Congratulations to BCIS Class of 2021! Our graduates received offers from almost 200 universities around the world. Valedictorian, Karen, accepted an offer from the New York University (NYU) Stern School of Business, a top 10 business program in the United States. Karen's studies here at BCIS, along with her motivation and strong passion for business helped her reach her goal of pursuing an undergraduate business degree at a prestigious school.

When Karen arrived at the Secondary School, she already had a keen affinity for business. This topic peaked her interests from an early age, and Karen could often be found enjoying an episode of the hit reality television show "Shark Tank" while mulling over investment ideas. During her time at BCIS, Karen would have the opportunity to turn her interest into tangible activities and results that would benefit the whole BCIS community.

While studying in the Secondary School at BCIS, Karen actively participated in many of the varied enrichment activities offered at the school. She used her knack for finance to establish and lead her own investment club. Under her leadership, students discussed investment strategies, and even participated in an online competition where they made a mock investment proposal for a client. It was opportunities such as this that not only made her time at BCIS more engaging but also helped to prepare her for her next steps at university and her career.

Not only did BCIS empower Karen to gain valuable experience by setting up her own investment club, the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) provided the strong academic foundation of a program that is recognized and respected all over the world. Karen believes that the IBDP offered at BCIS gave her unique advantages when applying to universities. Her IB classes, such as Economics and English, not only prepared her for courses at university level, but her BCIS teachers also inspired her with creative and fun ways to learn the material. Taking her IBDP exams at BCIS also provided university credits for some of Karen's introductory courses at NYU, enabling her to immediately begin studying more advanced material. She believes that the assessments offered at BCIS, such as the SAT, made it much more convenient for her when applying for college.

Although the benefits provided in class and through BCIS enrichment activities were important to Karen as she transitioned to university, the one aspect of BCIS she cherishes the most is the warm, welcoming community. Being a student at BCIS for six years allowed Karen to build strong friendships with her classmates, and she appreciated the smaller, tight-knit feeling of classes at the school. She also appreciated how kind and caring her teachers were to her and all the students at the school.

As Karen prepares to leave for NYU, she will not be leaving the BCIS community. BCIS Alumni Network spans the globe, and there is even a BCIS New York Alumni Association based at NYU that will welcome Karen so she can reconnect with her fellow BCIS graduates. The strong community is one of the many advantages BCIS provides our students and graduates. Congratulations to Karen for all she accomplished at BCIS, and for her admission into the NYU Stern School of Business! Best wishes to Karen and all the Class of 2021 graduates as they take the next step in their educational journeys.