Inspiration Alumni Edition
December 2015 | Newsletter | International School of Prague
ISP in the 1960s;
Santhini Govindan ‘77 sends us her memories and archives.
Interviews with human rights lawyer
Divvya Vorburger-Rajagopalan ‘96, and archeologist Yukiko Sasada Hewetson ‘99.
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From the Director Dear ISP Friends and Families, When I attended the all-years alumni reunion in London this past June, I noticed something important: regardless of when these engaging people left the school, they shared a common background (and I’m not just talking about the fact they attended a rather good school in the Czech Republic); they were all “Third Culture Kids”. Because of that shared background (even if they were complete strangers), they were able to immediately relate to each other on so many levels. What’s a “Third Culture Kid”? Well, if you attended ISP, or you‘re attending ISP, it’s you. Technically, it refers to “children who were raised in a culture outside of their parents‘ culture for a significant part of their development years.” But it also means that your accent may change depending on who you’re talking to; you’re really good at calculating time zone differences; you have a love-hate relationship with the question “Where are you from?”; and you know better than anyone else that “home” isn’t a place, it’s the people in it. Most importantly (according to sociologist David C. Pollock), “Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCK‘s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of the same background.” It’s for this reason that ISP Alumni of any era are so welcoming, and relate so well to each other and are very good at navigating the world around them. It‘s also why we love hear about what ISP Alumni are doing, and why we strongly believe that a successful Alumni Council is so important at ISP. If you‘re an Alumnus reading this, you can expect to hear sometime in the near future about our ongoing efforts to create a framework to give our Alumni an ongoing voice and presence at the International School of Prague. We‘re looking forward to building that relationship! All the best from Nebusice, Dr. Arnie Bieber ISP Director
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Remembering the English Speaking School... Year 1965 Santhini Govindan (Kutty) santhini_govindan@yahoo.co.in
Dear ISP, I found ISP‘s website when I was surfing the net. I was a student of ISP, (known as the English Speaking School of Prague) in the 60‘s when the school was in its nascent stage and was still housed in
ISP, Grade 1, 1965
the American Embassy. My father was a diplomat, posted to the Embassy of India, Prague.
I am now a grandmother, and a widely published author of children‘s literature in India. (www.santhinigovindan.com)
I read on your website that you have lost all the material that you had photographs and other documents connected to the school‘s early history, and would like to rebuild your archives. I have joined your alumni network, and am presenting a photograph of my class when I was a student of the school. My class teacher was Mrs. Danuta Tomek. I am also sending you a copy of the school magazine from 1965 when I was in grade one, and my drawing appeared on the first page.
The first award that I received for my writing was from ISP in July 1967, when I was eight years old. It was a certificate of merit for ‚Poetry‘. I have sent you a scanned copy of this - it is now yellow with age - but astonishingly, still in one piece. I hope that these will be useful for your archives. With best wishes, Santhini Govindan ‘77
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A Look Back at 1986 - ISP in the Hillside Campus Sinan Aka ’97
kuzensinan@yahoo.com
I am proud to say I had the privilege of experiencing life and knowlege at ISP as a 7 and 8 year old kid. It was a long time ago (29 years to be exact), but my memories of ISP still remain fresh... Being a diplomat‘s son, I was moving around every three to four years. I enrolled in 1986 when I was a student of the 2nd grade. Our Director at the time was Mr. Alan Conkey. and my teachers Carol Doyle, Linda Peterson and Deanna Johnson. When we came to Czechoslovakia in 1986, Prague was mostly grey, without the glitter of capitalism. Being a 7 year old kid, school was my entire life, and I definitely loved my school!
2nd Grade with Mrs. Doyle From the left: Jason Oak (Canada), Sinan Aka (Turkey), Eric, Dimitri Kerkentzes (Greece), and Shannon on the right
The International School of Prague at that time resided at the Hillside Campus located in Hanspaulka. It was a lavish villa with story book interiors. It was very colorful with lots of pinboards, posters, and plants to liven the classrooms. At that time the school was attended by around one hundred students from 26 different countries. There was just one class for each grade. I remember we had to wear slippers to class because it was all carpeted. Wearing slippers to class may seem odd to many, but that‘s the way we attended class, and it definitely is the best way! Everyone learned to play an instrument of their choice, and some preferred to learn many! The more the merrier. We had the best music teacher, Mr. Ackermann. He was also the one who
In front of the Audience From the left: Hannah Mercer (USA), Sinan Aka (Turkey), William Martin (UK), Kathryn Haddock (UK), Georgia Kyprianou (Cyprus), Shannon , and Dimitri Kerkentzes (Greece)
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took us on a tour of Prague via public transportation. That truly was an exciting experience! I remember not being able to stand holidays. It was torture to be away from the place where I was so happy. I would have liked to have LIVED at school, but I was forced to do the next best thing to be the first to come in the morning and wait for Hannah to arrive. We both loved to spend time on the computer before everyone arrived. Hannah was a wise and quiet girl, always with red cheeks... Aside from her I also remember all my other classmates. There is Eric, Dimitri, Alice, William, Katherine, Isabella, Anu, Caroline, Kati, Jason, Gabriella, Shannon, and Georgia Kyprianou. 3rd Grade with Mrs. Peterson Front row, from the left: Kati Sipila (Finland), William Martin (UK), Sinan Aka (Turkey); In the back row: Dimitri Kerkentzes (Greece), Alice with her hand on Mrs. Peterson‘s shoulder, Kathryn Haddock (UK), and Georgia Kyprianou (Cyprus)
And then there were of course our beloved teachers: Mrs. Doyle, Mrs. Peterson and Mrs. Johnson. They were all special and gave a lot of themselves in their own way, but if it were to be a contest, nobody could top Mrs. Doyle. She was the best at winning a kid‘s heart! She left a mark on each one of us. She was a great teacher, who knew how to connect with a kid. When Halloween came each year at ISP, it was time to enjoy our Halloween Storyteller: our Director! He really enjoyed telling scary stories in the dark, with a flashlight held to his face, and we really enjoyed his story telling, his sense of humour and and his style!
