Alexis de Bruin ’12 recently graduated from Bentley University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics-Finance. He travels between Europe and the United States. His father and brother are also TASIS graduates. There are so many things that make TASIS unique. Everyone who has set foot on the campus might list a different combination of a few dozen reasons that have shaped their time at the School. These experiences have helped us grow into the people we are today. When we first arrive on campus, we are all strangers, but by the end of our time at TASIS, we have this shared experience that others can’t understand.
to take care of themselves and end up in bad situations either academically or personally. For me and for many of my TASIS friends I’ve talked to, it was a very smooth transition. I’m also very appreciative of the opportunities I had to travel during my time at TASIS. My first TASIS trip was to Basel for a soccer tournament. I remember less about the actual tournament than I do of the five-hour bus ride and the stories and jokes we shared in the back of the bus or walking through Basel at night and eating sushi with my teammates. In Crans Montana, many memories remain, but one that Jorge, Swenson, Alejandro and I remember best is how to properly eat a fondue…the restaurant owner stormed in and lectured us for not first putting ground pepper and salt into the pot. We made sure to never make that mistake again!
There are many things that have shaped my experience at TASIS, though the two biggest ones have to be the friendships I made and the traveling I did. I believe that what we learn from others in the dorm, the education we receive outside the classroom, is the most underrated aspect of TASIS. Talking to others and learning from their experiences in their own countries or during their travels was an immense part of my education. There are countless examples of things I have learned from my classmates or friends on the soccer team that became important later in life. When many Americans head off to college, they don’t know how
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Even though my graduating class has split up to different parts of the world, we still have an uncanny ability to run into each other in random and distant places. We always bring up memories of TASIS and catch up on our current lives. I’m sure we will all meet up soon again and it’ll seem like no time has passed since our graduation. Until then…
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Victoria Haschke ’13 is an aspiring singer-songwriter who is in her third year at Bard College, studying Theater Performance and Italian Studies. It’s hard to hone in on only one TASIS memory. The five years I spent on the Collina d’Oro have become cherished moments in my life that have shaped who I am today. Ninth grade, however, was a very important year in my life. Lots of changes were happening around me and our campus finally opened its first theater and performance center. The inauguration weekend remains one of my most exciting and precious TASIS memories. Several alumni involved in the performing arts came to be a part of the celebration, and each one of them spoke at our school assembly. I remember listening and absorbing every word, heeding their
advice and finding comfort in our similarities, realizing that I too could one day make a life out of performing and using my creativity. I made new friends, particularly the wonderful Jeanie Cunningham ’75, whom I’ve been able to stay in touch with this whole time and share my music. Her friendship has meant a lot to me because she came into my life at a time when I really needed a “Big Sis,” and in moments of doubt, she has helped me in more ways than she knows. I also am so grateful to Jonathan Morris and Kay Hamblin. I was able to learn so much from them. I look back at my TASIS years with gratitude for the opportunities and discoveries that I made. I got to learn a lot about myself and was able to become a part of a community that I’ll always cherish. 42
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