Class of 2020: “Know What Is Best for You, You Will Go Far.”

Mina Yan Jingkids

This year, COVID-19 has turned the world upside down, and for high school seniors, these students experienced a senior year unlike any we’ve ever seen before. But life goes on and despite the chaos, COVID-19 has caused, students at international schools all over Beijing are graduating in good spirits and high hopes for the future. Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

Meet Cailin S. a recent graduate from Western Academy of Beijing (WAB).

I’ll be going to Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School majoring in Film/Screen Studies/Media Studies.

My favorite memory from my time at WAB was the freedom that I felt from being myself with my friends. I can’t pick one specific moment because all of them have a well-deserved place in my heart. Since there is no such thing as a satisfying goodbye now, all we can do is savor and appreciate all that has happened and what and who made us who we are today.

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WAB helped make me who I am today by giving me the opportunity to delve into new things and finding my passions. Things that make me, me. I have always struggled with identity as an international student. WAB has allowed me to delve into depths where I finally understand the idea of being individually unique and creating my own pathway to my dreams and goals.

My favorite teacher at WAB was Ms. EJ. She has shown me what it is like to be passionate. She has taught me that there is not only one way of doing things or getting to a goal. If you are passionate, driven, and are genuine in everything that you do, you will succeed in more ways than you could ever imagine.

If I could change one thing about high school experiences, I would be able to warp time and learn how to appreciate every little thing and moments that I have with people. I would change my perception of time.

Academic success and building strong friendships are both important. There is no such thing as happiness in one or the other, the importance of both will help you understand your own personality and priorities. It depends on what kind of person you are, what your strengths are; being self-aware is one of the best skills that you will ever learn and be of help to you in the future.

My fellow students. My message to you is to love, always. To be passionate about the people, the subjects and family that surround you. Prioritize things that make you genuinely happy and stick with your instincts in whatever you do. You will know what is best for you, trust yourself, you will go far.

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Photos: Cailin S., The New School, Unsplash

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