GRADE 12D - DR. DAVIES

Grade 12d - dr. darryl davies TA - Ms. Anna Wu

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I have been attending an IST school since I was in the 10th grade. It was very difficult to adapt to a new environment with a different atmosphere from Korea, and I was at a loss what to do in the future. Because I was not good at English and couldn't understand classes because of language problems, my grades were always low. However, thanks to the help of many teachers and friends, I was able to follow the class well, and thanks to the encouragement and understanding of me, I was able to adapt to this new environment. What I want to say to IST students is that if you have any difficulties at school, don't try to solve them alone, and if you need help, ask your teacher for help and ask questions if you don't know. Teachers always help us solve problems and present us with solutions, so it will be much easier to solve them. After graduating from this school, I will attend a Korean university. Thanks to all the encouragement and help for me, I was able to come this far and I hope everyone does well.

I came to IST since grade 8. I transferred from Wellington international school in Tianjin. For me, IST is a place where I met true friends and inspiring teachers. When I first came to IST, I really liked the studying environment and student’s passion, it provided me with motivation to move forward, closer to my dream. All friends and teachers helped me to work collaboratively, and I was able to learn the importance of collaboration and communication. I have made so many invaluable memories at IST. For me, everyday lunch time was my best time to spend with my close friends. I enjoyed eating lunch with my friends, and playing table-football. Furthermore, I specially thank all of my friends in grade 12 since they were my inspiration and motivation to endlessly improve. After graduating from IST, I will study concept art, VR technology and 3D modeling animation in California. I desire to be one of the influencing designers in future game and film industries. I believe my memories with friends and teachers inspired me to be an artist.

When I graduate, I would have been in IST for 6 years and 18 years in China. I’ve spent my entire life in China, first growing up in Shanghai then coming to Tianjin. I grew up first in Shanghai, moved only after a few weeks after my birth. I studied in an international kindergarten school and then I studied in SSIS from grade 1 to 6. After I graduated grade 6, I moved to Tianjin and I’ve been here ever since. For most of my life, I felt lonely. I lived in a foreign country where I didn’t want to talk to strangers in a different language, lived far from most people (and my parent’s fear of letting me play outside in a foreign country) and studied in an international school. Sure, it’s great to meet people in an international school, but at a certain point it starts to become tiring. Losing a friend almost every year or two years wasn’t fun and what’s worst is that my older brother manage to have lots of friends who has been with him since grade 2. I felt jealous of that mostly because I wanted a group of friends.

So, for me, my favourite experience in IST has been any moments with my friends. Having fun in the STUCO events like the formal or fright night. Joking around during study period, eating lunch with friends and whatever friends do. IST has given me what I always wanted, a family of friends that I can talk to, trust, and laugh with. Another side note, IST has also given me the chances or opportunities to discover myself and help me grow up. Very helpful and insightful teachers who has helped me become more organized and open-minded. After graduation, I hope to get into Hong Kong and study acting for film and TV. I don’t have any high expectations other than I hope I get to work on creative projects.

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I first came to IST at the beginning of Grade 9. I lived in South Korea before moving to China. On my first day of IST, I was so nervous and worried to adapt to unfamiliar environment and have new friends. However, classmates and my buddy genuinely helped me to be a part of IST community. I am so pleased to have great friends in IST. Although a journey of being IB diploma student was extremely tough and difficult, I really enjoyed various experiences including WWW, CAS, and MUN. The most memorable thing in IST is preparation of UN day performance. In grade 11, Me and my friend practiced fantastic dance with Korean traditional song called Zzarabbabba for 2 weeks. However, we eventually failed to pass UN day audition. We were so sad that we could not show our achievement to IST community. In Korean class, Ms. Kim thankfully gave us the opportunity to show off our beautiful dance moves to classmates. The classmates were hugely surprised about our dance and extolled us. To be honest, it was quite embarrassing but experience was still memorable to me.

After graduation, I would go back to South Korea and attend a Korean university to study media communication. I am excited to go to Japan trip with my friend Ga Eun because she saved her money during 2 years of the IB programme for this trip. With this money, we are going to Disney land and Akihabara to buy anime goods^^~!!

