Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:10 This is the Owl Cast, the official podcast of a ACS Athens. This is the Student edition.
Speaker 0 00:00:18 Listen
Speaker 1 00:00:18 To the exciting story of the American Community Schools of Athens. Check out what drives all the members of our international community of learners as we create the education of the future. Here's John Papadakis.
Speaker 2 00:00:44 Graduating high school is one of those milestones in our life that stays forever etched in our bucket of memories. It is considered not only the passing gate to adulthood, the Rubicon to the real life and all those other cliches that graduation speeches are full of. But when we think of our formative years of elementary and secondary education, it's the moment that comes without even thinking to our minds whether our high school years pass full of excitement and the fulfillment of knowledge, or full of frustration and stressful expectations. Graduation is the moment of redemption that feels like an entire world weight is being lifted off our shoulders. Class of 2023 is the first group of students that began their high school journey during the first covid lockdown in the 20 19 20 20 academic year. All of them must still remember their first online classes in their ninth grade, and I'm sure that the experience will also be with them throughout their lives.
Speaker 2 00:01:46 However, all of the students of the class of 2023 were talking with today feel that this experience was another life lesson on resiliency, on understanding, on self-reflection, and on supporting each other. The graduates of 2023 are becoming the latest addition to the long and diverse body of the AC Athens Global alumni who prepare for their academic career in higher education for their business and entrepreneurial ventures for their trip to the world. Wherever this road leads them, the Outkast welcomes two groups of graduates who talk about the realization that high school is over and the anticipation of what lies ahead. Welcome to the outcast class of 2023. All students have a unique history coming to the school and many of them arrive through different paths. So if we go around and each one of you, you can introduce yourselves and you can tell us briefly what's your story. Where did you come from? How did you arrive at a c s? So let's start with
Speaker 3 00:03:10 I'm Ella. So I'm from Charleston, South Carolina, and I lived there like my whole life until, until eighth grade. And my mom actually got a job here. And then my dad, you know, he also got a job not at acs, but in Greece. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So then we came here and I've been here since eighth grade.
Speaker 2 00:03:30 Since eighth grade. Yeah. So that's your fifth year? Yes. Excellent.
Speaker 3 00:03:34 I'm Francesca. I came to a CS in seventh grade after my sister joined the school. We used to go to a Greek um, school.
Speaker 2 00:03:42 So that's your sixth year? Yes.
Speaker 4 00:03:45 Hi, I'm Omar. I came to school in kindergarten, so it's my 13th year. I think I came through like a mutual friend or something.
Speaker 2 00:03:55 So someone referred you? Yeah. Do you remember what they told you to convince you to come here?
Speaker 4 00:04:00 I, I don't think I had a choice. <laugh>. It was my parents that they convinced
Speaker 2 00:04:05 At five years old.
Speaker 4 00:04:06 Yeah. And I remember my first day I was crying.
Speaker 2 00:04:10 Not too hard, I hope.
Speaker 4 00:04:12 Uh,
Speaker 2 00:04:13 Maybe
Speaker 4 00:04:14 A little.
Speaker 2 00:04:15 Okay.
Speaker 3 00:04:16 Hi, my name's Christina. I've also been here since
Speaker 4 00:04:18 Kindergarten.
Speaker 2 00:04:19 Okay.
Speaker 3 00:04:20 Um,
Speaker 2 00:04:21 I, do you remember your first day? No.
Speaker 3 00:04:23 <laugh>. Were you in the same class?
Speaker 4 00:04:25 No.
Speaker 3 00:04:26 No, I don't think so.
Speaker 2 00:04:27 Okay.
Speaker 3 00:04:28 I used to live in Sudan, but I'm Greek Argentinian. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And uh, then we moved to Greece. My mom and my brothers and I and my brothers grew up in a acs. We came to ACS because my brother had dyslexia and it was the only school that offered like O L P N stuff at the time. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So we came here and we all kind of grew up here.
