With graduation only about a month away, I took a brief moment to reflect on my eight years spent here, at the International School of Bangkok. Just within those couple of minutes, so many scenes ran through my head, from my very first day in fourth grade to seventh grade’s Booha “social” to my ninth grade World Civilization Enlightenment debate to the last IASAS Cultural Convention I participated in just a month ago. As these memories came back to life with much vividness, it suddenly hit me how fortunate I was to have been educated the last eight years at this school – at ISB.

Admittedly, I was absolutely terrified of the notion of moving to a foreign country and learning to talk, write and speak in a completely new language. Looking back now, however, I can say with confidence that I have grown up to be the eighteen-year-old that I am today because of ISB’s education, and I would not trade a single moment spent here with anything else. So as a little token of appreciation, I have decided to dedicate the very last article of my High School career to the school that I will forever call my home.

Here are the 5 reasons why I value my education at ISB:

1. It widened my perspective

Perhaps the single most valuable thing that I will take away from ISB’s education is the whole new set of perspectives I’ve been introduced to. Learning with peers from so many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds has pushed me to consider the numerous implications my actions and words may hold and enabled me to view the same matter from various standpoints. It also showed me that nationality is only one of the many qualities that make up a person, and that we really are more similar than different.

Charities carried out by the entire school community such as the Philippines 2014 flooding fundraiser were a demonstration of our solidarity and true caring for one another.

2. It taught me to become a more critical learner with independent thoughts

Although the countless reflections, commentaries and essays I had to write were definitely a challenge, they taught me how to think for myself and effectively articulate my opinions. This skill, I believe, is especially crucial in a world such as today’s that already has all the content-based resources, yet is still searching for new thoughts and perspectives. True value comes from unique thinking, and growing up and learning at ISB has given me the ability to do this.

3. It transformed me into a better, more confident public speaker

When I first moved here, I was the shyest girl in the world. I would never strike up a conversation with anyone other than the people I was already familiar with, and I was absolutely frightened of speaking in front of a large group of people. However, with the many class presentations as well as activities such as MUN and even short speeches at assemblies that I partook in, I learned to overcome my fear and actually even began to enjoy talking in public. I also think that the leadership quality that the ISB educators emphasize so much encourages students to join clubs and activities in which they step out of their comfort zone to take on new challenges, which for many, is public speaking.

And knowing that this skill – the ability to clearly articulate one’s thoughts in front of others – is extremely important today in any kind of work, I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunities ISB has provided me.

4. IASAS!

If anyone asked me what the highlight of my four years of High School was, I’d say without a second thought: IASAS! I think most who have been a part of IASAS would agree that it really is a unique experience, being able to compete against or play alongside those from different international schools who share the same passion. It not only motivates you to further push yourself to another level, but also creates some invaluable friendships. I seriously love IASAS experience so much, and am sad to think that it is now over.

5. The teachers

Although there sure were times when I complained about some of my classes, I would have to say that I had some amazing teachers over the past eight years. Their constant encouragements, positivity in class, and depth of knowledge motivated me to work even harder so that I would not disappoint them. It also made me realize that a personal teacher-student relationship is extremely important in the student’s experience with the course.

Without a doubt, the cool and dedicated teachers I’ve learned from made my eight-year-long journey here at ISB a truly valuable and memorable one.

Even though there are many more factors to include in the list, I will stop here since that will take forever to do. But really, again, I would like to express my gratitude for ISB for the education it has provided me. A large part of who I am today is the product of this education, and I cannot imagine how different of a person I would have turned out to be if parents had not decided to move to Thailand.

So thank you, ISB.

Seoyoung Lee