My time at AFNORTH International School has defined me and shaped my identity. I learned that I am much more than a girl from Southern Germany. Attending AFNORTH meant to me: playing tennis on an American tennis team, debating about current politics with people from across the world in government simulations, studying Shakespeare in the classroom with my friends from Norway, Greece, Canada, Turkey and Latvia, enjoying my Dutch neighbors, and representing the school at official ceremonies like the Remembrance Day at Ysselsteyn War Cemetery.
My favorite memories are traveling to Brussels, Madrid and Rome for government simulations and trying to solve the current crises.
The opportunities I was given by my friends, teachers and the international community in Brunssum have definitely encouraged me to keep living as a world citizen and showed me that there is more to a person than their nationality. Yet, every one of us is an ambassador for their home country at all times.
Living and growing up in this unique international community set the foundation for my studies and career choices: A Bachelor in International Business. After a semester abroad in South Africa and an internship in Singapore I started working at a multinational German company. The pandemic and the war in Ukraine deepened my eagerness and interest in international policy making and management of conflicts. Thus, I recently decided to move to Basel, Switzerland, to complete my Master’s in European Global Studies.
I encourage every AFNORTH student to be curious and inspired by the experiences, personal connections, and opportunities AFNORTH offers.
Sophia Essrich