It has been a school year unlike any other, but our graduates pressed on despite the pandemic impacting daily lives and school life significantly. We are, therefore, especially proud that our Grade 12 students have done well and have achieved fantastic results.
This school year we had 81 graduates in total, of which 49 graduated with the IB Diploma and 32 graduated with Abitur.
We (virtually) met with four of our wonderful graduates to learn a bit more about their time at GESS and which universities they will attend after graduation.
We were also curious to hear about what our graduates are most looking forward to at university:
André: I will be ably to study a single subject, that I am really interested in, in greater depth. I am also very keen to understand different perspectives from people who share the same interests. I will also be able to gain more independence, more responsibility, as I will be living alone, far from my parents. I believe that will help me to grow. As my father once said, I believe that when we are out of our comfort zone, this is when we learn the most.
Gaia: Both Durham University and King’s College have a programme where you can choose to have a year or even two years abroad. I like the idea of being able to study (legal) systems from two different perspectives. Given that I have been going to a German-affiliated school my whole life basically, I would probably like to spend these semesters abroad in Germany. I would like to do one or two years in Berlin at Humboldt University. This way I could study two different legal systems and eventually also get a double-degree in both English and German law.
Maya: I am mainly looking forward to the programme itself and also meeting new people, studying together and university life.
Nadia: I’m really excited about the research opportunities, because I read that there are many research opportunities and you can work on projects. I’m also a little bit excited about the weather, because I’ve heard it’s very cold up there – so kind of excited, but also kind of scared about that. Syracuse also has a lot of school spirit so I think that would be interesting as well.
We also asked the graduates what they will miss most about GESS:
André: One of the things I will miss the most about GESS is the amazing facility. Just being able to study in such a modern, up-to-date facility. I’ll also miss my classmates, the cultural diversity, people from different nationalities that speak different languages and the cohort itself. I have been able to create some friendships that will last forever. I will also miss the opportunities we had to go on humanitarian trips like the Cambodia trip that I went on during Enrichment Week. I think that helped me to grow as a human being. High school was an unforgettable journey that has been a great part of my life!
Gaia: I will miss all of the teachers I have grown up with, because I have been here since a very young age and they kind of helped me get through all these years and I’ll definitely miss my friends from Singapore; many have also been here since Grade 1. It was nice growing up together. I will miss the international environment where a lot of people come and go and there is always someone new to meet from a different culture that you can learn from. And obviously, speaking German regularly, because I really do love speaking German.
Maya: I will miss my friends, being in class or just being at GESS, the whole GESS community actually and the sports community as well, the atmosphere and the feeling at GESS.
Nadia: I think I am going to miss seeing my classmates and some of my teachers every day. I think I have gotten into a routine of seeing them a lot so it is going to be weird to not see them all the time. I have spent my entire secondary school education here, so it is a home for me and I will miss that.
In the following video, our students share more about their time at GESS and the support they received while working towards their goals.
And last, but not least we asked the students whether there is anybody whom they would like to thank in particular:
André: All the teachers definitely played a key role in my learning journey. Three teachers in particular helped me to continue progressing on this learning journey. The diploma coordinator, Ms. Fitts, who has always supported me since the beginning. She was a very important person during my time at GESS. The University Guidance Counsellor, Mr. Walton was a very important person in my journey as well, because he has always shown me continuous support, and we were in constant communication about my university application and he was a very important person during my university application process and my time at GESS. My business teacher Ms. Nevers helped me to develop business skills and to continue to grow an interest in this field of study and to start understanding the basics of business.
Gaia: I would like to thank three of my teachers who really helped me push for my goals, especially in these last two years. I would like to thank Mr. Knight, my English teacher, who really helped me with my essay writing. I found that he really helped me bring up my English to a much better level. I would like to thank Ms. Chua for Chemistry. She always helped us, always supported us putting in extra hours all the time, even after school, without a second thought. And Mr. Walton who helped me get through all of these university applications smoothly. He made sure that I knew everything, felt comfortable in all of my application letters and helped me go through them. Those three people really made a difference for me this past year.
Maya: There are many people I would like to thank. Many people have helped me a lot throughout my years at GESS. I do not want to single out one person, one student or one teacher, but I will thank all of them later on.
Nadia: I would like to say thanks to my homeroom teacher Frau Hoffart and also my University Counsellor Frau Meyer, because they really helped me by supporting me and what I wanted to do. Frau Meyer really helped me in terms of picking my university and preparing everything I needed for my application process.
We wish André, Gaia, Maya, Nadia and all of our graduates all the very best for the new chapter that awaits them and we look forward to hearing more about their journey in a few years.