Speaker 2 00:04:48 Yeah. Now, except from you two that you came really early. Um, do you remember what is the difference from your previous school when you came here? Do you remember how it used to be? And what did you see when you came in?
Speaker 3 00:05:01 Well, for me, definitely like, just more diversity because I came from like the states and just like a public middle school in the States, it was like American, like no one there had even left mm-hmm. <affirmative> the country at all. So I came here and it was like very international, very diverse, and I was
Speaker 2 00:05:19 Okay. Did you have any expectations?
Speaker 3 00:05:21 I was, it was very shocking, but it was, it was nice.
Speaker 2 00:05:24 How long did the shock, uh, last? Like,
Speaker 3 00:05:27 Probably like two years.
Speaker 2 00:05:29 Two years? Yeah. Oh my goodness. Okay. How
Speaker 3 00:05:32 About you? I, I had a pretty similar thought. It's very inclusive. Especially cuz I came from a Greek school, which wasn't as big of a transition as adolescent. She came from the States. But the environment
Speaker 2 00:05:43 Is different language though.
Speaker 3 00:05:44 Yeah, definitely. And it's quite different. The environment and the teacher support the students themselves. Like it's very, it's a whole different, you know, system of learning and style of teaching from the
Speaker 2 00:05:55 Teachers. Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, you're thinking back to the, the years that you've been to the school. What are you most proud of from these years? If you can select maybe one maximum two times that you were really, really proud of you being here of your life at a c s,
Speaker 4 00:06:12 Like as something that the school provided.
Speaker 2 00:06:15 Okay. Whether it was something that the school provided or that that you provided to the school. Something that you're really proud of.
Speaker 3 00:06:21 Like an accomplishment. Yes. From school or in general? From like everything. Pick
Speaker 2 00:06:27 One.
Speaker 3 00:06:27 <laugh>. Oh, this is also sort of a comparison with my previous school and the experience I had there. That this school provides many opportunities in terms of, you know, extracurriculars and so many other things that we can take, that we can do, uh, to discover our passions. So this is why I joined the forensics team and through that I started doing group discussion, which is something that helped me, you know, be sure of my decision of what I wanna study in college. So the past three years that I competed in that tournament and got some distinctions, that was a big accomplishment cuz it also, it kind of reassured me of, you know, the choice that I made of what I wanna study in college. And it also helped me in my academics. It helped me in ib. It's
Speaker 2 00:07:11 So you must feel very comfortable in this setting, group discussion.
Speaker 3 00:07:15 <laugh>. Yeah. I mean it's quite different but yes.
Speaker 2 00:07:17 <laugh>. Okay.
Speaker 4 00:07:18 Well I've done like many things at the school, like through the extracurriculars that are provided to us mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But I think the thing that I'm most proud of is like all the friendships and connections I've made mm-hmm. <affirmative> and just like the person I've become.
Speaker 3 00:07:34 I agree with that. Yeah. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>? Yeah, I mean, I would say something similar, like going back to the thing I said previously, like I was not surrounded by like diverse people before obviously. So I come here and I just think like I've grown into more like open-minded person, um, like open to change and stuff. So yeah, I'm proud of that as well. Like similar to ama.
Speaker 2 00:07:54 Can you think of an instance, an example, because this is a very good example of what you just said, but mm-hmm. <affirmative>, do you have something in mind that you said, oh, I was like that but now I'm like that? If you want to share.
Speaker 3 00:08:06 I don't know. I have to think about it. Okay. But I don't know. I think it was for me, like over time I think you slowly, slowly grow as a person and like you become sure of yourself. And I think like ACS has put me through a lot. <laugh>. It just made me like learn how to figure things out and like grow as a person. And I think my biggest compliment Schmidt is getting out
Speaker 2 00:08:27 <laugh> getting out of high school, just
Speaker 3 00:08:29 Graduating, getting out
Speaker 2 00:08:31 <laugh>. I bet you have it on your, on the yearbook quote or no? No. Okay. The yearbook
Speaker 3 00:08:35 Quote is, stop sinking, start thinking Mom. Ooh. It's something my mom says.