I came to IST at the start of the second semester of Grade 9. I lived in Korea before I moved to China. It was a terrifying experience to start a new chapter of my life in another country and it took me tears for about a year to adopt an entirely new environment. It was the hardest time in my journey, but it was valuable as it made me stronger than any other time. In the past years in IST, my most memorable moments are WWW trips and all the times that I spent with my friends hanging out, talking, and laughing. Even there are painful memories as well, I look forward to using those experiences as my strength to get through when I face other hurdles in my future. Through years at IST and living in China, I had an opportunity to widen my perspective on different cultures and people. After graduation, I will take a gap year to have a break time to focus on myself and find my passions and life's pursuits; then, I will continue my academic career at university to study illustration.

I came to IST in grade 10 semester 1. My first impression toward IST was that it is a very inclusive community where teachers and students can “Work, Learn, and Act Together”. Therefore, I felt really welcomed and wanted to be assimilated into this community quickly. Thanks to the help of my friends and teachers, I could have adapted to school very fast. Actually, adaptation time in IST was much faster than in previous schools. When I first entered the DP program, I had an ambivalence. I was excited that I am now one step closer to graduation, but was also afraid of many upcoming IAs, EE, TOK, and most importantly–the IB Final Exam. With all the supports from the teachers, coordinators, and TAs, I could have withstand the whole process of this rigorous IB program. Despite the hardships, I gained a lot by doing the IB Diploma. I believe that the gains would serve as a foundation for my growth in the future. The times I spent as a part of IST community were genuinely great. It was an honor to meet all the people and I will never forget the memories I had in IST. After the graduation, I am planning to major in business field in university.

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I came to this school when I was grade 9 in year 2018. Though there were some challenges, I could have successfully adapted to new school life here thanks to many friends and teachers who were always supportive and cheering me up. I have learnt how to interact and communicate with others in order to achieve goals as a member of IST community. One of the most memorable moments at IST was playing football with my friends during lunch. I could release most of stresses coming from harsh school work through running the pitch with friends. Also, other enjoyable moments with friends really helped me to go forward in the school life instead of giving up when I face challenges. I am planning to study culinary arts at one of universities either in USA or Australia. I hope everyone at IST to feel not too stressful and pressured for school works. Instead, enjoy your school that can be one of the best memories in your life.

Hi, I am Dongheon. I transferred from TGA to IST in 11th grade. As you know, each school has a different culture, and it was challenging for me to adapt to a new school. Fortunately, I met a lot of encouraging and positive friends and teachers who supported me to adapt quickly to IST. I believe IST is a great community where students can do various activities to increase their interest. It also provides students with many opportunities in terms of studying. My best memory at IST is when I finished my EE even though I failed countless of experiments and my one-month of work became meaningless. It is because I was able to learn a lot from this experience, such as designing experiments “explicitly” and overcoming frustrating moments. (Shout out to Ms. Chuah) Currently, I am planning to study in Hong Kong, and I am looking forward to achieving my vision in the future. Wish me the best of luck.

I came to IST when I was in grade 3. Life at this school was completely different from where I was in Korea in terms of the education system, culture, and language. However, I was able to adapt well because teachers helped me from A to Z that couldn’t speak any English. Now, the class of 2022 has been supporting me to go through the IB for 2 years where there were many times when I felt overwhelmed and anxious.

My favorite thing about IST is that I gained diverse experiences that I wouldn’t have obtained if I stayed in Korea. For example, I explored different places around China through Week Without Walls. During those times, I built healthy relationships with my classmates and learn how to be more independent. I also participated in various sports and musical experiences. Despite having all these things, my best memory here at IST is hanging around with my friends during recess. I plan to study in Korea, not exactly knowing what I will be studying. I would want to study something related to biology and chemistry and become a person who can help improve society become a little happier.

