It Is easy to feel a little jaded with the state of world affairs at the moment.
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Headlines around the world have people collectively shaking their head.
The latest out of America on Tuesday was new American President Donald Trump sacking his acting Attorney-General Sally Yates over her refusal to support a ban on Muslim immigration.
The Trump directive around immigration has thrown the world into disarray.
Yet if we look closely in our own backyard we have a lot to be a positive about.
At every turn in our community there are glowing examples of how migrants have added vastly to the rich fabric that is the Illawarra region.
The Illawarra has been built by migrant families and it in turn has made the culture of this place rich, diverse and prosperous.
Sure, we are not without examples which we as a local community need to continue to progressively work through as was seen recently in a bashing outside a local mosque.
Yet we act quickly to heal and move forward as a community when those things happen.
Our front page of the Illawarra Mercury on Wednesday, February 1, 2017, features the smiling faces of three young migrant students.
Faces captured so beautifully by our photographer Adam McLean.
Our University of Wollongong Joel Ritchie Scholarship winner and intern Olivia Gee shares with us their stories of making the most of their new home and the school which they are able to attend.
Students at Five Islands Secondary College Khouloud Altinawi, Nasrin Auayoub and Alaa Abouzamer were welcomed into our region escaping the conflict in their homeland of Syria in 2014.
Principal of Five Islands Secondary College Jenny Flowers said the students have come a long way with the support of the school and the school’s approach is clearly working.
“The college is all about building really positive relationships with our students,” Ms Flowers told the Illawarra Mercury.
Sounds like a sensible approach.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if this was the approach by global politics?
The world might just end up in a better place.
Thanks to the three students for their time and we hope you like your front page.
We at the Illawarra Mercury thought it came up trumps.