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A Picture
The Annual Holiday Bazaar T
he Holiday Bazaar is an annual December event (the 9th, 10th and 11th this year) where parents, alumni and students can buy all their holiday presents from more than 90 stands, and have a great time while they do it. The bazaar not only builds community spirit, it raises more than 150,000 pesos for the Fundación de Asistencia Educativa Irene Anzaldúa, which gives scholarships to students who otherwise would not be able to attend The American School. Another wonderful event we inaugurate this year is the Holiday Posada for ECC, LS and MS students and their parents. A big thank you to Fernanda Guerra and Jackie Perez for sponsoring this celebration.
of Success Allan Fis (’95) chose photography over chemical engineering, and rose to the top of his profession. By María José Magallanes, Alumni Relations Coordinator
An Educational Partnership: ASF and Fomento Educacional E
xecutive Director Paul Williams has been presented with a donation from Fomento Educacional for the construction of the future Angeles Espinosa Yglesias Theater on the ASF campus. We are most grateful for Fomento Educacional’s donation as well as all the support we have received over the years. Thank you, Fomento Educacional!
Horacio McCoy and Pedro Padierna unveil the plaque.
New Bleachers, Thanks to PepsiCo
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From left to right: Carlos Huerta, Margo Torres, Paul Williams, John Bruton and Diana Anhalt (’59).
t was a big night for the Bears football team and for ASF on November 6. Pedro Padierna, Sabritas region president, Horacio McCoy (‘57) and ASF Executive Director Paul Williams unveiled the plaque for the future “Vive Saludable by PepsiCo Bleachers” and offered some words to the crowd. The new bleachers will be built on the visitors’ side, while the existing home bleachers have been renamed the “Horacio McCoy Bleachers.” Horacio McCoy, along with his two sons, Mark McCoy (‘89) and Omar McCoy (‘92) and his grandson Felipe, an ASF student, started the game as quarterbacks in a ceremonial opening pass. We would like to thank all our generous donors who have contributed to the bleachers project: PepsiCo, Horacio McCoy, ASF Parent Association, Olvera-Liechty Family, Davis-Arakelian Family, Memorial Gifts in Honor of Tony Viele, Violet and Bob Perez, Eric Fisher, Alberto and Viviana Gomez, Thomas and Daniel Bello, José de Jesus Abizaid, Helga Klein, Kalach Family.
ASF Giving Program 2009-2010 T he American School Foundation presents its Giving Program for 2009-2010. We want to make certain all members of our community understand their giving options and the importance of supporting ASF on an ongoing basis. As a nonprofit institution, ASF relies on the generosity of community members like you to maintain ASF’s place as a world-class institution. We are at a vital time in the history of the school, as we seek to create a state-of-the-art campus and a scholarship program to take us into the next 120 years. We are enclosing pledge cards in this issue of Focus for your convenience. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
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llan Fis is one of the most recognized photographers in Mexico. He’s also a star in front of the camera, as one of the judges on “Mexico’s Next Top Model.” And it was at ASF, where he rose to become Student Council President, that his deep involvement with the lens began. Studying with teacher Tim Nash, Allan took every photography class he could at ASF. When there were no more left to take he enrolled at what today is the Centro de Imagen to further his photography studies —while still in high school. After graduating from ASF in 1995, even as a chemical engineering major at Universidad Iberoamericana, he continued to pursue his passion for photography at the Escuela Activa de Fotografia. In fact, he completed his advanced photography studies before he graduated from the Ibero. Following his dream to Paris, he became an assistant to the crème de la crème of fashion photography, working with Visionaire, Elle, Vogue and Giorgio Armani, among others. Once he returned to Mexico City to finish his engineering degree, Allan was confronted with a life decision —engineering or photography? Then 24, he had saved enough money to survive for a year, so he decided to give photos a try. “If my money ran out, I would focus on engineering,” Allan recalls. “A year went by and I survived.”
The years kept going by, and today Allan Fis is an established photographer, at the top of his profession. “I love my job,” he says. “Photography allows you to see things that the human eye cannot see for itself.” One of the things he sees is the parade of beautiful models on the television show “Mexico’s Next Top Model.” What’s it like working with Glenda Reyna, Joe Lance, Elsa Benítez and Oscar Madrazo? Fun, Allan says. His job is that of a judge, but of course he plans to be taking pictures of the contestants when the time is right. Allan insists that it’s no coincidence that so many ASF grads from his era have gone on to excel in the arts, naming, among others, Randy Ebright (‘95) from the band Molotov, Paul Banks (’96) from the band Interpol, Juan Cristóbal Cerrillo (’95), who composes classical music and Mauricio Katz (’95) who has worked with the director Alfonso Cuarón and writes screenplays.
And of course he is grateful for the opportunity that ASF offered him “If you take advantage of what ASF offers, you are going to stand out,” he says. “ASF gives its students the freedom to choose what they want to be. I remember the electives I took…from golf to cooking to shop to public speaking…we had fun while we learned. It is the closest thing to the real world. You graduate with individualism and leadership skills.” Allan keeps close ties with his alma mater. Recently he participated as a professional speaker at Career Day. One ASF student is doing an internship at his studio FIS FOTO. He has been working with ASF alumna Andrea Acuña (’01) since he was photography editor at Elle magazine. Natalia Esponda (’00) has been working at FIS FOTO as a freelance fashion coordinator. His message to ASF students: “Be true to yourself. If you have the chance to travel before studying your career, take it. Go around the world. If not, start working in something related to what you wish to study. It’s never too late to become what you want to be.” Allan Fis, it turns out, will be returning to the school next year... as an ASF parent. Allan Fis is well-known for his cover shots for major magazines.
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