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Alumni Achievement Awards

The ISB Alumni Association launched this program at the start of the 2021-2022 academic year to foster a spirit of pride and loyalty, celebrate former students’ achievements and service, and encourage engagement in ISB’s Mission.

ISB awards the Alumni Achievement Award (AAA) to those who have demonstrated thinking and leadership in their chosen field of endeavor. The recipients’ accomplishments and contributions shall have embodied the high expectations and values of ISB and positively impacted society.

ISB intends that recipients of the Alumni Achievement Award will be inspirational and will lend their expertise, insight, and experience to students, community members, faculty, and staff through formal and informal interactions. Over the years, many successful alumni have partnered with the school to offer mentoring, career, and internship opportunities to current students, complementing a core academic program that ensures challenging and joyful learning for all.

The AAA winner participates in the annual ISB Alumni Pathways program, the main goal of which is to connect Grade 10 students with alumni who are in various stages of their pathway after ISB.

Alumni Achievement Award Winner 2022-2023

The winner of the second ISB Alumni Achievement Award is Princeton University computer science PhD candidate Ethan Tseng, chosen in recognition of his achievements and for his inspirational qualities for current students. The researcher behind breakthroughs in computer engineering is among many successful alumni that ISB plans to continue partnering with to offer mentoring, career, and internship opportunities to our students.

Ethan received his B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Melon University. His research focuses on computational imaging and displays. He has interned at Adobe Research and Image Science Lab, and his work has been highlighted by Optics and Photonics News and featured in international media. He also acted as an instructor in A14ALL, a summer program introducing computer science and AI to underrepresented minorities.

The candidate has made important contribution to the development of next generation cameras, as evidenced by his recent publication in Nature Communications.

Wayne King
Service and Experiential Learning Coordinator, and one of Ethan’s teachers in his time at ISB.

Ethan is developing and inventing devices that have high potential to revolutionize technologies and have widespread impact on society.

 Jerry Oldfield
Director of Advancement

Ethan is a rare student who can bridge the different fields of optics, computational imaging, and machine learning, and he brings disciplines together to make that impact happen.

Kenny H
Grade 11 student, Student Council member

Alumni Achievement Award Nominees 2022-2023

Law Chen

Class of 2005
Director at Stink Films

Lawrence (Law) Chen is an award winning director currently based in New York City. He’s been a director on a sci-fi blockbuster in China, Netflix docu-series, as well as numerous commercials and music videos. His narrative films have screened at various film festivals and he is now developing feature projects that focus on immigrants and the pursuit of the American Dream. His work has screened at the Cannes, Rome, London, LA, Rhode Island, Austin, Tribeca, New York, and Sundance film festivals. His short films have earned a coveted Vimeo Staff Pick as well as premiered on Short of the Week.

Law Chen graduated from Duke University and studied economics, biomedical engineering, marketing and management in 2009.

Justine Sylvester

Class of 2007
Land Tenure Specialist, Energy & Extractives

Justine Sylvester is a global development professional currently working as a Land Tenure Specialist at The World Bank. In this role, Justine focuses on social sustainability and land rights in the context of mining and the green energy transition (‘Just Transition For All’). Justine has experience working on related issues of community engagement, green growth, land governance and tenure security, and civil society–private sector partnerships. 

Before joining The World Bank through the Young Professionals Program (YPP), Justine was based in Laos for several years, where she was a Technical Advisor in the Land & Livelihoods Program at a grassroots organization (Village Focus International). Prior to this, Justine worked for the Australian Federal Government.  Justine holds a Masters in Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development. 

Mathilda Ström

Class of 2002
Co-Founder and Deputy CEO of BIMA

Mathilda Ström is the co-founder and Deputy CEO of BIMA, the leading digital health and insurtech in Africa and Asia with 10m active users across 7 countries. She launched the business in Ghana in 2010 with a vision to disrupt the traditional insurance industry by bringing affordable insurance to underserved customers. Leveraging on its insurance experience, BIMA is now providing affordable and accessible digital healthcare and telemedicine solutions to empower people to take control of their health, alongside mechanisms like insurance to finance their care. She has also served on the boards of Micro insurance Network, Azuri (a PayAsYouGo Solar company in Africa) and Tangelo (a tech company providing alternative credit in Latin America). She has been recognised in top 9 future female leaders in Sweden and as one of the 50 female entrepreneurs to watch in 2022. Originally from Sweden, and mother of two, she currently lives in London.

Winnie Xu

Class of 2016
Student at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine

Winnie Xu is a Division 1 student at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. She received a Master's Degree in Oral Biology with a published research paper on the Loss of Taste and Smell in COVID-19. Winnie also holds a Bachelor's of Arts Degree from NYU. Winnie is passionate about service. While at ISB, she took trips every Saturday morning to Hope Healing Home, and spent her Sundays at Sun Village to teach foster children how to play violin. In College, Winnie went on a medical trip to Nicaragua to help set up at health clinic in the rural area of Matagalpa and offered health care to the local community there by assisting doctors and dentists. She also volunteered all four years at NYU with a student-led service club, and became president of this club called Two Birds One Stone Club, which delivered leftover dining hall food to the local homeless shelter.

Honoring this year’s recipients

On July 14th, 2023 the Alumni Achievement Award was awarded to Ethan Tseng at the AAA ceremony in Beijing.

Seeking nominations for 2023-2024

Please submit a nomination to be considered for the award by the last day of February 2024 by completing this form

Nominations can be submitted by members of the ISB community including current and former faculty and staff, current and former parents of ISB students, students and alumni. Once we have received your nomination, we will contact you to collect supporting documents. 

Alumni Achievement Award Criteria

For questions, please contact the alumni association at alumni@isb.cn or +86 (10) 81492345 Ext. 1013 

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