aic alumni newsletter - alpha - 1st issue
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Auckland International College Alumni Association Newsletter - Alpha. First Issue - Feb 2011. Contact us at [email protected]TRANSCRIPT
AIC Alumni Newsletter February 2011
Connection++ Worldwide Access
Alpha Ambition. Aim. Achieve.
everyone I everyday I everywhere
AIC Alumni Newsletter February 2011
2 I AIC AA
Cover Story:
Connection+ - from the AA
Page 3
Updates:
What’s New in AIC?
Page 5
Updates:
Here the Tradition Goes On...
Page 6
Special:
What do you miss most
about AIC?
Page 7
Feature :
Making a Global Impact
- Victor Li
Page 8
Feature :
IB Panel
- Ashley Buckingham
Page 9
Table of Contents From the Editorial BoardFrom the Editorial Board
Welcome to the first edition of Alpha, the official
AIC Alumni Association newsletter. This publica-
tion was created by Alumni Relations, which is a
newly established bridge committee between the
current AIC students and official Alumni Associa-
tion. We aim to create connections between alumni
and between alumni and current students in order
to encourage active networking within and beyond
AIC.
The inaugural Alumni Relations Committee con-
sists of:
Ashley Buckingham (‘07)
Michael Kim (‘09)
Linda Li (‘10)
Tuong Pho Bui (‘12)
Jiyoung Kim (‘12) (absent from photo)
Michael Li (12)
Contact Us:
AIC Alumni Association
AIC AA aims to create a platform for the AIC
graduates to reconnect with each other. It’s an
independent organization run by a number of
graduates who have been elected/selected to rep-
resent the fellow alumni.
The publication of Alpha has been made possible
with collaboration between the AR and AA, and is
dedicated to all AIC Alumni and members of AIC
community.
Have Suggestions? Want to know more about AA ?
Contact Us at
Find us on Facebook:
Auckland International College Alumni Association
AIC AA I 3
> Cover Story
Connection++
Worldwide Access.
Dear Alumni and Members of AIC Community,
Winter has arrived in Montreal, the city that is fa-
mous for outrageously cold winter, with snow
climbing up the window and cold nights. Whenever
I look at snow falling outside from the library win-
dow, I find myself recalling those days in New
Zealand and appreciating the fact that I was able to
live in such a beautiful country for my high school.
I am sure this is just not my case; most of the
graduates left New Zealand upon the graduation
from AIC, and one of the main reasons we miss
New Zealand would be gift it has received from the
nature. Then, recalling such glorious days in New
Zealand reminds me of the time we spent together;
walking to the Domain Park in the same outfit,
getting wet on the Beach Day, finding a way to
SLOTE without getting a detention, spending
hours and hours on the first lab report, and weep-
ing over our miserable lives doing the all Extended
Essay, university applications, and ToK essay at
the same time.
Now as we come to university, we realize that it
wasn’t actually too bad, finding out how the mate-
rial we learned over 2 years could be taught in just
one lecture; but, most of the time, there is
barely anyone besides
us who can understand
such reminiscences.
This is what the Alumni
Association is for. Its
main goal is to
reconnect the alumni and become the lifelong
supporters of each other wherever they are
around the globe. To achieve this objective, the
Alumni Association has organized over 18 reun-
ions in 7 different countries since its establish-
ment by Ryan SungKyu Kim (’06) in 2008.
Nevertheless, the AA is currently facing the big-
gest challenge in running the organization: lack of
participation and continuity. As an international
student-run association, it has been difficult to
coordinate among different countries and de-
velop a structured organizational structure. This
has gradually led to discontinuity in reunion
events, lack of communication and the loss of
sense of community among the graduates.
You may wonder why continuity in the AA activity
would be so important. There may be seemingly
no immediate benefits you could gain by partici-
pating in the AA activities. If that’s the case, have
From the AA
President DaHee Shon
“Currently, more than
380 AIC alumni live in
more than 20 coun-
tries……
we all share the deep
bond of AIC experience “
4 I AIC AA
… a look at the map above.
Currently, more than 380 AIC alumni live in more
than 20 countries. Moreover, if we take into account
those who have moved to other countries during or
after their study in university, the number will be
more scattered around the world.
Despite such a dispersed demographic nature of our
fellow graduates, we all share the deep bond of the
AIC experience. As you graduate from university and
start working, you will soon realize the importance of
a global network and connections. This brings us
back to the questions of why it is important to stay
connected to our friends and classmates.