Music class with Mr. Ackermann Everyone learned to play an instrument of their choice.
I would like everyone at ISP who may be reading these words to know, that when I look back at my life, I realize it was a true privilege to be a kid as well as student at such a wonderful place. I will always be proud to mention that such a school really did (and hopefully still does) exist, and that I was fortunate enough to have been there. Sinan Aka ‘97
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The Hillside Campus
The Hillside Campus resided in the Stein‘s Villa in Hanspaulka in Prague 6
The Hillside Faculty and Staff, 1989 Top row left: Jeanne Thornton, John Crane, Janet Lemoine, Mary Jayne Conkey, Wally Peterson, Linda Peterson, Pavel Benetka, Charlie Frey, Alan Conkey; Middle row left: Eva Parun, Anne Ross, Deanne Johnson, Ethel Frey, Anne Van den Bosch, Mirka Benetkova, Mark Erwin; Bottom row left: Marcela Vesecka, Alena Svobodova, Barbara Rumlova, Ales Bartusek
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Divvya Vorburger-Rajagopalan’s Journey from ISP to Human Rights Lawyer Class of 1996 By Kate Karafotas ‘17 Divvya Vorburger-Rajagopalan still remembers nervously sitting in class, waiting for her then homeroom teacher, Mr. Crane. Divvya, like many other students at ISP today, is uniquely international, as she is of Indian origin, with dual citizenship from India and Switzerland. Divvya joined ISP Parkside as a sophomore in 1993. She recollects her first day at ISP with a slew of emotions and memories, saying that she was both overwhelmed and exhilarated by the ‘ISP world’. She explained that she was very timid, as she did not know how to ‘culturally’ communicate with all the diverse and enthusiastic characters of ISP. Although Divvya spoke English, she did not have the knowledge to speak ‘International English’. She explains further, “I say ‘culturally’ deliberately, since communication for me was a bit of a challenge even though I spoke English. I lacked the cultural and international understanding of the ‘International English’ that was needed.” Unbeknownst to Divvya, this was the very platform that paved her future passion in international studies and law. Divvya completed her bachelors in legal studies at the Anglo American college in Prague. She also obtained a diploma in English and European Union studies from Cambridge University. While she lived in Prague, Divvya became involved with the Forum 2000 Conference. The purpose of the Forum 2000 Conference, created in 1997 by former Czech President Václav Havel, philanthropist Yohei Sasakawa, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel, was to discuss challenges and struggles humanity faced upon the start of a new millennium. Divvya was a student delegate, who was invited to the Forum 2000 Conference in 1998. It was held at the Prague castle, where she
was amidst inspiring company, such as Henry Kissinger, and the then first lady of the United States of America, Hillary Clinton. Subsequently, there was another forum in Vienna. Both of these conferences were significant, as they specifically lead her to choose a career path in international law and relations. After graduating from university, Divvya met her future husband and they both moved to the United States. Here, she attended summer school at Stanford University, studying international relations and international law. Given her international background, she wanted to learn more about different countries. She was interested in diverse legal systems and different religions. Divvya and her husband then moved back to his native Switzerland in 2000. Here, she completed her masters degree in international law, specializing in human rights at the Graduate Institute of International Development Studies in Geneva. Ambitiously, upon completing her masters degree, Divvya was still striving to understand complexities and interactions of world players within international law. She wrote her doctoral thesis on
the cross-section between trade and human rights. More specifically, she was concerned about the rights of small community farmers. Divvya’s Indian background and experience at ISP revealed to her new cultures and avenues in life. Eventually, she settled on an occupation where “cultures, countries, and legal systems collide, co exist and grow together.” In 1995, Divvya won the ECIS International Understanding award at ISP. She explained how cultural understanding helped her in her everyday life, stating that the ECIS award was “definitely a good portent for my future life which was to be full of international and cultural enrichment.” Divvya currently lives in Lausanne, Switzerland. She is married to a Swiss German man, and has two kids, Dev (12) and Anaya (8), and a little dognamed Chai. Her family is definitely culturally diverse, as they follow three religions: Catholicism, Judaism and Hinduism. Divvya speaks an impressive array of languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, French, German and a little Italian. She has lived in many different
Divvya ‘96 with a fellow student delegate at the Forum 2000 Conference
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countries such as, India, Czech Republic and the United States before settling down in Switzerland. In her free time she loves to run, cook, practice Indian classical dance and of course, care for her two children. This powerful human rights lawyer currently works with young immigrants, assimilating them into Swiss culture. These young adults leave their home countries due to various personal reasons and go to Switzerland seeking asylum. She describes her job as rewarding, or in her own words, “the culmination of what started with the ECIS award that I received for international understanding”. Divvya‘s future goals are to continue working with people less fortunate than she. Divvya would like to acknowledge two teachers who had an immense influence on her career and life choices: Tony Ackerman and John Crane. She expressed nothing but gratitude, as she exclaimed, “Mr. Ackerman taught me to respect my heritage and talents, and second, that arts and music are very important in shaping one’s life.” Mr. Ackerman was always encouraging of Divvya, and supported every decision she made. Mr. Crane also had a great
With a fellow student delegate at the Forum 2000 Conference
impact on Divvya. She explained, “Mr. Crane inspired me to reach for subjects that were challenging and to try and better myself.” While Divvya attended ISP, Mr. Crane taught History, German and Computer Science! She concluded, “I would like to take this opportunity for me to thank these two exceptional people that have helped to shape my life and career choices”. Her message to students at ISP can be
summed up in one word: gratitude. She expressed that every student should feel grateful for the opportunities that come with the ISP education. Divvya concludes, “ISP provides a stepping stone for the world outside. Enjoy the experience to the fullest”. Divvya Vorburger-Rajagopalan is the epitome of an ISP alumnus – hardworking and passionate. She is a truly inspiring woman not only for me, but also for every student here at ISP.