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Salutatorian

Greetings! I’m Dong Wan, Andy. I came to IST in April 2017. Being a student in IST is a very special and exceptional change to have in life. It does not only provide international comprehension of the world, but also it grants academic success (whatever it could be). IST is a school where my dream has begun and my breakthrough progression has been made. In IST, I have succeeded in numerous achievements and experienced lots of extraordinary things. Additionally, I have encountered Stephen Hawking through a book fair in IST which led me to jump into dreaming of becoming an astronomer. Good memories, of visiting Beijing and Macao for HS football, running for Assistant Treasurer and President of Secondary Student Council, STEM action group leader, participating in MUN, and so on. Those were both mentally and physically demanded. For instance, I had to present a StuCo survey in front of whole secondary students, which was quite nervous. However, I ended up completing and learning from them. Another great memory was the first goal in a competitive ACAMIS football game. I still remember that time. Those activities helped me to grow and mature. Those spectacular and vivid experiences were truly valuable. Also, WWWs and several group work created meaningful memories with my peers. I will not forget what IST had offered to me. It has been a glorious time to attend IST and be inspired. My great experience in IST cannot be achieved without teachers and friends. I would like to give great thanks to the teachers and staff who helped me go through a rough IB diploma. I cannot forget my beloved family members who sacrificed for my presence in IST. I am extremely grateful for attending this school and I am anticipating more bright and more meaningful future.

I came to the IST when I was in ninth grade. When I first arrived at school, I couldn't adapt to the school environment. Since I was familiar with the Korean school system, it took me a lot of time to adapt to international schools. Nevertheless, I was able to adapt well to this school with the consideration of my friends and teachers. For me who didn't know English, they helped me whenever I didn't know something and helped me keep using English. And the teachers understood my situation and helped me a lot. After graduating from this school, I will go to university in Korea. What I want to say to the students who will graduate this school in the future is to ask for help whenever you need it. situations don't change even if you can't solve the problem and have a hard time alone. Just as I've been helped by so many people, there are people everywhere to help you. So I hope you work hard and do well.

I came to IST at the end of eighth grade. Before then, I always belonged to Korean community, attending Korean schools and forming relationships only within my cultural sphere. Since I am a type of person that avoids new change in life, I struggled a lot at first in order to adapt to this new, international environment. However, learning to share my own ideas in a diverse and inclusive environment, I realized that being at IST gave me an opportunity to know myself better as an individual learner, which would be a valuable lesson for the rest of my life. One of the most memorable moments at IST was when I attended Model United Nations for the first time. It was the first feasible experience of sharing internationally minded opinions and perspectives with each other, dealing with real world issues. I was challenged to demonstrate problem-solving skills and cooperation skill, which I think helped me develop a more flexible mind. At that time, I got to be the only delegate working on my issue and thus had to fight a lonely battle being a main and co submitter, which was really stressful since I am an inborn introvert. But when I received the improvement award in my committee, I felt like all my efforts was paid off. THEN After graduation, I am planning to go to a Korean university. I still haven’t firmly made up my mind on what I want to do for living, but I think I am willing to study more about biomedical research or medical technology.

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I came to IST in grade 7 and upon arriving I barely knew any English and I never even left Europe. Despite this I was able to overcome this barrier solely because of the IST community. Since I arrived, my teachers have always been incredibly supportive and allowed me to learn and develop. However, I think that I am even more grateful for the support which I have received from my friends, many of whom have left by now, yet still had a lasting impact on me. By just talking and engaging through a common language I was able to make improvements not only academically, but I have been able to learn about new cultures and make friends from around the world. Even though I am still uncertain about my future and where I will end up once day, the thing that I will cherish the most is the memories I have made through the athletics program at IST. Coming from a background of strictly football, it was enlightening to be able to learn new sports and then go on to compete at ACAMIS. Being able to forget about school and focus on a common goal has allowed me to connect closer with my teammates and coaches. Especially, after being shy in grade 9 and being intimidated by having to play with and against students which were up to three years older than me, it has allowed me to become more engaged with my teammates. I guess my desire to find any excuse to not work on school has paid off after all. As I have been historically bad at planning and packing for trips at the last minute, it might come as no surprise that I am not sure where I will be in the distant future. The one thing I do know is that I want to pursue a bachelor in psychology and continue my passion for working with others. While I don’t know how exactly this will look like, I wouldn’t mind it ending with me at a beach house with my closest friends and a few cars couldn’t hurt either.

