Student and alumni speakers

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At the conference, we were happy to welcome a number of students and graduates of IB programmes, who spoke of how their studies shaped their future.

Student speakers

Martina de la Varga, Colegio Montserrat

"Taking an idea and making it happen is one of the skills I have most developed through the IB"

Martina is in the final year of the Diploma Programme at Colegio Montserrat in Spain. Her speech explored the notion of fear and explained how her school's ethos of 'self-discipline, autonomy and open-mindedness' had helped her become more confident.

 

Joel Decasa, SEK International School Catalunya

"All students are curious...Some are born to love languages, some numbers. Some want to apply their skills in a profession, some want to keep studying. These people are very different but they all have this in common - that they want to learn more."

Joel Decasa is a student at SEK International School Catalunya. He says that the IB programme, in contrast with his country's national education system, has helped him to accelerate two years beyond his age.

 

Alumni speakers

Brian Kimathi, student at The University of British Columbia

"Looking back, the IB has taught me that life will always throw obstacles at you... having to make tough decisions about who you are as a person, what kind of impact you want to have on this planet and what you will contribute to the society that you live in. The beauty of the IB Diploma is that it has given me opportunity to make those decisions."

Brian Kimathi is an IB graduate from the Aga Khan Academy in Nairobi, who now studies at The University of British Columbia in Canada. He told delegates about the life lessons he has learned through studying the IB Diploma Programme.

 

Sharvani Shkambari, student at ESADE Business School in Barcelona

"I've had the opportunity to interact at a very early stage of my life with people of different races, religions and cultures. This internationalism was further reinforced through IB... Apart from internationalism, IB has helped me develop compassion and leadership."

Sharvani studied the IB Diploma Programme at Pathways World School in India. She says that the IB helped grow her already strong sense of internationalism, having grown up and studied in different parts of the world, and told delegates of her work to help others.

 

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