Class of 1999
Yukiko Sasada Hewetson By Nora Colley ‘17 Yukiko Sasada Hewetson is one of many successful alumni from the International School of Prague. Like many of us, she was moved here due to her father‘s work. She was initially a bit reluctant to move and wanted to stay in her home country of Japan, with the rest of her family. However, with a career in
translation in mind, she decided that the benefits of studying in an international school were tremendous. Yukiko first came to ISP in 9th grade and has fond memories but also remembers the struggles that she endured with language, as is the case
for many students here today. Yukiko says she remembers failing several assignments during her first year but eventually passed due to the help of her teachers. Although Yukiko struggled at times at ISP, she says ISP provided her with
ISP Newsletter December 2015
the English skils she needed to form a solid base in translation. During her time at ISP, she also discovered her passion for Archeology. From here, she was admitted to a University with an outstanding archeology program. This was Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia where she received a BA in Classical and Near Eastern Archeology. She furthered her studies at the University College London, where she received an MA in Museum Studies. Although she lives in South Africa, she is currently doing her PhD at the University of Helsinki, Finland. In addition to an international education, Yukiko’s career has allowed her to live on 6 continents! She often jokes that the only one she needs now is Antarctica. In her short life Yukiko has amazingly lived in Ecuador, Japan, Turkey, Czech Republic, USA, Egypt, UK, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Finland, and South Africa. She has also studied Japanese, English, Finnish, German, French, Arabic, and Ancient Egyptian. But what exactly does Yukiko do that could require such diverse living environments and a vast knowledge of language? Yukiko is a translator, and archeologist, and a curator! Her job is to translate various texts from Japanese and English. As an Archeologist she uses French and German quite a bit to examine artifacts.
She says that the job can be difficult at times because she has to be cautious of cultural differences depending on the audience. She described one job to me that she had where she worked as a Museum exhibition coordinator at an interior design company in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. She told me “There, I designed and executed numerous exhibitions, which was an amazing experience.” Currently she is living in South Africa where she is working as a freelance translator and finishing her dissertation. She hopes that one day she will have the opportunity to become a curator, but she says at the moment freelancing suits her lifestyle quite well. Hearing all of this, It’s no surprise that Yukiko won the ECIS International Understanding Award in 1999, an award that is still given today. When I asked Yukiko about how international understanding affected her in her daily life she had quite the story. She says that she is quite commonly stereotyped as “Asian” and believes that many people do not see a distinction between the countries, as is the case with Africa. Yukiko credits her international awareness to her education “I do believe that the reason I see a person as a person and not as his or her nationality or race is because of my experience studying at
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an international school as well as at a liberal arts college. I am very grateful for that.” Yukiko believes that while we should not be defined by our cultural identity, it is still a rather important part of our lives. She now lives in South Africa with her South African/Finnish husband, and her eighteen month old son. She is trying to teach her son about Japanese language and culture, so he can grow up with a Japanese identity. Based on her previous experiences, Yukiko is obviously a very ambitious and driven person. She says that her goals for the future are firstly to finish her dissertation. Then she says she is thinking of taking translation exams in order to open more employment opportunities. Lastly, I asked Yukiko if she could give any advice to current ISP students. She encouraged students to try things that are both interesting and challenging. After graduation she encourages students to “Go work and see the world” and only go to university when you feel ready. She told me that “I believe that it is always better to try rather than regretting not trying because at least you have gained the experience whether good or bad.” This is certainly excellent advice for all ISP students, and we as a community look forward to hearing what Yukiko does in the future!
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Alumni Class Notes Class of 2005 Andrej Vukotic Class Correspondent
andrej.vukotic@gmail.com
Katya Malyseva „Introducing a new generation of designers“ Ekaterina Malysheva, also known as Katya, is the founder of EKat, a line of body suits, leotards, leggings, and swimwear. EKat was founded in 2013 after Katya had a life-changing trip to the Burning Man Festival. The festival and her muse - an independent woman who is freethinking, confident, ambitious, and not a trend follower – lead to the creation of the Katsuit. Her unique designs and attractive patterns have been featured in some of the top fashion magazines and have been worn by celebrities like Rita Ora, Poppy Delevingne, Sienna Miller, and much more. TWELV had the chance to ask Katya a few questions. Check out the interview here! ----------- Katya‘s INTERVIEW -----------What did you study at the International School in Prague or LCF that led you to start creating documentaries? Were you a film production major? Katya: I’ve always had a passion for film in general. My mom was a theatre actress back in the Soviet Union & film is a medium that was very prevalent in my life growing up. My best friend Dina ended up in the midst of the Egyptian Revolution in Tahrir Square which brought together a group of people who started filming The Square – I was looking for a job and they got me involved as production coordinator. Do you have a documentarian that you look up to or that strongly influenced your own work? Dina ended up working with Jehane Noujaim whom she met in Tahrir Square – I’ve studied Jehane’s documentaries
and learned about them in school. She’s now a very close friend and is married to Dina’s brother. I look up to her as a documentary maker and a human being. Burning Man. How in the world did you end up there? Was it the idea of a crazy friend? Or was it your idea? We’ve wanted to go for a long time – the combination of music & art in the desert appealed to me for a long time but it was always a bit of a hassle to plan. A string of coincidences led me to go that year. Do you have any fun stories from the Black Rock Desert that you’d be willing to share? Definitely not sharing :) Would you be able to pinpoint any specific things/pieces of art/ experiences from the festival that directly inspired your creation of the KATsuits? I had a very difficult time finding a cool
catsuit to wear at Burning Man that doesn’t have either marijuana leaves or skulls on it. Once I found an amazing one and wore it to BM, I realized how many girls have the same problem and that a big niche is missing in the market. I came back and launched EKAT. So, you design your own prints for the suits. Tell me a little bit about how you do that; for example, do you sketch them first? I start with a theme, for example this season’s theme was Geometry. I then looked into architecture and design in places that I’ve either visited or dream to visit and voila…! Do you have a favorite print of yours, or one that’s particularly meaningful? Why is that your favorite? I love the Flamingo print from collection 1 which was the first print I’ve ever worked on. It was a best seller and Marc Jacobs did something similar a year later. I’m thinking of bringing it back.
