Four ISAK students, Vidya (Indonesia), Zoe (Cayman Islands), Appy (India) and Tiyi (France), attended the 2017 Yale Young Global Scholars Enrichment and Leadership Skills Building Program in Beijing this month. The program for pre-collegiate students aims to cultivate the next generation of scholars and leaders, and brings together 80 students from China and around the world for an intensive nine day program at the state-of-the-art Yale Center in Beijing. The ISAK students all received full scholarships from YYGS to attend the program, including travel expenses!
While at the conference, the students interacted with top high school scholars from China and attended classes led by distinguished Yale faculty.
Two of the ISAK participants shared their thoughts about the conference:
“Even though coming from an International school like ISAK with students from over 38 countries, I experienced a huge diverse range of not just opinions but personalities at YYGS. There were clash between our opinions and a lot of political differences but we still regarded each other with respect and dignity and treated each other as an equal. Something which was clearly displayed by the overflowing tears not in just the students’ but even the instructors and staff’s eyes. I made-life long friends in those 9 days. The instructors were enthusiastic, humble, fun, brilliant but at the same time had that human touch rather than mechanical teachings and emotions that connects people. The admissions and career panels gave me an insight to my own self. What I want in future and what do I expect from myself. YYGS changed my perspective and gave me a much more positive mindset than before.
I am more confident in my public speaking or other such skills through the Skills workshop. Things like these are usually not taught in schools but the whole experience polished them. I would like to point out the amazing people I got to meet while at YYGS including Josh Chin whose articles I have read like religion in the Wall Street Journal. Truly, it was a great experience and I will never be able to forget it. ISAK really has opened many doors to me. If I was still in India, I wouldn’t even have dreamt of such a great opportunity.Thank you so much.”
– Appy, grade 11 (India)
“I was intrigued by how open and natural everything was. I’d expected a rigorous academic program full of lectures and studying. We did get lectures, but they were done by speakers with characters (profound like Ms. Wu Qing, and engaging like Mr. Ted Wittenstein) who delivered meaningful lectures in such a way that made me not only think, but question more about the things they were saying. The seminars in the program offered a diverse choice of topics, and that allowed me to explore between areas I’d never really learned, and ones I’m passionate about. The people I got to meet however, I learned from the most. People were all kind, supportive of one another, and were open to sharing and learning. I found this most from the people in my skills workshop (a group of 10 students and one instructor who meet everyday. We work on skills like writing, speaking, leadership, etc.) who I spent a lot of time with and find as incredible individuals.”
-Vidya, grade 10 (Indonesia)