Speaker 2 00:08:40 So hindsight and experience are maybe the only things that, uh, cannot be given or described. If you knew today what you'll know in two or five or maybe 10 years, you would be able to make better choices. Unfortunately, it's not possible to know unless you learn from those who have been there and have done that. Is there something that you'd have done differently in your life as an a c s health student if you knew what you know today? As
Speaker 3 00:09:08 You, when you ask the question? I was thinking of past mistakes I've done or maybe regrets that I've had through my like journey at a cs mm-hmm. <affirmative> and there definitely are a few. But then I also thought that if I hadn't made those mistakes then I wouldn't have grown into the person I am today and wouldn't have the experiences that I have today. So I wouldn't say I would change anything because those are the things that actually made me, the person that I am allowed me to have these experiences that helped me grow. So yes, there are quite a few things that I would change, I guess, but not at the same time. Yeah,
Speaker 2 00:09:43 That's good answer. I mean, you learn through your choices. Yeah. No, not mistakes and
Speaker 3 00:09:48 It's a journey. It's a, something that we all don't feel totally this would love you right now, <laugh>. It's something, it's a journey that we all go through. So I think it's important to make those mistakes and have those experiences that may be negative so that we can appreciate those good experiences that we have now and the lessons that we've learned through.
Speaker 2 00:10:06 And you said you wouldn't change anything?
Speaker 3 00:10:08 Yeah, I don't think so. That's
Speaker 2 00:10:09 Good. That's good.
Speaker 3 00:10:10 I agree with Francesca cuz like at the end of the day, if you sit and you dwell on the past, you're never gonna move forward. You can't regret anything because you did what you did. It's not like there's a time machine that you can go back and change something. And if you could, it would like, if you've ever watched the Flash or anything when you go back in time and like you change things it like the butterfly effect. The butterfly effect, yeah. It'll switch like everything. You don't know the person you would've been if that one thing didn't happen. It doesn't matter how small it
Speaker 2 00:10:39 Is, whatever happens to you changes you and then you're not the same person. Mm-hmm. Right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, anybody else?
Speaker 3 00:10:45 Um, I mean, I agree definitely. I think one thing I would take with me that like I've learned in, into like college is I wanna like get involved with many things like sooner rather than later because like, oh I agree. I did forensics, um, the past two years but, you know, I wish I started it sooner. That's something I'll take with me, like when I go like I want to get involved early.
Speaker 2 00:11:07 Okay. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So you're ready to go out. As said, this is your last year. Um, who or what do you think you will miss most as you're ready to leave the school?
Speaker 3 00:11:17 Obviously I'm gonna miss my friends cuz like you're all going to different destinations and it's hard, but like if I had to pick people from acs, Ms. Lydia, <laugh>, <laugh>, miss Lydia is literally the best person in the world. And Ms. Lio and Mr. Januzzi and a lot of teachers, but Ms. Lydia.
Speaker 2 00:11:36 Okay. Why do you choose Ms. Lydia?
Speaker 3 00:11:37 Ms. Lydia has the biggest heart of anyone I know and she truly cares about the students and you can see that every day when she comes to work.
Speaker 4 00:11:45 Um, I'd say like my friends as well, but then at the same time it's like all of us are like taking this big step, getting out, but all the teachers, like they stay behind and like a lot of them, at least 99% of them <laugh> I guess we could say. They really truly care about us and they like stay behind and like they miss us and I don't know, it just makes me sad, so I miss them. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:12:09 I had a similar thought. Yeah, definitely my friends as well. But as Ama said, um, we are taking this big step together and you know, many of us will stay in contact. So it is kind of bittersweet leaving because of that. But I know we're gonna stay in touch with our friends. And in terms of teachers, I think we've talked about this before, um, some of us, the fact that I personally actually realized this year that our teachers actually care about us. <laugh> and I, we we knew it long time, but we act, I actually realized that, you know, they actually do care and they do want us to do well and succeed. So this made it kind of, again, bittersweet the fact that they're staying behind and we have to, we have to move on and it's this familiar environment that we have here at ACS that we won't really have anymore.