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It’s my favourite because it launched the brand & got such positive feedback which gave me the confidence to continue. The KATsuit is incredibly unique. Were people slow to adopt the concept? Or did it take off relatively quickly? It took off very quickly in London. Our very first gifts were worn by multiple celebrities & picked up by so much press during Glastonbury. I think America will be a little bit more difficult. Have you had any men express interest in a KATsuit?
Many, many men. My very first costumer was a guy in NYC who bought 5 suits.
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Andrej Vukotic
INTERVIEWED BY: JASON GREENSPAN INTRODUCTION: SUSAN SCHELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY: CHIAKI KATO
I have been married for a little over a year now, and this summer my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. For the last 5 years I have worked within the online education as the Head of Content Development and oversee strategic direction and management of our online learning collateral. Even 10 years after graduation I am still an avid basketball player, although I have not played professionally since I obtained my university degree and started my career. During free time, my wife and I love to travel and enjoy good food.
Lucie, a former ISP Scholarship student, is currently a PhD candidate in Historical Musicology at the Department of Music at Columbia University. She is interested in women composers of electronic
music in the United States, sound art and new media, and topics in popular music. She has taught many installments of the Columbia Core Curriculum course Masterpieces of Western Music .
You seem like someone who tries things no matter how difficult they may seem or how large of a task it is. Do you have any advice for women looking to find the courage to do the same? Whatever you do, be different. If you’re different you will stand out. The legend Maya Angelou said: life is a bitch, go out there and kick it in the ass.
Class of 2006 Lucie Vagnerova Lucie Vagnerova chosen for the 2015 Meyerson Award for Excellence in Core Teaching and the GSAS Teaching Scholars Program Lucie has been chosen to receive a 2015 Meyerson Award for Excellence in Core Teaching. This award, which carries a stipend, is given annually in Art Humanities, Music Humanities, and Literature Humanities to an outstanding graduate student preceptor in each course. Lucie was also selected for the 201516 GSAS Teaching Scholars Program. With the support from a curriculum development grant awarded by the Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality - Lucie will offer a new undergraduate course „Sexing Sound Art“ in fall 2015. Congratulations, Lucie!
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Class of 2007 Daisy Hessenberger Class Correspondent
dhessenberger@gmail.com
Damir Agovic
After graduating from Prague in 2007, I moved to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, to attend the American University in Bosnia. I studied Finance and did several internships in this sector, only to realize that I wasn‘t too interested in it. During the last year of university, I had my own company that was involved in New Media and journalism. However, right at the end of my studies, I received an offer from Google and decided to move to the beautiful city of Wroclaw, Poland. So for the last four years I‘ve been working in the field of online advertising and currently managing a team that helps French SMBs improve their online presence. Since Wroclaw is quite close to Prague, I get a chance to visit and see friends very often.
Maddison Rowles
I graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice from Towson University in 2011, and am currently working in Baltimore, Maryland as a trainer at the Under Armour headquarters and a cycle instructor at Rev Cycle Studio. I live in York, Pennsylvania with my boyfriend Mike and our two dogs Lola Mae who is a 201 lb. English Mastiff and our lovable mutt Betty White. I am enjoying life in the U.S. though I truly miss traveling and being able to explore new countries around the world, maybe one day my job will give me the freedom to do so!
Jakub Gustavo
After graduating from university of Glasgow with a masters degree in business economics Jakub began his career in financial and business analysis. He worked first for IBM in various roles and currently lives in Berlin where he works as a Business Analyst in the real estate industry.
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Maša Mesić
After graduating from ISP in 2007, I decided to study in the UK. I finished my BSc in Management and Marketing at Royal Holloway University, I then realized that I wanted to continue with my studies but in another field. I enrolled into a Master’s degree in International Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (London). My next destination was Paris, where part of my family was located and because of my ambitions to learn French. After falling in love with the city and a tall dark stranger, I had to relocate to Brussels where I worked for the European institutions. I decided to return to France to further progress with my French skills, I enrolled into another Master’s in European Security at Sciences Po Strasbourg. As part of my studies I completed a compulsory internship at Eurocorps- an EU/NATO rapid reaction force. I didn’t wish to continue with my studies, however I could not decline a full scholarship from the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium) for another Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy. I graduated in June 2015, currently I am working at the NATO HQ in Brussels in the Cyber Defence division.
