By Nick Yates, ISB Communications
Published on Thursday, May 23, 2024
Congratulations to our students who are will graduate this weekend! The International School of Beijing (ISB) is proud of its newest alumni, who have exciting futures after discovering their passions, excelling academically, and growing socially and emotionally at the school. These students have received offers from universities worldwide, having identified the best-fit courses for them, while some are looking forward to other options including gap years and military service.
Late spring is a momentous time of year for ISB students eyeing graduation. They enjoyed the usual Seniors Parade around campus on April 22, with younger classes, faculty, and staff lining the corridors to celebrate their achievements. Over the past few weeks, most of our Seniors have taken International Baccalaureate (IB) tests, the culmination of a prestigious two-year program resulting in a qualification recognized by universities worldwide.
On Saturday, they will celebrate with their families and friends upon graduation. Forty of this year’s Seniors have been at ISB all the way since Elementary School, so this is an especially sweet moment for the ISB community. The Graduation Ceremony will be livestreamed here.
Graduating with purpose
While IB exam results are only posted in July, college acceptance notifications have been flooding in for the Class of 2024. They have received offers from a wide range of institutions.
ISB prides itself on ensuring its students find the option that is best for them after graduation. If applying for further study, they will be attending the college and course that is most appropriate for them based on their passions and talents. The wide scope of university offers and the subjects ISB graduates will be studying signals that our students are pursuing their passions at many of the world’s finest educational institutions.
Most of the Class of 2024 have set a firm plan for life post ISB. Of the 97 graduates, five will be engaged in national military service and five are planning gap years to pursue their interests, reflect, and assess their options. Students have been accepted to U.S. Ivy League and prestigious universities in other countries, top engineering, performing and visual arts programs, and far more, as detailed in the graphic below. Geophysics and agricultural sciences are among the specialized majors for which ISB grads have successfully applied.
ISB’s High School has structured resources to maximize student access to social-emotional services while simultaneously providing support for career and university planning. Under a complementary model, the High School has a team of School Counselors and another team of University & Career Advisors. ISB students looking for their best-fit colleges and considering professional options have benefited from working with a dedicated University & Career Advisor, and the School Counselors run a range of activities to instill life skills and ensure students’ social-emotional strength.
Celebrating exciting futures
“What a joy it will be to see our oldest students graduate this weekend,” said High School Principal Will Paananen. “As so many of these Seniors have been at ISB all the way since Elementary School, their success is really representative of the high-quality education and enriching experience that ISB provides from Early Years to Grade 12. These ISB graduates are now set to enter diverse college programs around the world or pursue other exciting pathways. We are thrilled for what the future holds for them.
“At ISB, we are committed to understanding each student, how they learn best, what their passions are, and what initial ideas they have on their profession. Our University & Career Advisors and faculty work to help students and families identify their best options for after school, considering academic, cultural, and geographic factors. Our students are going to a lot of amazing universities and programs around the world. Well done to the Class of 2024!”
Head of School Daniel Rubenstein added, “Colleges around the world have once again recognized the quality of ISB students, and it’s exciting to see this class set to pursue such a diverse range of interests and passions in the coming years.”
“ISB is built upon the strong relationships in our inclusive community. The academic and personal success of these students relies on the combined efforts of lots of groups of people. Thank you to our parents, faculty and staff, School Counselors, University & Career Advisors – and above all, the students themselves – for making this success possible.”
