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Cosima
Graduated with an IB Diploma in 2022
Hi, my name is Cosima. I joined ISM in 2019 and graduated with an IB Diploma in 2022. Before coming to ISM, I attended a local German school and decided to transfer my freshman year of high school. Everyone at ISM, teachers, staff and students, made me feel welcome right away. The transition was really easy and I soon started to get into a habit of English being the language in the classroom.
Because of the small class sizes at ISM, teachers know every student, their level and needs. It is much easier for our teachers to attend to the individual, which ensures that every student understands the material and can keep up with the rest of the class. As a whole, ISM is a small school, so everybody knows everyone, creating a familiar and supportive environment.
All teaching staff values the individual and ensures the best learning environment for everyone. I felt like my teachers always cared about me and my classmates and did everything to help us be our best. Along with that, I believe that my teachers prepared me well for the IB but also for life after high school. Part of that was communication and precise tasks. We learned to follow directions to achieve the best results in tasks, but were also prompted to question what we were doing and how it would help our overall learning. Inquiry plays a big role at ISM, especially when it was time to complete our Internal Assessments for our diploma. Those are essays, where we had the chance to take what we have learned in class and apply it to real life. This practical approach and out of the box thinking, have helped me to develop an open and questioning mind.
Like I mentioned the continuing support from everyone, as well as understanding and following task guidelines, while also keeping an open mind and understanding the reason behind assignments instead of blindly completing them, have prepared me to excel in college. Currently I‘m studying at Central Michigan University, where I‘m playing field hockey at a D1 level.
I would have never gone to the US for my studies if it weren’t for ISM. I‘m thankful for every minute I got to spend there and for every intriguing conversation I got to have. I want to thank all of the teachers and staff for the unending support.