I first came to IST in Grade 7, and was worried about adapting to the new environment because it was my first time attending an international school and I didn’t speak English fluently. However, my classmates and teachers helped me a lot with improving my English skills and being inclusive in the IST community. After one semester passed, I could feel I became a part of the IST community. My favorite memory of IST is the WWW trip to Inner Mongolia during Grade 10. It was my last WWW and I had many funniest memories with my classmates. I will never forget eating hot pot because it was the only food that I could eat among the Chinese local foods. Also, the activities that I did during WWW such as planting trees, camel rides, and riding bikes made me get closer with friends that I didn’t close before. Another favorite memory is the geography field trip to Dabei Buddhist Monastery because even though I went there to do my IA survey, I enjoyed traveling to the new area with classmates and it helped me with releasing the stress about IB. When I was young, I wanted to become an architect because I was interested in mathematics and design. However, as I grew up, I became more interested in other areas that are related to mathematics. After graduation, I will go back to Korea to study mathematics, computer science, or electrical engineering. I hope to become a data scientist or electrical engineer in the future.

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I first came to IST when I was in grade 7. I spent my whole life in one country and one city before moving to China. As I had never imagined myself living outside this comfort zone, I was both worried and excited to create memories with new people. I am so glad that met with a lot of wonderful people and learned so much from them while attending IST for six years. The most impressive memory at IST was a grade 10 WWW to Inner Mongolia. We installed a tent and spent a night in the desert. That night, the wind was so strong. My tentmate called me while I was sleeping, worrying that our shoes are blown off by the wind. However, I was so sleepy and pretended like I did not hear her. Sorry Hye Won^^ Another memory was preparing for the UN day audition. Hye Won and I prepared a dance with two songs “Jjara BbaBba” and “Blowin’ in the Mind”. We were full of enthusiasm and practiced every day even during the weekend. We also prepared the national flag of Korea, sunglasses, and costumes to enhance the quality of our performance. We showed an THEN amazing performance at the audition. Unfortunately, we failed the audition. It would have been good if we passed the audition, but it still remains one of my favorite experiences. I have always enjoyed geography class since grade 11 and planning for further in-depth study about geography at university. I would like to say thank you to IST, teachers, friends, parents, and finally Jiang Cheng for supporting and trusting me unconditionally.

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I came to IST in the first semester of grade 9. Courses using English were conflicting to what I have been studying for the past 8 years as I had attended 8 years of Chinese school. Everything was unfamiliar yet exciting to learn and work together with friends and teachers, as IST was the best school among the schools that I have ever attended. IB was a challenging experience, disappointment, frustration, a sense of helplessness was present throughout the time. However, it was indeed a valuable and a memorable time to have successes after. The main lesson that I learned is that the time won’t stop, the one who pause and hesitate to move on is you, and there is always another way to go around the obstacle, so keep on. When I was young, I always wanted to be a veterinarian because I liked animals. All of my families encouraged me to do so, thus I worked hard to reach my goal. Even though I may fail entering the major of veterinary science, I have a next plan which is taking biochemistry major in South Korea. I will continue with my study in South Korea, and I will try my best to have a good achievement.

It has been an incredibly long journey. I came to IST when I was in grade 11, and before then, I went to schools in UAE, South Korea, Canada, and two different schools in China. Not only my friends around me, but my schools’ nationalities also varied. I attended three British schools, a Korean school, a Canadian school, and a Chinese school ending up in IST. I was too nervous in my entrance exam, and my hands were full of sweat. I still remember sitting on the blue sofa in front of Mr. Moody’s office. I took a deep breath and played this colouring game that my friend recommended to me to relax myself before the exam. Well, I guess I have to thank that game and my friend. It actually helped me to calm down, and I got in. Grade 11 was the period when I had to start a new chapter of my life. It was my transition from IGCSE to IBDP in a new school. I will never forget the moments in DP fitness where everyone was betraying each other and breaking alliances just after crossing fingers. That was so hilarious that I learned dodgeball is the game portraying international relationships. It was such a great experience to participate in Healing Young Hearts and make storybooks for them with my fabulous classmates. I will really miss the moments with my friends chatting in the senior lounge, talking about life, sprinkling water to each other with the sprayer in the black box while ‘working’ on IAs, and walking in the track during DP fitness. I just want to thank all my friends and teachers who supported me in giving the best out of me in terms of academics and making me a mature person. I especially want to thank my friend In Kyu Choi, who has not attended IST but has still been a tremendous spiritual mainstay during my life in IST. I plan to study sociology or history back in South Korea, and I am both nervous and excited to write a new page of my life. This is the end of my wild 12 years of student life.

