IB graduate profile - Mariana Xanthopoulos
Graduated from St. Mary's International College, Argentina in 1992.
"I write this from the computer on my desk in St. Mary's School, from which I graduated in 1992 and where I now have the position of the secretary to the principal in the campus of Pilar. I would like to call this paper “education in the daily life of an adult” and to show the path I've followed from formal education into the school of life (a theme we explored in world literature).
When faced with the unfamiliar, an individual chooses whether to have a closed or an open mind. Some situations make me truly identify with the tolerance that was revealed so many times in literary characters, in artists from long ago, or in history lessons where we studied by default the number of casualties in Vietnam or the Second World War caused by the lack of such a virtue.
Recalling these images and experiences is like looking through a yearbook full of dreams and career aspirations from the past in order to share with the reader the transition to the “real world”.
I take a deep breath and recall many images that I would like to store away. The pen is always frustrated in its desire to reveal what is felt in the soul. A blessing that allows us intimacy.
But back to the café in the school of education psychology. A desire to save the world, to change humanity. Imagine if adolescence lasted. Now at 28 years of age, I feel the same idealism in myself. Could it be that there is some truth here and that without dreams there is no hope, no real change?
The health of future patients is not foremost in my mind. I am not sure if clinical training is what I really want to study. The first exams begin problem-free. I feel enormously grateful to have acquired good study skills, and it never ceases to amaze me when I hear classmates say to me “cut and paste, that’s the way to get the extended essay done.” No, I shout, wishing to defend originality. What a difference in the first years of university! There are few of us who express freedom and honesty in our studies and enjoy the rewards of personal effort.
I finish the first year. I need a greater challenge. I need to find my own personal vocation. Two subjects really interest me: philosophy and neuroscience. During 1995 I make an important decision and change careers. I leave the world of science to pursue a humanities degree. I enroll in a philosophy program at the Catholic University of Argentina.
My free time. Should I spend it on CAS? Yes. From my fourth year at high school, because of my personal beliefs, I was in the habit of dedicating some of my free time and a large part of my heart to helping others with their needs. I spend four years teaching catechism to disabled people. That is where I meet Eleonora, Javier and José. My university timetable prevents me from continuing and because of this, I begin working as a missionary. At the same time I am offered the opportunity to organize CAS at the high school.
Yes, I have really found my vocation!
It is now seven years since I became involved as a support coordinator for the San Maximiliano Kolbe in the suburb of Virreyes, where seventy young people from underprivileged backgrounds attend practical and artistic workshops provided by the goodwill of students from St. Mary’s. The options available are theatre, help with school work, religious instruction, music, and arts and crafts.
The greatest reward for me is seeing the smiles of the young people, their enthusiasm to learn and grow, and the mutual affection we share.
In 2001 I receive a postgraduate qualification in non-governmental organizations from the University of San Andrés, the University Torcuato Di Tella and C.E.D.E.S. Grand ideals compared to my humble reality in Virreyes. I begin again to try to accommodate a success driven model and the search for an education in values. A huge learning experience that leads me to wonder about academia and life. I experience contradictions between study and life. Is this not the greatest fear of people attending job interviews? “And what experience do you have?” “So you have read about it in books.” “So would you now be able to…?” Doubts and challenges. And suddenly you begin to appreciate all the “wasted time” spent on CAS in the parish where I learned to coordinate groups of 500-800 young people and to “real life” events.
When the moment arrives to put on a suit, take over your own office, and begin a job, everything you have studied comes into play. But is it the job or the suit that gives you a vocation or an identity? No, it isn’t, although this seems to be questioned by society these days. Formality shapes all things because it is a familiar model and the path is well known. Perhaps in order to find the right path it is necessary to remember Robert Frost’s words “I took the road less trodden”.
Today I find myself an adult, and I pray that God will help me to find something that will make both myself and other people happy. I look to make ever better use of my gifts, while accepting my limits, with the aim of gaining happiness."
Find out more
More about St. Mary's International College, Argentina.
More about the IB in Argentina.
"I feel enormously grateful to have acquired good study skills, and it never ceases to amaze me when I hear classmates say to me “cut and paste, that’s the way to get the extended essay done.” No, I shout, wishing to defend originality. What a difference in the first years of university! There are few of us who express freedom and honesty in our studies and enjoy the rewards of personal effort."
"The greatest reward for me is seeing the smiles of the young people, their enthusiasm to learn and grow, and the mutual affection we share."
"Is this not the greatest fear of people attending job interviews? “And what experience do you have?” “So you have read about it in books.” “So would you now be able to…?” Doubts and challenges. And suddenly you begin to appreciate all the “wasted time” spent on CAS in the parish where I learned to coordinate groups of 500-800 young people and to “real life” events."