Speaker 2 00:12:56 But you'll be able to visit back.
Speaker 3 00:12:58 Yeah, no, definitely <laugh>, but it's like the, you know, the everyday experience of just being here in having this familiar environment that sometimes we didn't love because of, you know, exams or Yeah. Tests and everything. But it, now looking back, it seems kind of,
Speaker 2 00:13:14 We had an alum five minutes before you came to the studio, the one who graduated in 75. Oh, okay. She remembered almost all her teachers. Mm. Wow. Uh, I don't know if many of her friends, because she didn't mention, but, uh, I'm pretty sure she has some friends. But it's what you said, you know, you come to the school, you get connected with these people and you know that they care about you and it's not 99%, it's more a hundred. Okay.
Speaker 3 00:13:43 Yeah, I mean, I, I agree. Um, for me, I don't have like, like I'm not part Greek or anything, so I don't have any like, connections to Greece. So I feel like it's kind of a bigger loss. Like I'll be leaving acs but also just Greece in general. So that's kind of sad for me. But yeah, like we said, like I'm happy to like, take this step and like, I'm happy for everyone else as well.
Speaker 1 00:14:10 You are listening to the OWL Cast, the official podcast of ACS Athens. This is the student edition.
Speaker 2 00:14:28 Well, you are members of the elite class of 2023. There's only one <laugh>. Okay. There's no more. No. Um, can you talk about your future plans? Um, how well equipped do you feel for what lies ahead
Speaker 3 00:14:44 In terms of future plans that you mentioned? There's not anything, you know, specific that I have in mind. I knew I do know where I'm gonna go to college. Okay. I do have, I do know what I'm gonna study and I do have an idea of what I wanna do in the future. You
Speaker 2 00:14:58 Wanna talk about that?
Speaker 3 00:14:59 Uh, yeah, sure. So I, I'll go to the uk mm-hmm. <affirmative>, most probably Bristol University if I meet my condition. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>
Speaker 2 00:15:06 <laugh> studying, uh,
Speaker 3 00:15:08 Law.
Speaker 2 00:15:08 Okay.
Speaker 3 00:15:09 Uh, and there are quite a few thoughts about what I wanna do. I'm very interested in human rights. I'm interested in doing maybe pro bono work. I'll see how that goes. And how,
Speaker 2 00:15:22 What, what, what inspired you to choose that? I mean, I you coming from a family of lawyers or this is something
Speaker 3 00:15:28 That Yeah. My, my dad is a lawyer. Okay. But he does corporate law. Okay. It's something completely different. But my interest in human rights and all that kind of arose partially from m u n Model United Nations. It's a club here at acs. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> actually mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And also from my own interests and just my, I'm not gonna say desire, but I have, growing up, I have had a need of me wanting to help others and help people. So I think that's my way that I could do that. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, and then the second part of your question about how, um, this, how well equipped we feel for that. I would say that it's a scary step, but there are some things that, you know, I'm unsure of, especially moving to. I've lived in Greece my whole life and moving to a new country, it's scary. Um, but I do feel ready and I do think that we all, you know, will be able to make that step because of the skills that a c s has provided us with. And, you know, learning how to adopt the situations, uh, being self-motivated, you know, all those things. Okay. I'm going to Madrid. I'm gonna go to the University of Carlos Tarra and I'm gonna be studying, uh, cultural studies. And then after I finish my bachelor's, I'm gonna do international relations and political science.