Zach Rishling
Since ISP, I moved to Finland. I‘ve spent the last 11 years here finishing the IB in high school and graduating from university. I‘ve had many jobs and projects to support myself in Finland, but it hasn‘t been easy. Recently I started my own company doing what I love: writing and making games. Although disappointing, sad or violent things may happen, good things are usually close to follow. I am fortunate to have a large network of friends and partners, many of whom are very dear to me. Without their support, I definitely would never have been able to get where I am today.
ISP Newsletter December 2015
Class of 2008 Larissa Batt Class Correspondent larissabatt@hotmail.co.uk
John Steingruby “I attended ISP from 1999-2001. After leaving I moved to St. Charles, Missouri where I finished middle school and high school. I enlisted in the US Army National Guard in 2007 just prior
to completing high school. After high school I attended Lindenwood University where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in History in December of 2011.
Class of 2011 Zoey Hitzert Class Correspondent zoey.hitzert@gmail.com
After graduation, Mikaela Andersson started studying Environmental Science at the University of Linköping in Sweden. After two years, however, she decided that she wanted a different take on the environmental issue, so she quit and started her current studies, a master of science in the field of Energy, Environment and Management. This summer was of course the most special as Mikaela married Daniel and took his most Swedish last name, Andersson. At the moment her life is settling in the best way possible, and she’s looking forward to continuing her studies.
I was commissioned as an Officer in the US Army (active duty) in January 2012 and married my high school sweetheart in March that same year. We have one son who was born in December of 2012 (just prior to my 9 month deployment to Afghanistan). I am currently stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, USA where I work as an Engineer Officer in a Combat Engineer Battalion.”
Alex Panayotopoulos “After graduating from ISP, I decided England was the next logical step. Spending three years studying communications at Nottingham University, I learned to enjoy English weather and „banter,“ while developing a pathological fear of letting agencies and student union representatives, as well as a crippling but thankfully short-lived addiction to Fruit Pastilles. These were only surface changes, however, and lessons learned both in IB History and the corridors at ISP stood me in much better stead when I moved to China in 2011. Initially intended as a short stay with the goal of receiving a Masters in
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International Relations from Nottingham University‘s sister campus in Ningbo, I‘m now coming up on my fourth year in the country. Having moved to Shanghai in early 2014 to pursue a career in content creation and marketing, I spend my off hours prowling the streets of one of the most interesting and changeable cities in the world. My Chinese is still rusty, but I‘d be happy to show any past or future ISP alumni around the city if they happen to show up in this neck of the proverbial woods.
PS: Three professional retouchers laboured for a week to present you with this image of me that isn’t super goofy.”
ISP Newsletter December 2015
Jai Ahuja recently graduated with
a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from Case Western Reserve University, double majoring in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. He will go on to specialize in Aerospace Engineering through a Master’s degree, working at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at Georgia Tech, starting this August.
Zoey Hitzert finished the Legal Practice Course at Kaplan Law School in June. She’ll start as a trainee solicitor at Davis Polk & Wardwell in August, where her first rotation will be in the equity capital markets group. Zoey and David Papirnik also moved in together this summer.
After leaving ISP, Martina Cupova moved to the Netherlands where she obtained her Bachelor degree in International Business Administration at the Rotterdam School of Management. She recently took a gap year to travel and work, and she will be starting her Master studies following the CEMS MIM Program, with her first destination being Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Matt Dickson graduated from UCL with a 2:1 degree in Politics. He will soon move to Edinburgh to work for Standard Life in their Sales and Marketing graduate scheme. Polly Dunlop has recently finished her music degree at university. She’s now working as a waitress for Mark Warner in Corsica, France. She’ll head home in September, where she’ll be a part of bands with her trumpet and find a job to save up, as she wants to go travelling in South America next year. Cas Esbach has almost finished his
Bachelor of Science at the Technical University of Delft. He will soon start his intership at Derksen and de Windt Architects. Cas has fallen in love and is looking forward to starting his masters in architecture.
Adam Ganik graduated from Harvard College with a major in Government and a minor in Film. In August, he began teaching 6th Grade History at Democracy Prep’s Harlem Prep Middle School as a Teach for America corps member. Alinka Heller will graduate from
the University of Florida on August 8th with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a minor in Entrepreneurship. She‘ll soon start working as a claims manager for Geico Auto Insurance.
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Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hagar is currently doing a course in French patisserie and also works part-time as a baker. This coming October she will start her university degree in Psychology in Tel Aviv. In June 2014, Kunal Sehgal graduated from Sciences Po Paris. He has since been working for CNN in their New Delhi bureau.
Brian Sladek recently graduated
from the University of Pennsylvania with majors in Computer Science and Economics. In August, he started working as a software developer at Epic Systems, a large technology firm in Madison, Wisconsin. His work involves writing the software used by major hospitals to manage their patients and staff.
This summer, Alette Horjus is interning at a large Dutch law firm in Amsterdam. She will next start her Master’s degree in Private Law at Utrecht Graduate School of Law, specializing in Intellectual Property Law and Media Law.
Cat Klosson is still at the College
of Charleston, where she’s working toward an AB degree with a double major in psychology and French and minors in classics and biology. Next year she’ll be attending grad school. She’s also been doing statistical research regarding how people in the US view evolution and what affects their views. Cat got engaged recently too.
David Papirnik recently graduated
from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics. Currently, he is in the UK starting Teach First’s “Leadership Development Programme,” a scheme that will see him work as a secondary school math teacher in London this upcoming school year.
