AISB in Mozambique - Cheney Wells, Class of 2002


Maputo, Mozambique is currently home for AISB graduate (2002) Cheney Wells who is a Project Associate with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA). A 2005 graduate of New York University, Cheney served as a Peace Corp volunteer in Costa Rica for two years before returning to graduate school at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy. He graduated from the Fletcher School in May, 2011 and joined IPA in June. His role in Mozambique is to design and execute research projects focused on peverty reduction programs in the agricultural sector.



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Patricia Khalil  - Class of 2009

 

Hi everyone!

I am currently living in London, working for Xerox Ltd at the European Headquarters based in Uxbridge. I’ve been having a fantastic time here in the role of Internal Commu- nications Executive for Xerox Europe and it has been both challenging but extremely rewarding at the same time.

 

Because I’m on what’s called a ‘sandwich degree’ I’ll be in this role for a year as an industrial placement student and then it’s back to uni for me! So come September 2012, I’ll be back at Bournemouth University in Bournemouth, UK,for my final year where I study Advertising with Marketing Communications.

Hope everyone has been doing well and having a great time. Very much looking forward to reading about your adventures!

Best wishes,


Patricia Khalil

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Miron Lila - Class of 2005

 

“After AISB, I graduated with a BSc in Government and Eco- nomics from the London School of Economics and PoliticalScience. I started work right after university as a financialanalyst in Citigroup’s Investment Banking division, working onmergers and acquisitions and financing transactions in bothLondon and Hong Kong.
 

In August 2011, I was promoted to associate and continue to focus on advising clients in the healthcare, consumer and retailsectors in China and wider Asia Pacific. I believe that AISBgave me a good preparation for life and work in an international environment.”



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Suzana Plesca - Class of 2005

 

“After graduating from AISB, I went on to study Finance and Business Administration at the University of Maryland and worked as an Accounting Associate for the United Nations. Shortly after, I attended The Vancouver Film School where I graduated with a degree in Film Production.

 

I am currently working in Casting for Films and Tv Shows andI’ve been recently assigned a film starring Christian Slater andDonald Sutherland. In my spare time I’m an emerging Film Pro-ducer and have begun work on my own project, a feature filmwhich I hope will be done by the end of next year.

 

AISB was a great tool for me; as it prepared me for the future, with an international viewpoint on life and business as well as a good work ethic.”




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Barkha Kumar - Class of 2005
 

Shortly after graduating from AISB, I went on to study Electri- cal Engineering in India. Midway through the course, I trans- ferred to an engineering school in New York City called Cooper Union. I completed my remaining two years there and received a Bachelor of Engineering degree. After studying engineering, I landed a career in finance and currently work as a trader for Royal Bank of Canada, after working briefly at JP Morganand doing internships at UBS and Merrill Lynch (now Bank of America).

 

I strongly believe that AISB laid the foundations for my graduate and work life. Not only did it provide me with the opportu-nity and flexibility to take a wide variety of courses to furtherenhance my interests, but it also taught me general “life” skills such as teamwork, adaptability and persverence - qualities which are essential to succeed. In addition, the diversity of the AISB community helped bring a lot of perspective and cultural awareness.

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Victorita Paun - Class of 2005

 

I graduated AISB with the confidence, skills and enthusiasm that I was short of when I first set foot on the premises of AISBin 2001. I went on to college in Denmark, South Carolina where I graduated from Voorhees College with a BS degree in Accounting and as valedictorian of the Class of 2009. I returned to Romania and to my home community of AISB where I worked as a kindergarten teacher’s assistant. Later on I suc- cesfully passed the recruiting process for PricewaterhouseCoopers Romania, where I have been working more than a year as a tax consultant. Prior to beginning my carreer with PwC I was also able to gain hands on experience with one of the leading consumer products manufacturer and retailer: Unilever. For two whole months I was given the opportunity to learnabout the financial aspects of running a multinational company like Unilever. Presently I was offered a position in the Inter- national Mobility Services department at PwC which I gladly accepted as it placed me in the international environment I was used to.

 

AISB is the source of my confidence, enthusiasm, flexibilityand spirit of challenge that has been the key to the majority of my post-secondary accomplishments. AISB not only provided for my personal and academic development but it also opened doors that otherwise would have never even been knocked on. A big thank you to AISB, because without you I probably would not be where I am today and who I am today. You still welcome me with open arms every time I walk through your halls!


 

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LJ Brown - Class of 2005


 

After graduating AISB in 2005 I attended a semester of college in north Texas. I decided school was not for me at that point in my life. Shortly after I enlisted in the US Army. I became an Airborne Medic and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Divi- sion at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. In June 2007 I deployed to Iraq where I spent the next 14 months. Upon returning from Iraq I moved to Vicenza, Italy and was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade. I met my wife Sondra in Italy while she was visiting her sister. I married a Texas girl that I met in Italy! In December 2009, I deployed to Afghanistan for 11 months. After returning from Afghanistan, my wife and I moved to Hawaii, where we live now, and I am working in an Acute Care Clinic.

 

My short time at AISB taught me how to interact with all walks of life. AISB was an amazing experience because there were not two people in the entire student body who were exactly alike. The cultures and people I had the pleasure of meeting opened my eyes to what is out there. It has helped me in my career to understand that everyone does not the same ideas I do and to accept that.



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Stephanie Johnson - Class of 2005 

 

After AISB, I moved to Philadelphia and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania, with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I married Dustin Johnson, an American who grew up in the Philippines, and a graduate of the Wharton School of Business.

During my college years, I got a nursing externship and then a nursing assistant position at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), one of the top 10 hospitals in the USA. After graduating nursing, I continued to work at HUP on a unit for liver, kidney, and pancreas transplants, and bariatric surgery.
 

Wanting to continue my career in primary, preventative health care, I have just graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Adult and Gerontology Nurse Practitioner programs, with a Master of Science in Nursing. I am currently studying to take the NursePractitioner certification exam. In several years I hope to become ateacher for other nurses, which may involve earning a Doctorate of Nursing.

I love thinking back on my time at AISB. The personal investment that our teachers made in each of us really prepared me for an Ivy League school and continuing education. But more importantly, the friendships we made and the diversity we were exposed to helped develop who we are and what we believe in. We’ll continue to grow from that foundation for the rest of our lives.


 

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Alaa El-Bashir - Class of 2005


 

After AISB, I attended Carleton College, a small liberal arts school in Minnesota. I majored in Biology and Cross-Cultural Studies and also studied Spanish and Anthropology for a year in Guatemala, Mexico and Argentina. Afterwards I moved to Boston for graduate school and earned my Master’s of Public Health from Boston University with a focus on Epidemiology and International Health. I wrote my thesis on reproductive health services at a district hospital in South Sudan and waspresented with the John Snow Inc. award for my field work.During graduate school I also worked at an infectious disease lab and got experience running a clinical trial. More recently I started working for Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School as their program coordinator for their Mater- nal, Newborn and Child Survival Initiative in South Sudan. I witnessed the country’s independence on July 9th and I am currently assisting with community health worker trainings in rural areas and working on a research project. Over the next few years I hope to pursue further graduate studies and to continue working internationally.
 

It was a privilege to live in Bucharest and to meet people from all over the world. The friendships I developed at AISB encouraged me to appreciate other view-points and heightened my interest in studying global issues and working and traveling in other countries. The dedication of my teachers and the learning environment at AISB is something that I will always be grateful for!



Read the entire WORLD Magazine Winter 2011 edition here.