Half-Thai, half-British, Emily Middleton was born and raised in Hong Kong and spent 14 years at CDNIS. Of all the skills she gained, Middleton’s most cherished one is time management.

"CDNIS emphasised the use of action plans and keeping oneself accountable," she says. "On top of that, the practice of reflecting on my work with scrutiny and also taking on board feedback from my teachers was strongly developed."

Today, she's a law student at the University of Oxford, embodying resilience and the attributes of the IB Learner Profile. The class which challenged her the most was DP Chemistry, which is natural given Middleton's affinity for the humanities. The subject demanded a different kind of thinking; one she steadily developed under the guidance of Ms. Denise Berry. Meanwhile, the PYP "Sharing the Planet" unit inspired her interest in an environmental law career.

"In all my classes, I was encouraged to approach the subjects in a broader manner that generated a deep interest in the topics we covered," she says. "This pushed me to think in a more nuanced and intellectually advanced way, which is exactly what is expected at university."