(P) The Power of an Alumni Network

by Salwa Patricia Khalil, AISBucharest Communications and Alumni Coordinator The American International School of Bucharest’s (AISB) Alumni Association (AA) was established in September 2012 as part of the school’s 50th-anniversary celebrations and has grown from strength to strength. Its activity established the AA as a group that is truly present in the lives of AISB students by offering experiences, advice, and opportunities. Some of 2015’s highlights include: Inspiring AISB students through careers, hobbies, poetry, coaching, and educating AISB alumni visited Grade 10 students to share information on their professions, giving them the opportunity to learn about various careers and ask questions about university requirements. Sessions throughout the year covered: Law, Real Estate, Energy, Politics, Language Studies, Business Management and Family Businesses, Communications, Events, Marketing, Advertising, and Hospitality. Alumni have supported our Middle School students on a greenhouse service learning project, teaching them about the tools and theories necessary to bring one to life; they have performed Spoken Word Poetry to students in Grade 5 and above, inspiring them to make their own voices heard; and one alumni family from the World Magna Carta Heritage presented the importance of the 800 year old document to our students. We continue to have alumni coaching our athletics teams (Soccer, Basketball and Softball) and presently have five student alumni on the permanent school faculty and staff. Working with Parents Several AISB alumni attended the Grade 11 University Search and Application Seminar for Parents and Students. During this session, alumni shared their insights and experiences about the university search and application process. This helped Grade 11 students and their parents gain new perspectives on life after High School. AISB student and parent alumni also came together to share experiences with Grade 12 parents in the “Letting Go” session that took place in March. They discussed the anxieties and practicalities of parents sending their kids to University, helping parents understand the many facets of having a child leave home – both from the perspective of the parents and the ones of young adults. Alumni Reunions AISB Alumni Reunion (such as the one hosted in London) are very well attended by alumni who are at their 10th-year reunion and alumni who are at their first. In October, we held the first in our Professional Series: An Alumni Network Effectiveness Conversation. Mr. Marian Staş, Chairman of Leaders of the Third Millennium, facilitated our discussion, touching on subjects like our individual strengths, their application in a group setting, the effect on the value of the team, and the application to our alumni network specifically.