerary will include major historical and cultural sites, as well as meetings with senior members of the Catholic Church, ambassadors, academics at Oxford University, philanthropists and CEOs. Students will also visit partner Jesuit schools, attend classes and take part in debates with their peers, deepening their understanding of leadership within a global Jesuit context.
For Ike, the opportunity reflects the advice he received before starting at Xavier: to embrace everything the College offers.
“Everyone I have talked to before starting has said embrace everything that the school offers because it’s what makes the school so great,” Ike said.
He has already found great value in the program’s pre-departure seminars, led by Mr Will Stefano, Xavier’s Head of Debating and Public Speaking and Global Leaders Program Leader. These sessions have explored topics including the European Union, historical religious divisions, leadership theory and the skills students will need when debating with Jesuit peers overseas.
“The seminars that Mr Stefano takes time out of his day to run are so informative and will make the trip so much better and more meaningful,” Ike said.
Mr Stefano said Ike was selected from a highly competitive pool because of his maturity, curiosity and willingness to challenge himself.
“Ike is a highly mature, intelligent and engaged student who has a natural curiosity to learn and be the best version of himself,” Mr Stefano said. “Out of a highly selective pool, he stood out not only for his innate qualities, but also his clear recognition that he has so much to learn and his desire to challenge himself through an experience such as the Global Leaders Program.”
The program follows the success of the 2025 tour to the east coast of the United States, where students visited Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC. That experience included debates at Boston College, visits to partner Jesuit schools Fordham Prep and Gonzaga High, and a meeting with James Larsen, Australian Ambassador to the United Nations.
For Ike, the 2026 tour will also mark his first time travelling overseas.
“I’m incredibly excited to travel overseas for the first time, and I couldn’t imagine sharing the experience with a better group of people,” he said.
Ike’s experience also highlights the strength of Xavier’s Boarding program. He describes boarding as “one of the best things that has ever happened to me”, saying it has helped him “realise who I was and who I wanted to be”.
His favourite part is simple: “The people I get to share the great grounds with.”
Within the Boarding House, Ike has found a supportive environment where staff take a genuine interest in students’ lives, achievements, and growth.
“The boarding staff are really focused on getting around success or notable things around school and outside,” he said.
For students from regional, rural and interstate communities, Xavier Boarding provides access not only to a caring home away from home, but also to the full breadth of opportunities available at the College. Programs such as Global Leaders give students like Ike the chance to develop confidence, build friendships, explore their interests and consider how they might contribute to the world beyond school.
While Ike is still considering his future, he is currently drawn to law because of its potential to help others. He believes the Global Leaders Program will support him well beyond the classroom.
“I think it will help me when I am in the workspace because of all of the different styles of leadership and the skills I can keep in mind when working with other people and potentially helping co-workers,” he said.
Through the Global Leaders Program, Xavier students are encouraged to look outward, think deeply and act with purpose. For Ike, it is an opportunity to grow as a student, a boarder and a young leader ready to make a meaningful contribution.