Since graduation, Hagar Reuven finished her two-year service in the Israeli Defence Forces. She recently came back home to Tel Aviv after a few months of travelling around Southeast Asia, where she visited India, Sri Lanka,
Arianna Theofan is studying at Florida State University, where she’s majoring in Editing, Writing and Media. She hopes to go into journalism either in print or television, and has interned at a ballet company in Tallahassee and is currently interning at Tallahassee Magazine. She recently entered her fourth season as a member of the Tallahassee Community Chorus and her third season with the FSU Women‘s Glee Club. After graduating from Maastricht University in 2014, Kasper Pesonen moved to Germany to work in product marketing at the headquarters of Adidas. The opportunity has given him a great platform to combine his interest in sport with his studies in business. Next to work, he plays floorball with a German club. Kasper plans to continue gaining professional experience before starting a management Master’s in fall 2016.
ISP Newsletter December 2015
Class of 2013 Bo Hitzert, Julien Mikton Class Correspondent bohitzert24@gmail.com
Now two years out of high school, members of 2013’s graduating class have been working hard to pursue their varied interests.
Rudan Balay has been offered a
position as an intern at a branch of the Omani Embassy in Washington D.C. She will be helping them organize and host events for diplomats and is excited about the prospect of interacting with people who might be able to give her advice about pursuing a career in politics. After her graduation in the Fall of 2016, Rudan plans to move to the United States full time to get her masters degree.
Lukas Borovicka recently finished
working as an intern on the set of the feature film ‘Christine’. As a student of film at the Savannah College of Art and Design, he has also directed his own short film called ‘Astraea’, which can be seen alongside his other work at vimeo.com/lukasb. He will be spending the summer quarter in Lacoste, France before returning to SCAD in the fall.
At the University of Central Florida, Alexia Bossan was busy studying to take her MCAT’s in August. In addition to her interest in medicine, she continues to work with her University’s Coaching Corps, an organization that provides volunteer coaches for after-school sports in underserved communities. She will be attending a conference in San Francisco this fall to discuss strategies for better recruitment.
is helping a group of students start a production team to record covers of popular songs. As a former IB Film student, her expertise in the realm of video production has been especially helpful and she is excited to continue working on personal projects in addition to her cello playing.
Kristyna
Dlouha, who recently finished an internship in Florence, has decided to take a few months off to travel and take Russian Language courses before returning to school. She will be switching campuses in the fall and moving from the Hague to Amsterdam, where she looks forward to finishing her Hotel Management degree in a larger city.
Khang Duong is currently studying
at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and is pursuing a degree in IT management.
A third-year law student at Queen Mary University of London, Ema Exnerova is spending her summer travelling after having interned in a London law firm as well as a law firm in Prague.
Sara Hadzic continues to study at Maastricht University, and participated in the European Court of Human Rights moot court competition this past year. She will be going on exchange to Barcelona in the fall. Bo Hitzert has just finished her first year of International Business Administration. She became the marketing manager of the New Fashion Society and has decided to minor in Social Media & Social Networks. She will be returning to the Rotterdam School of Management to continue her studies in the fall.
Denis Bravenec, who is studying International Relations at Tufts University, has began to specify his interests and will be focusing on International Trade and political risk consulting.
At Lynn University, Veronika Jouklova has graduated with a bachelor’s degree in International Business Management and Fashion Retail Management. She was first in her class and spent her free time as a member of the student government and the leader of the Entrepreneurship club.
In New York City, Ye Jin Choi has been enjoying her second year at Juilliard. She continues to play the cello and
Ashkan Khasmehpour, who is also living in the Netherlands, has finished
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his first year at Metropolitan University studying International Business. In addition to school, he has also been working in marketing and sales in order to gain professional experience. At Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, Balazs Kuti has been studying and playing with the Basketball League of Scotland.
Xena Kyryk will be moving from Aberdeen to Sheffield in the fall to complete her placement year as a marketing student at Robert Gordon University. She has been working in sales and marketing at a growing sports supplier called Kitlocker, and is enjoying the experience of being in a work environment. Xena also continues to pursue her interest in volleyball, yoga, and cooking. Nicole Lim is majoring in Environmental Science and Business with a minor in Biology. She is on the varsity track and field team at New York University and is also part of the NYU sustainability Task Force. The club works with students, faculty and staff to try and make the campus more ecologically friendly. At the University of California, Berkeley, Sukho Moon intends to major in Economics and Statistics. He has joined an investment club as well as a journalist club and will be interning in the banking industry this summer. In August, he will be taking a break from his studies to begin serving with the Korean Army.
Nany Nguyen has been working as
the assistant manager of a restaurant and bar while studying at Les Roches International School of Hotel Management. She and a few classmates have also started an entrepreneurship club where they organize workshops and attend entrepreneurship summits throughout Europe. She is currently spending six months in New Zealand where she is working as a marketing intern at the Hilton in Queenstown.
Aydin Shahidi, who is studying at the University of California, Davis, has
ISP Newsletter December 2015
recently decided to add Managerial Economics as a second major alongside Computer Science. He is working as a sales executive for a medical solutions company and is in charge of managing sales for North and South America. Outside of school, he has begun salsa dancing and continues to play Soccer as a member of the UC Davis soccer team. He is interested in studying and interning abroad in Asia next year.
Till Stackman has finished his first year
of Product Design and will be interning at Bentley Motors in Crewe over the summer break before continuing his studies at Sheffield Hallam University. At the KASK School of Arts in Gent, Maite Versaevel continues to study Interior Design. She spent the second
half of last year specializing on Temporary Installations, where she was faced with the challenge of designing stores, popups and stages from scratch. She will be starting her bachelor project in the fall and is confident that the experiences she had as a second year student will be able to help her as she works to finish her degree.
