AIC Alumni Newsletter February 2011

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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:

AlumniRelatoins@aic.ac.nz

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

aicalumni@gmail.com

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 aicalumni@gmail.com

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 aicalumni@gmail.com

10 I AIC AA

Only your contribution can make Alpha exist.

We wish to hear more stories from more alumni.

Have a story to share with your friends?

Please contact us at AlumniRelations@aic.ac.nz or aicalumni@gmail.com

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