By Pu Chun Zhu, ISB Alumni Relations
Published on Thursday, October 17, 2024
Many International School of Beijing (ISB) community members will remember the book talk by Amelie Wen Zhao, ISB Class of 2010 and an acclaimed author, on campus back in March. It was a shining example of alumni giving back to ISB – and it turns out it was particularly inspiring to one student. Here’s the story of how this alumni event gave one current High School student the boost she needed to follow in Amelie’s footsteps and become a published author.
Amelie Wen Zhao is known for the Song of the Last Kingdom duology and the Blood Heir trilogy. She lives in New York and works in finance as Senior Vice President at Citibank’s Treasury and Trade Solutions group by day, while writing her fantasy novels by night. Her first novel in the epic Blood Heir series was published by HarperCollins in November 2019, and the series has earned a place on the New York Times Best Seller list.
Candy C, Grade 11, recently had a short story, “Silent Vocals,” published with Amazon. She explains how she had harbored this dream for a while, but didn’t see how achieving it was possible – until she attended Amelie’s talk, which encouraged her to participate in a summer writing course in the U.S. at Columbia University.
As ISB continues to develop the greatest alumni network in Asia, current students can look forward to more alumni expert talks and mentoring opportunities. And if you’re an alumni interested in volunteering like Amelie, please email alumni@isb.cn.
How did the author’s visit to ISB influence your decision to pursue writing?
Before I attended the book talk, I was unable to decide on a clear path for my future. Specifically, I was struggling to find a way in which I could engage with both physics and creative writing – two completely opposite majors. Nevertheless, after listening to Amelie Wen Zhao’s talk, I was genuinely inspired by her experience. The fact that she managed to balance her main job and writing time is fascinating. It really encouraged me to pursue a similar path as her; I could work in the physics area as my main job and continue writing as a vocation.
Can you describe your journey from the book talk to getting your work published?
After being inspired by Amelie’s life journey, I continued down mine with a stronger passion and a more determined mind to complete my first short story, “Silent Vocals.” During the summer, I participated in a summer program at Columbia University. There, I received feedback to workshop my piece and eventually publish it on August 2.
In what ways did the ISB network or community support you throughout this process?
I’m really grateful for the ISB community, as they helped me a lot with the promotion stage of my story. Every student and teacher I asked was supportive and willing to take their time reading my work and leaving a review.
I remember being a high schooler at ISB with no idea of what I wanted and what the future held for me. I wasn’t particularly outgoing, nor brave, nor outstanding in any regard whatsoever (and honestly, still am not!) – but I had a cheerful optimism and a relentless work ethic. I loved creative writing, but realistically, succeeding at a career in publishing is rather like winning the lottery. I opted for a more realistic and “regular” career trajectory in finance, which has truly made me into the person I am today. But the spark of storytelling in me never faded.
Returning to ISB, the place so influential to my formative years, I’m so happy to form connections with students who can view the path I’ve carved as a feasible option. I’m touched by their maturity, their passion, and their intellectualism – I know they will all go on to achieve great things. Mostly, I wished I’d had someone tell me – during all the uncertainty and tumult of “angsty” high school years – that things would be okay, and everything would work out better than I could ever imagine. I’m glad I can go back today to be this guiding voice for students to believe in their careers and also never let go of their pursuit of their passions.