Tom Wilmots has also finished
his second year and is still pursuing a double major in Engineering and Economics. He plays for Swarthmore College’s varsity basketball team, and recently completed an internship for the Boston Consulting Group as a research analyst.
And finally, in Ottowa, Sebastian Winkler has been focusing his energy
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on work as a fine dining server. He now attends Carleton University part-time in order to accommodate his newfound passion. In the past year, he has had the opportunity to work at Canada’s oldest private club, the Rideau Club, as well as with various diplomats and politicians. Sebastian plans to return to studying full-time next year in order to pursue a degree in history or possibly hotel management. Whether in the realm of medicine, management or law, it is always exciting to hear about the efforts of our peers. We look forward to future updates and wish them all the best. Bo Hitzert & Julien Mikton
Your Class Correspondents
We currently publish “Inspiration” twice each year, and we always look forward to the Class Notes. In order to submit your information, please contact your Class Correspondent, listed below. Please note that your Class is the year from which you graduated from High School, not necessarily the year you left ISP (for example, if you left ISP after Grade 6 in 2007, you would be a member of the Class of 2013). If you don’t see a Class Correspondent for your year, it means that your Class does not yet have a Class Correspondent. If you would like to volunteer, please contact advancement@isp.cz. 1986 1997 2004 2005 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Sinan Aka ‘97 Martina Pomeroy Seyitbek Usmanov Andrej Vukotic Daisy Hessenberger Larissa Batt Katrien Wilmots Zoey Hitzert Katie Hobkirk Dara Chermoeva Sophia Freckmann Julien Mikton Bo Hitzert Holli Demirel Anna-Rosa Eerikäinen Mati Malvido
kuzensinan@yahoo.com pomeroy@unhcr.org usmanov.seyitbek@gmail.com andrej.vukotic@gmail.com dhessenberger@gmail.com larissabatt@hotmail.co.uk katrien_wilmots@yahoo.com zoey.hitzert@gmail.com hobkirkk@gmail.com dara.chermoeva@hotmail.com 4sophiafreckmann@gmail.com julien.mikton9@gmail.com bohitzert24@gmail.com holli3demirel@hotmail.com rosiefinland@gmail.com mati.malvido@gmail.com
ISP Newsletter December 2015
Class of 2014 Anna-Rosa Eerikäinen and Holli Demirel Class Correspondents
as has started a process of recording her first own CD. During her free time, she continues her passion for photography and song writing whenever she has the opportunity to do so.
rosifinland@gmail.com holli3demirel@hotmail.com
her second year of Product Design at Birmingham City University. She says she has enjoyed her course so far, as it challenges her in various ways. During her free time, she keeps drawing and working for her university as an International and EU student ambassador. She also set up her first official art exhibition this summer in Finland.
Carter Janzen Janzen is continuing Rosie has also found the time to work for a local restaurant among studies and is looking forward to her upcoming Erasmus exchange at the Kingston University of London in the spring of 2016.
Sofie Rubinovich is starting her
her second year of Media and Communications at Anglo-American University of Prague. She has really enjoyed the international environment and the new challenges around her field of studies. During the past year, she has created her first own photography webpage, started writing a traveller blog as well
Women in Engineering Society and volunteer with Robogals. This summer she spent six weeks in Bangalore, India, interning in business development with an NGO, which was an exciting and inspiring opportunity.
Aisha Sharipzhan is pursuing her journalism career at the University of Maryland, College Park. She says it‘s a great location as it‘s close to DC, which provides a lot of internship opportunities. She has taken courses to develop her reporting and writing skills, along side courses in US government and US history. She also works for her school‘s student-run newspaper, the Diamondback, and has had multiple articles published online and in print.
Inna-Maria Eerikäinen has started
Anna-Rosa Eerikäinen is starting
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second year of the Events, Sport and Entertainment BA Program at the Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland. Sofia´s BA program consists of three and a half years of studies, which are divided into seven semesters. From these seven semesters,
two are dedicated to internships. At the moment, she lives in Dubai, where she is working as an Events Coordinator at an event company called DreamSpace until December 2015.
Anastasia Ilina is studying Materials Engineering at Loughborough University, where she devotes her free time to
her studies at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina as an Elementary Education major. Her junior and senior year will consist of education classes and she will be having some field experience, which means she will be doing some overseeing and learning in real classroom. She will eventually be able to assist teachers the majority of her senior year. She loves her school and her major and recommends it to anyone who loves kids!
