Maintaining an attitude of enquiry after graduation

When secondary school students graduate, the transition into life at university or a full-time job can often be a challenging period of change. Yet this crucial period also allows graduates to take meaningful early steps in their future careers and to experience a true sense of self-discovery.

For Mila Alserda — who graduated last year from Nord Anglia Education’s La Côte International School in Aubonne — the first year at university was the perfect opportunity to explore the world while also continuing to broaden her worldview.

Life after learning at a Nord Anglia school has so far been an amazing and smooth experience, Mila explained.

This is due in large part to her experiences at La Côte and its robust International Baccalaureate (IB) programme, which encouraged her to adopt an attitude of open-mindedness and enquiry in all situations.

“I made the conscious decision of studying in an internationally-minded university with the hopes that it would be similar to the atmosphere I enjoyed in IB,” she said.

Mila is currently studying international hospitality management at the prestigious École Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland through a four-year Bachelor of Science programme.

During her admissions interview for university, Mila shared that her interview panel said her level of knowledge and vocabulary was already that of the third-year university student.

Being around people from different cultures at the school has also made her first year of university more enriching.

“I was lucky enough to find the same enthusiastic, open-minded and enquiring attitude I enjoyed at La Côte in my fellow university students,” she said. “I’ve been able to stay my true self and make friends right away. The first year of university isn’t something students should be nervous about.”

Mila’s university programme also calls for two six-month internships in order to gain valuable hands-on experience.

She is currently completing a truly unique internship aboard a 70-metre private yacht as a stewardess. She initially chose this job as it allows her to travel to incredibly remote and unique locations such as Greenland.

For Mila, working in a demanding position with diverse job responsibilities and multicultural colleagues will help her build on her future career plans of being in a management position within the luxury industry.

She also expressed that being part of Nord Anglia Education’s international network has helped her become a more open-minded and sociable person.

“Through Nord Anglia I was able to join a volunteering trip to Tanzania, which helped me develop socially, while my trip to New York for the Model United Nations helped me develop academically by learning about global affairs and complex political agendas.”

Mila’s success story is just one of many being told by Nord Anglia Education students, who go above and beyond academically and socially thanks to the ambitious educational offer delivered by Nord Anglia schools around the world.