Preserving ISR’s legacy through our Alumni network

By Cyrielle Bazin, Head of Advancement

Prior to joining ISR, I was part of Shanghai American School, a school that opened its doors in 1912 and now has over 12,000 Alumni. Part of my job consisted of connecting with those Alumni – the ones that graduated before World War II and the 20-something graduates alike. I learned from this experience that the ‘richness’ of a school is not determined by how students score on their final examinations or which Ivy League school they advance to; what’s important is how former students remember their teachers and classmates years after receiving their diploma. And it is our school’s job to make sure we nurture and cultivate this ember long after they’ve gone.

Class of 2017, the first graduating class at ISR

ISR may still be considered a toddler in school years when measured against the long lifetimes of international schools and universities. Oxford University, for instance, opened its doors a whopping 905 years before ISR was founded. However, ISR, with its third graduating class receiving their diploma this year, is ready to build its Alumni program. It seems like a lifetime away, but imagine 30 years from now, when our Alumni association counts a published poet, an Olympic medalist, a neurosurgeon, and the CEO of a Tech company among its ranks. How astounding would it be for the Secondary students to receive advice or mentorship from them? This is where the ISR Alumni Association comes in and gives back to our community.

An engaged Alumni association brings many benefits to a school and its students. It builds bridges between Alumni and students and help create and pass knowledge from one generation to the next with:

• Mentorship programs: who is better equipped to guide high school students than young graduates who were going through the same thing a few years before
• University guidance: together with the school University counselor, ISR Alumni can help students making an educated choice for their future.
• Alumni are great role models for current students and are often well placed to offer practical support to students as they start their careers

Class of 2018

As an international school, we are lucky to have a global network of people who share a As an international school, we are lucky to have a global network of people who share a common history through ISR. Our Alumni are our international ambassadors; they take their knowledge of our institution to their hometowns and countries and into their professional and social networks. They define who we are as a school, now and in perpetuity.

Class of 2019