This week’s Alumni Spotlight features Sabrina Chu who showed us how to be resilient, how to deal with challenges, and to strive for excellence in all that we do. Her engaging academic and extracurricular experiences at AISG prepared her for college. More importantly, Sabrina says that it gave her tools to think critically, learn passionately, and find the balance of seeking happiness in everything she does. 

Now that your senior year has ended, was there any moment or event this past year that made a defining impact or lasting impression? 

My senior year was filled with so many defining moments. But looking back, one of my favorite memories from senior year was the StuCo workshop at the beginning of the school year. It was so surreal to be back on the Ersha campus on a Saturday morning, greeting all the new StuCo members the same way I was greeted in my freshman year. That day, going through StuCo expectations and getting to know each other through the icebreakers, I felt so happy to be coming full circle with my StuCo experience and passing on the things that I had learned over the past few years.

How did the IB curriculum affect your perspective towards education? 

The IB curriculum helped me realize my own learning limits and capabilities. Struggling with all the different courses pushed me to greatly reevaluate and balance how I invest my energy. But at the same time, I never would’ve imagined myself capable of working on and completing something like the Extended Essay if I hadn’t taken the IB. At the end of it all, I think the IB is challenging, but having to meet its many requirements helped me understand myself better as a learner.  

In regards to the outbreak of COVID-19, what was the biggest challenge you faced and how did you overcome it? 

I really struggled to stay motivated and organized during online learning, because I missed seeing and drawing support from my teachers and friends in person. I don’t think I completely overcame this, but it helped to use my calendar app to plan out every day and visually see the activities that I was looking forward to coming up. Luckily, I didn’t end up having to stay online for a very long time because I was in Guangzhou when school resumed in person, but I have so much admiration and sympathy for people who spent (or are spending) more time online than myself. You guys are incredible. 

Where will you be going to college and what are you looking forward to the most? 

I will be going to college in the US. I am really looking forward to the change in scenery, because I’ve lived in cities my whole life and can’t wait to look out the window and see nature instead of skyscrapers.  

This year we celebrated AISG’s 40th Anniversary. What thoughts or emotions come to mind and what does this mean to you? 

Although I’ve only been an AISG student for 5 years, being here for the 40th anniversary made me realized I’m part of the school’s bigger legacy. Many of my fun AISG memories were made in events and traditions left behind by students from years before me, which makes me hope that, similarly, the energy and love that my grade put into AISG will still be felt by students that come after us. 

What advice do you have for current students to make the most of their experience at AISG? 

I didn’t fully realize and appreciate the extent of my support system until I took a step back from stress to really look at the people around me. If you can find or see your support system earlier than I did, make sure you make the most of it by asking for help when you need it and giving back when you can. Don’t get caught up in the little mistakes because things will work out in the end. I think our grade’s GenCo page in the yearbook describes my advice pretty well: “Live in the moment (but don’t procrastinate too much)!” 

What accomplishments do you dream to achieve in the next five years and how will your education at AISG help you achieve these?

In the next 5 years, I hope to find my own happiness through both academic and personal success. Academic education at AISG has given me the tools to think critically and love learning, while my extracurricular AISG experiences and bonds have given me a standard for what it feels like to truly be happy.

Sabrina's extracurriculars/activities/awards/etc. during her time at AISG: 

• Student Council
• National Honors Society
• Model United Nations
• The Beacon
• Varsity Basketball
• Varsity Basketball Coach’s Choice (2021 – 22)
• MUN Most Valuable “Player” (2021 – 22)
• English Student of the Year (2021 – 22)
• Individuals & Societies Student of the Year (2021 – 22)

Sabrina, thank you for sharing your journey with us. We are very proud of you and all the graduates from Class of 2022! Let's stay engaged and connected! Once a Ram, always a Ram!