Former CAHS sophomore Phoebe Hatten is no stranger to uprooting her life and moving internationally. In 2008, Phoebe’s family up and moved from their homeland of Queensland, Australia to the United States of America. Now they’ve done the move all over again—in reverse. Presently, they are living on Bribie Island, Queensland, Australia in the home of Phoebe’s grandma, where there is an +18 hour time difference from the Western United States.

Before the move back, Phoebe had been a student at the Classical Academies for 2½ years. “It wasn’t a very long time attending [CAHS] but the experience was enough for a love song,” she said. Phoebe explained how many different emotions were on her mind when she found out about the move back, from the excitement of being reunited with Australian family, to the heartache of leaving behind friends who “became family.”

I was fortunate enough to be able to talk to Phoebe about the move after struggling to tie down an interview for weeks due to the time difference, the native Aussie commented on how grateful she is for all of those in her life that she can lean on for support: “Of course my family +* #pattycakefam2kinfinity (Rebecca Rossi, Emily Coffey, Erin Collins, Michael Coffey, Carson Goettsch, Riley Sherlock, and Gage Auge).”

She went on to explain further how no matter the struggle, or the difficulty, she looks towards Jesus in times of distress. “Yes, it stinks a lot and it’s really hard saying goodbye, but my eyes are on Jesus Christ who loves so completely that He will not let His children drown in the storm; that when a mountain of fear and anxiety of the future is pushed in front of us, it will be thrown into the midst of the sea.”

Even through the twists and turns of this sudden displacement, Phoebe, a well-known former CAHS Dance Team member, isn’t going to let anything get between her and her fine-footedness. “The only reason I dance is for Christ and He is everywhere. Also, dance isn’t a new thing for Australia so I will simply find a rad studio.” Faith in Jesus and the use of her talents for Him are what help this dancer get through life.

“1 Peter 1:7 says, ‘…the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and [honor] at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’’ Phoebe reflects on how this passage accurately fits into her life and what truth she draws from it. “This is what has gotten me through. His love. His peace is more than anything.”

When asked about her family’s future plans, and whether or not they plan on returning to the USA, Phoebe had a few thoughts: “My family and I believe that wherever we end up, it is for the best. We trust God and His plans. The future is full of opportunities, so I’m living in the moment. We’ll see what happens??*” This was followed by the opportunity to share a message with the friends and family here in the States, to which she replied with a short but sweet answer: “If you need anything just hit me up at 1800-yourmomlingbling?*  and keep workin on that E cord;) thank you guys for letting me in a family and for being a part of my American Dream! I’ll see you soon!”
*the assorted textual additions were due to the use of various forms of social media during the interview