Katarina Krajnovic Speaking at Jingkids Graduate Summit

As parents, it’s inevitable that we’re anxious about the future of our children, especially those high school years when they’re not quite adults yet but definitely no longer children either. What’s more, high school is seen as a time that kickstarts the rest of their lives, which is a whole lot of pressure to put on four short years.

For the students themselves, every decision made during those four years can feel like the most important one of their lives. They’re basically stuck between childhood and an expectation that they’ll think and act like adults, making mature and responsible choices that include balancing schoolwork, extracurricular activities, friends and family, and the stresses of everyday life. Simply put, it’s not an easy four years for anyone, however, a little guidance from peers who’ve recently navigated these murky, ever-changing waters can go a long way in preparing someone for high school life.

This brings us to the first-ever Jingkids International Education Graduate Summit. We have invited 12 recent graduates from international schools all around Beijing to speak in a TEDx-style summit and host three sessions of roundtable panel discussions.

It’s a chance for incoming high school students and their families to gain insight into a successful high school career, from the perspective of students who have gone through it all. In no uncertain terms, these students represent the finest manifestation of every school’s greatest academic achievements. At the same time, as the recipient and beneficiary of an international education, these students have gleaned countless valuable insights and experiences over the years, insights that are worth sharing with their peers and parents alike.

In one day of both in-person and live-streamed discussion, we’ll be covering topics such as what an international education means to these students, the good and bad sides of an IB program, the challenges faced and memories made during high school, what they learned during their college application process, what they wish they could have done differently, and the real insights into high school life that no parent or admissions brochure could – or would – tell you.

To kick things off this year, we tapped Katarina Krajnovic – who recently graduated from Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) – for advice to both her peers and parents. Krajnovic wants to pursue a career in psychology and is already entertaining offers from University College London, King’s College London, Bocconi University, American University of Paris, and Erasmus University.

Unlike most students, Krajnovic knew what career path she wanted at a young age and the diploma program at WAB gave her the opportunity to design her high school experience with courses that’ll prepare her for college. “I always wanted to study psychology, particularly neuroscience. I had to choose the right courses for that in high school which included higher-level math, biology, and psychology,” Krajnovic tells Jingkids.

Krajnovic has lived in various countries, however, it was during her time in Sweden in the 7th-grade that one of her good friends was diagnosed with anorexia, and she remembers both not understanding what it was or how to help her. Watching her friend struggle had such an impact on Krajnovic that she decided then and there she would devote time and research to the topic, eager to find better ways of talking about it with young kids, and in a way that’s digestible for them.

But not everyone will enter high school with a clear understanding of what they’ll pursue in college and to Krajnovic, that’s one of the beautiful opportunities of an international high school experience. Her advice for incoming freshmen is to try everything. “One thing that helped me was when I first got into high school, always say ‘yes’ to all opportunities so that you really see what you might like to do,” explains Krajnovic. “I think the first year at WAB, I joined ten different clubs. And then I realized what I liked the next year and I narrowed it down to five, which actually interested me. I learned what I like and what I didn’t like to do. I think that’s really helpful. Just try as many opportunities as you can and step outside of your comfort zone. And if something doesn’t work out, you can always change it. But the most important thing I think is that you tried.”

And it was this attitude that led Krajnovic to discover a club that unexpectedly became her favorite – TEDx. “When I first came to WAB, the program had already been running for a few years but had stopped. I actually joined because I’m not very comfortable in public speaking, I wanted to improve those skills because I know that I’ll need it in the future. And then the following year, I became the leader of the club, because I really liked it. And I gave a TED Talks in Grade 10 on the importance of occupational psychology and improving the effectiveness of the workforce,” Krajnovic tells us. The following year, even though Krajnovic’s time was already packed with exams and other course work, she led the team to host more TED Talks with speakers as young as 6th grade. “It was amazing to hear how much they wanted to share their passion, so that really kept me motivated to keep it going this year as well.”

We know all too well how stressful work life as an adult can be, but that certainly doesn’t mean high school is any less so. During the years when you’re constantly being told that your decisions are life-altering, it’s important to have a strong support system to help you navigate those times.

For Krajnovic, she found the concept of exams to be the most stressful. “It’s one day where you have one or two hours to show your knowledge and sometimes an exam is worth 80 percent of your grade. You have one hour to show art you’ve learned in two years.” For her, she found sports to be an outlet for that stress as it helped her stay healthy and disciplined and gave her a strict routine to follow. At home, the greatest support came from her family. “I’m very close with my family. And one thing that we did every single night throughout the whole year, were family dinners,” says Krajnovic. “I think that’s extremely important to have because both my parents are extremely busy, sometimes they come home at 9pm but we still all wait for each other to have dinner. You learn so much from just hearing each other’s stories, and it’s also a form of ongoing support. So I think sports and family and friends help me the most.”

School stress and early planning are just a tiny fraction of what students and parents should prepare for to make the most of those high school years. Stay tuned for more interviews with speakers from this year’s Jingkids International Education Graduate Summit.

To attend the event, please scan the QR code in the poster below.

Images: Courtesy of Katarina Krajnovic