Speaker 2 00:16:45 You've mapped it out? Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:16:47 <laugh>, because I grew up in Sudan for a period of my life and my dad is part Sudanese and he like still lives there. I grew up seeing a lot of like poverty and a lot of different like situations. And I also saw like a lot of my dad's friends who worked for like my dad's girlfriend works for Save the Children. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, we know a lot of people in the UN and it was always something like, just like what Francesca said, like I wanna work and like help people, but I'm, Francesca wants to go more in the law, I wanna go more in like the humanitarian and I don't know. Does that make sense? Yeah, yeah. Okay. To be honest, I think like ACS in a way has helped me because, like with this, because okay, school was always like very like math, science, whatever, which was not something I was interested in. But like in middle school we used to go to the elderly home visit and volunteer, which was something I like really enjoyed. And it made me realize that I wanted to help people further and realize that my background and where like my family came from and seeing all that mixed with everything
Speaker 2 00:17:43 From what you just explained, I, I guess the vision of the school talks about being global citizen and you talked about all these experiences that you lived in the school and what you want to do further in your life. So this is resounding in your life from what you just said?
Speaker 3 00:17:59 Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:18:00 Um, I'm probably going to the UK to study sports science.
Speaker 2 00:18:04 Um, are you an athlete?
Speaker 4 00:18:05 Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:18:06 Um, what do you play?
Speaker 4 00:18:07 I swim mostly. Okay. But I, I do other sports for the fun of it as well.
Speaker 2 00:18:14 Okay.
Speaker 4 00:18:14 I don't know. I'm excited to go I guess.
Speaker 2 00:18:17 So it's going to have to do something with sports, whatever you do, correct? Yeah. Sports science and, I
Speaker 4 00:18:23 Don't know, I really like the idea of helping people and like, just being like healthy in the sense of like keeping your body like active and all that. But also I'm also interested in the more professional and elite area as well. Um, like maximizing performance. I think it's like very interesting, like how humans could get to like such a level that they perform so well in their specific sport. Yeah. I'm excited. Good. Scared, sad.
Speaker 2 00:18:55 Well it's part of the equation. Yeah. Excitement and fear, right? Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:18:58 Yeah. So
Speaker 3 00:18:59 I'm going to the us I'm going to American University, which is in DC right now. My current major is communications. But yeah, I don't know. That might change. I'm in, I'm interested in like film and like media, so I don't really know like any like specific path right now, but that's why I'm like going in for communications generally. But
Speaker 2 00:19:23 Let me make it a little bit more difficult. <laugh>, can you see yourself in five or six or seven years? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Do you see yourself after graduation? Mm-hmm. <affirmative> after you get your BA or your masters or whatever comes after mm-hmm.
Speaker 3 00:19:35 <affirmative>? I'm really not sure, but I hope to like create like things one day. I don't know. In what sense? Like, I really don't know. That's, that's good. That's my,
Speaker 2 00:19:45 That's an answer. Yeah. Okay.
Speaker 4 00:19:48 Oh, I wanna add something. Yeah. Part of my future plans are to travel a lot. Not only in the sense luxury travel, but like also I wanna like volunteer and like see different cultures and all that. Cuz I feel like you gain a lot of experiences, um, from that mm-hmm. <affirmative>, which are valuable.
Speaker 3 00:20:08 Yeah. I definitely agree. We've talked about this with Amma actually traveling. Um, yeah. We, I don't know if it stayed the same with you, but I wanted to volunteer in Africa in Uganda specifically and I looked into it for doing it this summer towards the end of the summer before I leave. And I've noticed that there's some great programs that, I dunno, they're so helpful in the way they organize these trips where they plan out everything for you, but you also do get that experience of going there and, you know, helping people. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:20:37 So if you could take three things with you in college, material things. Okay. What would you take And don't tell me your mobile. Oh, I know,
Speaker 3 00:20:46 I, I I I know two out of the three.
Speaker 2 00:20:48 Okay.
Speaker 3 00:20:49 My teddy bear Peter, she's a little bunny.
Speaker 2 00:20:53 You said teddy bear?
Speaker 3 00:20:54 Yeah, well it's a, she's a bunny
Speaker 2 00:20:56 <laugh>. She's so a bunny bear.
Speaker 3 00:20:57 She's a bunny named Peter.
Speaker 2 00:20:59 But it's not a teddy bear. No,
Speaker 3 00:21:01 She's bunny. I took her to the
Speaker 2 00:21:02 Teddy bunny maybe.
