An educator who gave Lam a lot of support and even nicknamed her “microbiome” was Mr. Turner. To Lam, he was the most friendly, inspiring, and patient teacher. “While working on my Theory of Knowledge exhibition and essay, I often struggled with understanding my prompts, resulting in incomplete submissions,” she says. “However, Mr. Turner consistently offered detailed feedback and patiently guided me through my questions.” Even when Lam decided to change her TOK essay prompt and start anew, Mr. Turner provided feedback and tips during his spare time.

Lam aims to attend university in Australia in 2024 for a double major in commerce and law. “I chose this subject because I wanted to focus my education on the law and its application in different societies and study commerce as it is a very practical course that would provide a more diverse career path,” she adds.

Malaysian-born Caryne Lam has lived in Shanghai since she was just a year old, joining SCIS in 10th grade. Even at her previous school, she often visited SCIS's International Food Fairs and enjoyed the community activities and school environment. “Before studying at SCIS, my education followed the Chinese education system, which is different than an international school,” Lam says. “When I transferred to SCIS, the first skill I developed was knowing how to appropriately research credible information on the internet, organise it, and cite it to prevent plagiarising articles.”

Her time at SCIS has been impactful. For the IB DP, Lam scored an impressive 43 out of 45 points. “My main challenge was staying focused amidst the demands of the IB programme, which often led to procrastination,” she says. “To address this, I learned the value of thorough research and organisation, which not only improved my work but also reduced the need to fill word counts with unnecessary information.”