Therefore, I would like to call for those would like to
contribute to making the association more sustain-
able and provide us with long-term benefits. By being
part of the AA, you will be able to gain the following
benefits;
- Opportunity to work as part of an international
association;
- Opportunity to develop personal skills, such as
organizational, leadership, time-management,
project-management, networking, and
event-management;
- Opportunity to improve your CV;
- Opportunity to stay close to other graduates; and
- Opportunity to contribute to your alma mater
If these are the opportunities that you have been
looking for, please look at the list of available posi-
tions and send an email to [email protected]
by February 20th 11:59pm EST, simply indicating
your position of interest. The direction to apply will
then emailed to you. Your term may start immedi-
ately or from May depending on the position.
Available Positions
Regional AA: President of regional AA in
- Japan
- Vietnam
- Europe
- North America
- Australia
> Need to be available in the country when the
reunion event is being held
> Allowed to appoint a secretary of the region, if
necessary.
International
- VP Communications (2 positions)
> Develop an AA website and update it
> Develop the database to keep track of the
record of the graduates
> Facilitate the communication among the AA
officers
> Help with publishing the newletter
Current location of AIC alumni
based on their university destination
AIC AA I 5
> Updates
Uniform Reform If you walk around the AIC building, you
can find the five different types of uniform—
the old uniform, new summer and winter
formal uniforms and, and new summer and
winter casual uniforms. Here are some
photos of current AIC students in new uni-
form!
New AIC Campus in Oct 2011
In October 2011, Auckland International College will be
moving to a new campus on 37 Heaphy Street, Block-
house Bay.
Of course, it will not be another office building.
AIC will soon be occupying the grounds that were once
Hill Top School, a co-educational primary school
founded in 1915. The cosy little campus contains class-
room blocks, tennis courts, a playground, a swimming
pool and a field. That’s right - a big green grass field.
While the future of Hill Top is uncertain, AIC is cer-
tainly facing a bright one. With nearly 400 students and
counting, the move is a strategic one that is expected to
complement the growing student population, and pro-
vide greater versatility for the school as a whole.
In addition to this, AIC has just announced an excit-
ing new scholarship in honour of the Hill Top School
Trust Board: aptly named, the ‘Hill Top AIC Scholarship’.
They offer the full package - $15,000 per annum for the
select few with that stand-out AIC attitude.
For more information about Hill Top School, visit their
website on www.hilltop.school.nz
↑Hill Top School, as outlined in red. (Google Maps)
View of the field and tennis courts
> Being able to utilize other means of
Public Relations: Facebook, twitter,
LinkedIn, etc
- VP Finance: Coordinate with AA President
to raise
funds and make the organization more fi-
nancially
sustainable
- Secretary-General: Coordinate with AA
President
to help set up the organizational structure
and help with
various administrative work
6 I AIC AA
<The Teachers’ band> <Korean girls’ dance>
And Here the Tradition Goes On…
New Zealand Economics Competition 2010
This year, AIC has been very successful by having 6 students achieved high results among 3,614 stu-
dents from 138 schools. Especially, congratulate to Ralph Yutong by winning $100 prize by coming 5th
in the annual competition.
Olympiad Achievements
- 2010 Biology Olympiad: Jack Zhou brought home the Bronze Medal in the 2010 Biology Olympiad in
Busan, Korea.
- Students selected for 2011 Math Olympiad Training Camp: This year, we have 4 students who were
selected to attend the Training Camp 2011: Bosco Feng, Arun Shanmuganathan, Phillip Zhang and
LingZhi Zheng.
Talent shows
AIC Talent Show is one of the most exciting and attractive events in AIC. As usual, after an incredible
performing night, many “stars” begin to shine among the students’ community. Thanks to fantastic
dances, wonderful songs and lovely bands who contributed to the success of the musical night. This
year, interestingly, AIC teachers were also involved in the show by dressing up in students’ uniform.
Top view of new AIC building →
← AIC architect’s image of new college building
AIC AA I 7
> Special
“What do you miss most about AIC?”“What do you miss most about AIC?”“What do you miss most about AIC?”
8 I AIC AA
Victor Li, a 2009 graduate of AIC and now a student of
Princeton University, tells us about his experiences this
summer in rural China.
This summer I was lucky enough to be selected to partici-
pate in Princeton in Asia’s Summer of Service Program. A
group of 10 Princeton students spent 2 weeks travel-
ling in the remote and culturally rich regions of Gansu
(next to Tibet) and another 6 weeks teaching English
to socioeconomically disadvantaged university stu-
dents in rural Hunan.
First, we toured the nearby scenery of Lanzhou,
which is the capital of Gansu. This was one of the few
places in China where some parts of the environment
are still pristine. The fresh air and starry skies re-
minded me of home –New Zealand.