Speaker 3 00:21:03 Yeah. This really big gray fuzzy blanket I have on my bed.
Speaker 2 00:21:08 Okay.
Speaker 3 00:21:10 I got a film camera but like with disposable film that you put in and I'm just gonna take a bunch of pictures of my entire summer and then put it up on my wall.
Speaker 2 00:21:19 Excellent. So that's my,
Speaker 3 00:21:20 That was my thought as well. I was just gonna say a bunch of pictures of my family, friends, you know, everything cuz I wanna make a little picture while like when I'm in university so I can be reminded of, you know everyone. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and look at it and cry. Yeah. <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:21:35 <laugh>. Okay. Last question, but you are asked to talk to a group of 11th graders. Oh. So the 11th graders do not know what they're getting ready for. Okay. And they're ready to get into the final year of high school. What advice would you give them? How can they best prepare themselves for what lies ahead? They have one summer ahead of them.
Speaker 4 00:21:59 Um, I would tell them to calm down a little <laugh>. Yeah. But like in the sense that like they're a bit wild, crazy. But also in the sense that like de-stress, like chill
Speaker 3 00:22:11 I think I would say like especially for IB students. Okay. This is like your final year. Like of course like you wanna go out and stuff and you can't, but there's a balance cuz you need to be able to study and do your work and write your ias and like, not leave things for last minute. Because at the end of the day, like this year, like you need to start studying for your exams. If you're focusing on writing ias, you're not gonna focus on studying. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So you have to manage your time and balance your school life and your like going out and partying and, yeah. Yeah. And adding onto that, since you also mentioned that, that they have this like one final summer in that sense.
Speaker 2 00:22:47 Not final summer, just one summer before the year 12.
Speaker 3 00:22:50 Yeah. One final summer before they graduate. <laugh>? No. Hopefully,
Speaker 4 00:22:55 Um,
Speaker 3 00:22:55 That they should take advantage of that summer because something I didn't do was, you know, there's a lot of time where you can, as Christina said, write your ias, do all your work, especially for IB students, which was something I didn't do to the greatest extent that I could and it stressed me out during the year. So that's like one piece of advice to take advantage of this summer cuz it really will help them mm-hmm. <affirmative> throughout the year. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I, I definitely agree. It's been said so many times, but just like, actually like manage your time and like, don't leave things the last minute because it just causes more stress will cause you to do worse performance. So I'd also say it's the last year of high school, like, you're never gonna get this back. You're never gonna be this age again. Like you're never gonna experience like prom and games and everything again.
Speaker 3 00:23:42 Like, just take it in because at the end of the, the day like graduation comes and like we're ending school and I don't know about you guys, but I'm freaking out a little bit cause like I'm gonna be crying. <laugh>. Yeah. Because the thing is like cherish your friends, cherish your family, like you're leaving in a few months and you don't know when you're gonna see them again. And I also feel like this year is the one that passes by the quickest. Yeah. At least for me, like Yeah. Passed by so fast, like I didn't realize. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:24:06 Yeah. So from one to 10, how excited are you
Speaker 3 00:24:09 To leave
Speaker 2 00:24:11 To finish high school?
Speaker 3 00:24:12 10. 10. 10. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:24:15 There are many colleges. There's only one high school, correct? Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Speaker 3 00:24:19 Well, there's multiple, you just get stuck with one <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:24:22 I'm talking about how many times you have graduation. Oh, in high school?
Speaker 3 00:24:26 Well, we had like three graduations at school. I had kindergarten, middle school, high school. Oh, and elementary school.
Speaker 2 00:24:33 So you don't wanna go into the discussion, how was your middle school graduation? No. <laugh>. Okay. Thank you so much for being here. Congratulations. Class of 2023.
Speaker 3 00:24:41 Thank you. Thank you.
Speaker 1 00:24:46 You are listening to the acast, the official podcast of ACS Athens. Make sure you subscribe to the Acast on Google Podcast, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This has been a production of the acs, Athens Media Studio.
