Beijing City International School Alumni had a special reunion in the afternoon of the last day of school. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the current BCIS students were unable to interact directly with alumni like they normally would. However, the event was undoubtedly a success. Alumni celebrated this first gathering since the outbreak of the pandemic together with many of their former teachers as well as the BCIS Alumni Relations Team. For alumni who travelled back from their universities and were uncertain about the future, nothing was more relieving than sharing some moments of life with friends and teachers that witnessed their growth.

Although each BCIS alumnus is pursuing a unique journey of their own, BCIS remains their home. Many were delighted to find out that this diverse community is as familiar as ever even though not all teachers remained in Beijing, and there have been some changes made to the campus environment.

BCIS Alumni from various graduation years gathered at Secondary School Library, where every single BCIS graduate has countless fond memories. They met with Head of School Julie as well as many more teachers that have taught them. BCIS Alumni shared not only their stories of BCIS but also their lives at universities and beyond. Some of them will soon graduate university and are starting to plan their professional careers, some are still in their first year and hope to learn more about the industries they will be working in. What stood out was their hardworking attitudes and the courage to face challenges that they carried on as BCISers.

Austin is a BCIS Class of 2018 Graduate currently studying at the University of Notre Dame, USA. He has continuously been cultivating his fencing skills since the age of 16. Finding his passion in this sport helped Austin to deal with the blues of adolescence and became more positive. He came back to Beijing after his first year in college in the hope to train himself with the Beijing Fencing Team and play in a few tournaments across China. Despite his plan being disrupted by the pandemic, Austin is ready to face the difficulties coming up. It will not be surprising that his hard work will pay off.

Ayden, BCIS Class of 2017 Graduate, majors in Media Studies at New York University (NYU), USA. He stays in touch with many fellow BCISers and meets with them regularly. He has learnt to be optimistic in the current situation at his newly started internship and aims to do his best amid changing situations. Grace, BCIS Class of 2018 Graduate, also studies at NYU. BCIS is Grace's second home as she joined here in kindergarten. Majoring in Music Business, Grace incorporates her love for music with an interest in business and management. She is happy to spend more time with her family as she didn't have the chance while studying in New York. The connection with family makes her strong. Ayden and Grace, together with Eva, who is still in New York, are starting to plan for the very first BCIS Alumni Association overseas. Their contribution will certainly strengthen our alumni network and allow more communications between alumni and current BCIS students to take place.

Many BCIS veteran faculty and staff members, such as Mr. Selkirk, Mr. Skov, Mr. Clark, Ms. Olivia Chen, Ms. Fiona Chen, Ming, Jane, and a lot more joined the reunion. BCIS Alumni events welcome anyone that has been part of our community, including former teaching staff and withdrawn students. Rose, BCIS Class of 2016 Grad, is soon graduating from Georgia Institute of Technology, USA. She discussed her concerns about choosing a field to pursue a master's degree with Ms. Zhou, a former teacher at BCIS who travelled from Tianjin to attend the event. Rebecca, who just graduated from BCIS in 2019, came to know more about the field of economics from earlier graduates.

Participants of the reunion took a group photo in front of the famous BCIS gingko tree that has witnessed the growths of generations of BCIS students. As BCIS Alumni depart from here and embrace a new chapter in their lives, they will be accompanied by #BCISpirit.

BCIS Alumni Relations Team continues to pay attention to the journeys of our alumni and share latest information on our social media. Please stay tuned and see you next time.

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