The WAN Circle
Ingi Kim, Dulwich College Suzhou'22,
Alice Oh, Dulwich College Suzhou'17,
and Kate Kim, Dulwich College Suzhou'18,
spoke to parents at Dulwich College Seoul
about international transitions
At Dulwich College International, we aim to foster lifelong relationships with our alumni, also known as International Old Alleynians (IOAs). The Worldwise Alumni Network (WAN) is a powerful professional and social community for IOAs to forge and maintain lasting bonds. And while our alumni engage enthusiastically with each other in the social and professional events we provide, we have found that they are incredibly eager to give back to the Family of Schools where many started their international journeys, thus completing the transformational circle of the student journey to WAN and back. From Seoul to Toronto, a series of WAN events and reunions have been held to connect, celebrate, inspire, and grow. Seoul, in particular, has witnessed a full circle moment.
On Friday 27 January, two International Old Alleynians, Alice Oh, Dulwich College Suzhou'17, and Jack Kim, Dulwich College Beijing'11, joined Dulwich College Seoul Year 12 students at a WAN Alumni event to share their IB, university, and career experiences in support of the next generation of students to make a positive difference in the world.
Alice, a graduate of Seoul National University, now works at Standard Chartered Bank while Jack, who attended Cornell University before transferring to Yonsei University, currently works for an investment company. Both alumni gave tips and advice to the students with one common thread: that the IB was challenging but it prepared them for university. "Once you survive IB, university will be easier."
It was particularly helpful for our students to learn about the benefits awaiting them as members of the larger Worldwise Alumni Network. Additionally, Jack and Alice answered questions about their own college and career pathways, reinforcing that everyone is on their own journey, and there is more than one way to success. Alice recalled fondly her time as an IB student. In fact, Alice said her favourite teacher in Dulwich College Suzhou was none other than the current Dulwich College Seoul Senior School Head of English, Frank Ventham, who also happened to be in the room. It was a lovely one Family of Schools moment!
Later in the evening, the full group of alumni came together to complete the circle and celebrate the reopening of alumni event opportunities in South Korea. The organisers for this event were Alice Oh, Dulwich College Suzhou'17, and Chelsea Hong, Dulwich College Beijing'15. In total, 20 alumni joined Dulwich College Seoul leaders, including Head of College Gudmundur Jonsson, for dinner and networking.
I really had a wonderful time there, and felt like I went back to my life in Dulwich College Suzhou, especially when I had the honour to share my stories with Dulwich College Seoul students...and we also had a great time talking about so many things together during dinner. A true highlight of the day was when I met Mr. and Mrs. Ventham at Dulwich College Seoul. I was so grateful and felt like I was really part of the Dulwich community. It was a wonderful Friday evening.
-- Alice Oh
Dulwich College Suzhou'17
I loved meeting old friends and making new friends. It was exciting to send out invitations to all the Dulwich alumni in Korea that I knew. Many of them told me that they loved the event and that they wouldn’t have had the chance to meet if it weren't for WAN and the planning team. Listening to such comments really made me happy.
-- Chelsea Hong
Dulwich College Beijing'15
In addition to the events around the world that took place in December and January, 18 alumni spanning 7 different Dulwich campuses gathering in Toronto in February. The Toronto event was organized by Yoran Beisher, Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong'21, who is based in Vancouver and organized our event there last year. Yoran reflected, "it was particularly impactful as it connected WAN alumni that have years of industry experience with those who are currently completing their university studies. WAN alumni were able to learn about the various career streams that their peers undertook, as well as connect and form long-lasting connections through various social media platforms and group chats."
We are thrilled to see that the Worldwise Alumni Network, now with more than 4000 members, has become a powerful professional and social platform for alumni and current students to be Together, Anywhere. It is a vibrant demonstration of our commitment to building and maintaining strong relationships with our graduates. We invite more alumni to share their experiences and connections and complete the circle wherever in the world they may be.
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