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London All-Year Reunion Hi All, First, I want to say thank you so much to everyone who came to the multi-year reunion in London on June 6th and for making it a fabulous night! Of course, a lot of the attendees are living and working in London and surrounding areas, but we also had people fly in from the Czech Republic, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland and most impressively, the United States (and only for the weekend!). In the end we had around 50 people show up with representatives from around 6 years. Big thanks also to Clive Watkins for organising this event and for allowing me to take part in the process. I particularly enjoyed sourcing the venue, and going for a wine and tapas tasting session to choose the menu! And, thanks to Dr. Arnie Bieber and Mr. Keith Richards for flying over and enjoying the evening with us alumni. I think Mr. Richards got a taste of what it would be like to be a celebrity as people were pretty much queuing to
have their photo taken with him, our much loved gentle-giant Math teacher. So as corny as this may sound, it was amazing to see so many familiar faces and wonderful to see everyone chatting away as if they had only seen each other yesterday. It’s also pretty obvious that some very strong friendships were formed at ISP with a lot of people having stayed very close friends all through University and now working life (myself included). I’m usually in awe when I listen to people’s stories and what they’ve achieved postISP; this was no different at the reunion and it’s a real pleasure to see so many happy and successful individuals, both in their professional and personal lives. We kicked off at 8pm and ‘officially’ ended at 1am, although when I left I know there was a big group heading to Shoreditch to what I can only imagine was an epic after party! The people who wanted to come (of
which there were many), but weren’t able to for different reasons were much missed and I hope to see them at other events. I hope this reunion will be one of many. When I first started talking to Clive about this event, I remember he had to endure a massive onslaught of gushiness (I think I just made that word up but you know what I mean) and praise about ISP from me. This is because the years I spent at ISP were some of my happiest to date, and judging from the atmosphere in the room that night, I think I can safely say everyone at the reunion also has very, very fond memories of our school. With this being said, I just have one final thank you. Thank you to ISP for a great high school experience, for giving me a fantastic education, for introducing me to some of my best friends and for the wonderful memories. Until next time, Larisa Batt, ‘09
From the left: Delphine Gallent ‘08, Gabrielle Bull ‘08, Milena Paprok ‘08, Matjus Mager ‘08, Daniela Cotado, Larissa Batt ‘09, Stefan Kovacevic ‘08, Frantisek Butora ‘09, Camille Dockery ‘08, Aoife Murray ‘08
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Late Additions From the Hill Family Jeremy Hill left Prague in November 2013 and entered a boarding school at his request in Indiana. He was only there for about six months, but seemed to benefit greatly from the experience. He then moved in with his grandmother in Colorado where he entered one of the local public schools to complete his high school requirements. He graduated in May/2015 with Honors. He is currently working on entry into the United States Air Force as some kind of an electronics programmer. He is well and accepting his new role as a young adult in the world with a totally new perspective on life. His experiences and memories while attending ISP are positive attributes to his adolescence. He truly enjoyed working with the robotics team and traveling around Europe as the team Captain. Thomas Hill graduated from high
school in June 2015 making the honor role, and after scoring very high on the SAVAB testing for military service he has decided to become a nuclear engineer in the United States Navy. He will enter boot camp in the fall. Both boys have very fond memories of attending
school at ISP and are grateful for the experiences they have shared as part of our Foreign Service family. He truly enjoyed being one of the members of the ISP Volleyball team and traveling to Moscow and other countries as a representative of ISP. Some truly awesome lifetime memories to share with his own kids some day.
Class of 2012 Faye Richards
Former Graduate and NHS President Faye was invited to attend the red carpet world premier of Macbeth
Bethany Hill has continued to improve both her attitude towards her education, and also her efforts. She has gradually improved her grades and is looking forward to starting her junior year with Battlefield High School in late August. She has spent a lot of her free time babysitting to make some personal spending money and she enjoys working with younger children. Bethany has also expressed the goal of serving in one of our military branch services after graduating from high school. She is thinking that she may want to become a cook and learn the culinary arts, and maybe achieving a degree in food services and business. Bethany misses Prague and ISP and maintains relationships with many of her close friends made while there. They are each members of a very special group of kids as international adventurers.
in Edinburgh. The photo is from the red carpet and after party where she hobnobbed with the stars of the film.
Class of 2002 Elsa Hart
Attention Alumni of the Classes of 2012-15
“On the mountainous border of China and Tibet in 1708, a detective must learn what a killer already knows: that empires rise and fall on the strength of the stories they tell.“ Author Elsa Hart (nee Trimble) wrote Jade Dragon Mountain (MacMillen Publishers) in Lijiang, the city that has grown up around the old town of Dayan. It is her first novel. Elsa was born in Rome; in addition to her time at ISP, she also has lived in the U.S.A. and China. She earned a B.A. from Swarthmore College and a J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.
You are invited to ISP to share your post-high school experiences with current Grade 11 and 12 students. We‘re sure you remember what it was like to be in Grade 11 or 12, and suddenly have everyone asking you what you want to do and where you want to go to university. Your insights and perspective will help our current students think through their options. The event will take place on 12 January 2016 from 9:30 to 10:15, and be followed by a reception for all participating alumni. Please contact advancement@isp.cz to sign up.
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Humans of International School of Prague facebook.com/humansofinternationalschoolofprague Take a glimpse into the lives of ISP humans in their natural habitat. It‘s a simple idea: We take a sincere portrait of someone in the ISP community and add his or her authentic story. No matter of your grade or role in the school, everyone tells amazing stories which bring us close and personal to members of ISP community. The nature of our school is the continued exchange of community members. We are privileged to live in
an environment of different cultural backgrounds. We are immersed daily into intercultural experiences to the point that we stop noticing our differences, opening the pathway to true togetherness and tolerance. ‘You know my name, and now Humans of International School of Prague tells my story’. By sharing your story you become the essence of our goal to stronger connect the ISP community. In this way we get to know the stories
behind the familiar faces seen in the hallways. By the time you finish reading someone‘s story associated with their portrait, you‘ll find yourself relating with someone you did not know before. Humans of International School of Prague invites students, alumni members, parents, teachers and all the people interested in our stories, to become the active members of our Facebook page. One story at the time.
THANK YOU! Donors to the 2014-15 ISP Annual Fund raised 1.447.750 czk, surpassing the goal of 1.325.000 czk! Donations came from Cabaret attendees and 61 ISP families, including ALL Trustees and many Faculty & Staff. Thank you! Our goal for 2015-16 is an ambitious 1.722.500 czk. Please visit the school’s website to see how you can join other members of the ISP community in giving all ISP students the best education possible.
ISP Newsletter  December 2015
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