Valedictorian

A long but short 12 years has past. Graduation always felt like something far away, something that I would do in the very far future. First entering this school in 2010, it feels unreal that I am leaving this school to take the next step in my academic career. Reflecting back on the last 12 years, my times in elementary school were filled with playful events, and those are the times that I miss the most. Everyday I came to school without any stress, just willing to have fun. I have to thank my amazing elementary teachers for making my elementary school life a one in a lifetime experience. During secondary, there are so many memories that I can not possibly list everything down. I particularly enjoyed being in the ACAMIS volleyball and badminton team and also being a student translator. Whether it was academic or non-academic, there were moments of joy, but also times of disappointment. The last 6 years genuinely felt like a rollercoaster, and I still wonder how I went through all that. I would like to specially thank the Stücker family for providing me with great mental and academic support during my hardest times, despite being 7583km away. After graduation, I am planning to go to the UK and study aeronautics, astronautics and spacecraft engineering. It is a bittersweet feeling, bitter because of my farewell with the school I have been for almost my entire academic career, but also sweet because I have got an exciting future that I can certainly look upon to. Until next time, farewell IST!

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Firmly grasping the hands of his mother, a young boy, who flew into China just a few days ago from the United States, tensely looked around the new school he will attend in a few weeks. During the winter break of 2015, as a 5th grade student, I was introduced to IST as my new school. However, after a short 6-month semester, I was off to another school under my parents’ decisions. It wasn’t until 5 years later I reintroduced myself to this school’s staff members and the IST community during the entrance exams. Reminiscing the very first time I visited this school, I diligently worked through every step of the admission process and was able to return to the first “home” that brought me in when I first arrived at China. A junior in high school now, it felt a tad bit weird and nostalgic to just step my foot again onto this campus during the new student orientation day. As the campus was basically unchanged since I left back in the day, it naturally brought back the good, embarrassing, and funny memories I had as a 12-year-old in this school, which were made further crystal clear when I met and chatted with my homeroom teacher back then. I was now ready to settle myself into this wonderful school community and environment again, making myself home until graduation. With about 2 months left until the actual graduation, as I look back to my 2-year experience of attending IST as one of the oldest students, I want to describe it as an eventful journey, possibly a roller coaster. The highs and lows of my time at IST could be recalled acutely, but the overall experience was full of inspiring and exciting moments. I was able to take a big step out of my comfort zone and try singing in front of the whole IST community during the UN day in grade 11 and take part in extracurricular activities as a leader, like starting my own journalism club “Word by Word”. The IB Diploma also troubled me a few times, especially close to the IA and EE deadlines, but this was also a learning experience for me at the end of the day. In the following years, I will most likely continue my academic career at UAE, attending NYU Abu Dhabi, studying business or economics, hopefully entering the banking industry as a grown-up. But it is certain that I will never forget all the fun memories that I accumulated as a proud IST student and will live forever as an IST graduate.

Avon Gao

Claire Dischinger

Mickey Yang Missy Agnie Azcutia Bae Eunsu Lisa Bollini Evan Charue Fan Nova Ding Alice Li

Gavin Niu Heidi Springer William Su Priscilla Tang Ryan Tang Beata Ungermanova

Hardy Wang Isabelle Williams Oliver Yang Zaki Chaudhry Madeleine Thorns Michel Woehl-Bruhn