The area was inhabitant by Yugurs. We tried to im-
merse ourselves in their cultural practices but were just not
good enough when it came to dancing around the campfire.
Surprisingly we ended the night with Lady Gaga blaring
from the speakers. I guess globalization has spread rapidly
to even the most isolated parts of the world.
We travelled in flair - in a barely air-conditioned bus
maneuvered by a driver who clearly thought he was in a
videogame. However, wherever we went, we encountered
picturesque landscapes that absolutely blew our minds
away.
Not convinced that we were getting the “authentic”
China experience, our sponsors encouraged us to go no-
madic, which is exactly what we did. We spent 3 days and
2 nights in the hills and grasslands with a couple of no-
mads and a herd of yaks and horses. Each day would en-
tail 5 or 6 hours of horse riding and the nights would com-
pose of sleeping in tents, getting covered in mosquito bites
and falling asleep to the chilling howl of nearby wolves.
But it was all worth it. I felt like I was the king of the world
as I finished my ascent of 4200m and posed for the camera.
After this, we left for Jishou, where 150 enthusiastic stu-
dents were waiting for us.
Some of the best memories this summer teaching in
Jishou included:
← Earth Day
Presentation
I like to see this teaching experience as a learning experi-
ence as well. My students shared with me their troubles
and I realized that if they were able to overcome their diffi-
culties to learn English even with so few resources, then
surely that is inspiration for me to work hard and achieve
my dreams.
My greatest goal in the Jishou classroom was not to
change my student's opinions towards certain issues or
topics, but to change the way they see the world. I want
them to be critical and not to take knowledge for granted
and question the information they receive. To have the abil-
ity to be inquisitive will not only help them perfect their Eng-
lish but it will also create impetus for a lifetime of learning.
> Feature
Trip to Feng
Huang (City
of Phoenix) →
Making a Global Impact - My summer in China
AIC AA I 9
> Feature
As a graduate of International Bacca-
laureate (IB) from AIC, Ashley Buck-
ingham attended the IB Panel which
reinforced her belief in the chances IB
offers individual for future careers.
The IB Panel took place at Kristin
School on the 29th September, quite
early in the morning. I was quite ex-
cited to visit another school that offers
IB other than AIC and my expecta-
tions were met by the size and quality
of the school buildings. John and
Greg, the IBO officials based in Sin-
gapore, joined the group of us IB
graduates and the chat that followed
felt strangely at home since these
were the people who understood the
in-jokes of what IB entails. Then we
were led to a classroom where it was
filled with university and secondary
school representatives who gathered
to learn more about what IB really
does.
The purpose of the Panel
The Panel was set up so some IB
graduates in New Zealand can share
their stories with those who can help
establish fair treatment for upcoming
IB graduates in admission and course
selection, since there are still so much
unknown about IB. One of the bio-
medical students fumed at how her
university did not even accept her
who achieved 7 in Biology Higher
Level, not understanding the standard
of IB curriculum. Others shared simi-
lar experience of frustration where the
assurance that IB will be recognised
and welcomed by universities seemed
to shatter until they got in touch with
the university in person and proved
them otherwise. I was the only person
from AIC and I could see that the
other six Kristin IB alumni were ex-
tremely talented and well-rounded as
is the ultimate goal of IB. I shared with
honesty, what IB did to my life and me
as a person, which I consider is the
most important thing in anyone’s life;
it is about figuring out who we are as
what we are. In sharing the post-IB
experience, a lot of empathy and
bonding was silently passed along the
alumni.
How does IB offer a good chance for
future?
IB graduates tend to turn out quite
different in the end from what they
started with. I am almost irrationally
certain that such is the case for all
students who give IB a go. One way
or another, IB lets us look at the world
from MY perspective, not THEIRS,
while giving us an opportunity to UN-
DERSTAND the other side. Seeing
more people are interested in IB was
a pleasant experience and I was glad
to know there are so many IB gradu-
ates and students around the world.
The recognition is growing and more
IB students are flourishing at universi-
ties and in the society. I wish those
who are starting or in the middle of IB
know how much treat they are in for
and I wish everyone luck; alumni, cur-
rent students, prospective students,
and staff, equal.
For more information on official IB
Alumni Association, visit
http://blogs.ibo.org/alumni/
International International International
Baccalaureate Panel Baccalaureate Panel Baccalaureate Panel
AIC Alumni Association is seeking individuals who can design a logo that can represent
the values of the association. If you want to show your talents in creativity and design,
please contact us as [email protected]
10 I AIC AA
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We wish to hear more stories from more alumni.
Have a story to share with your friends?
Please contact us at [email protected] or [email protected]
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