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 2024-2025
The winner of the fourth ISB Alumni Achievement Award is the Ford Foundation's regional director in China, overseeing China-related grant making from Ford's Beijing office. Along with her extensive experience in China, she has worked in law, international education, and geoeconomics. Immediately prior to joining the foundation in 2024, Mattie served as the China director of the Economist Intelligence Unit, which is the research and analysis arm of The Economist Group. In that role, she leveraged the collective intelligence of The Economist Group to support business leaders, diplomats, and academic practitioners to better understand China.
Previously, Mattie had her own consultancy in which she worked primarily with non-profit and academic clients on matters related to law, institutional strategy, and communications. As a consultant, she worked with New York University for over a decade, supporting the establishment of NYU Shanghai and working with the Law School's U.S-Asia Law Institute and the Business School's Center for Business and Human Rights. Mattie also worked with the Anne Frank House for three years on international education projects and programming, including bringing a traveling exhibition to Shanghai.
While consulting, Mattie concurrently served for three years as executive director of the Fulbright Commission the Netherlands, making grants related to academic exchange in the spirit of fostering mutual understanding. She was also previously the deputy country director for the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative China Program and worked as an associate at Sadden, Arts, Meagher & Flow LLP.
The Alumni Achievement Award winner graduated from Stanford University with an international relations degree and from Georgetown University Law Center with a Juris Doctor.
Mattie exemplifies excellence in her field and embodies ISB's core values. As the leader of an NGO, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to addressing global inequality, drawing from her formative experiences in Model United Nations and her time at ISB and in China. Through her leadership, Mattie demonstrates deep respect for diverse perspectives and a steadfast dedication to service, positively impacting communities in need.
Mattie is an incredible leader and a role model of our mission for young Dragons!
Mattie Bekink exemplifies excellence in her field through her impactful leadership roles in law, education, and nonprofit sectors, demonstrating global mindedness by fostering cross-cultural collaboration in China and beyond. . |
Alumni Achievement Award Nominees 2024-2025
Amélie Wen Zhao
Class of 2010
Author
Amélie Wen Zhao is the New York Times, Sunday Times, and internationally bestselling author of the Song of the Last Kingdom duology and the Blood Heir trilogy. Amélie was born in Paris and grew up in Beijing, where she spent her days reenacting tales of legendary heroes, ancient kingdoms, and lost magic at her grandmother’s courtyard house. She attended college in the United States and now resides in New York City, working as a finance professional by day and fantasy author by night. In her spare time, she loves to travel with her family in China, where she’s determined to walk the rivers and lakes of old just like the characters in her novels do. The Scorpion and the Night Blossom is coming January 2025.
David Su
Class of 2010
Audio Programmer
David Su is at the forefront of game audio and interactive music technology, working on award-winning games with innovative audio-driven mechanics as well as publishing research papers, speaking at conferences, and contributing to the open source community.
David was invited to contribute two chapters to the fourth volume of the book Game Audio Programming: Principles and Practices, which was published this in December 2023. His work has also been featured in outlets such as NPR, Rolling Stone, and the Los Angeles Times.
Beyond innovation, David strives to work on projects that have a positive impact on audiences. To that end, Brass Lion Entertainment, where David is currently the Lead Audio Programmer, is a studio focused on creating original fictional universes that center on Black, Brown, and other traditionally marginalized characters, cultures, and stories. Similarly, One Hand Clapping, a singing-based game which David worked on prior to joining Brass Lion, has helped many players gain confidence in their singing voices. That positive impact also extends to his role as an adjunct assistant professor at USC, where David teaches students the fundamentals of sound design and implementation for games.
David is actively involved in the local game audio community in Los Angeles. As one of the co-organizers of the Game Audio LA group, he helps put on monthly meetups as well as special events such as a microtalk series. David also mentors students interested in game audio, both through one-on-one mentorships as well as volunteering at a local high school.
Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri
Class of 2010
Member of Parliament, The House of Representatives, Republic of Indonesia
Vice Minister of Trade, Republic of Indonesia
Appointed by President Prabowo Subianto on October 20, 2024, Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri (Esti) serves as Indonesia's Vice Minister of Trade. She holds a B.A. in Economics and Sociology from the University of Manchester (2013), a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Change (2014), and an M.Sc. in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London (2015), funded by an LPDP Scholarship. Esti also completed courses at Harvard University in 2013 on Globalisation and Emerging Markets and earned a certificate in Parliamentary Governance from McGill University in 2024.
Before her appointment, Esti was a Member of the Indonesian House of
Representatives (2019–2024) representing East Java's X district. She served on Commission VII, focusing on energy, technology, and industry, and held the position of Deputy Treasurer in the Golkar Party's Central Leadership Council. Esti also chaired the Indonesia-Peru Bilateral Cooperation Group, aiming to boost trade relations between Indonesia and Latin America.
After completing her studies, Esti co-founded the Indonesian Energy and
Environmental Institute (IE2I) with her brother, focusing on climate change awareness. She served as IE2I's executive director from 2016 to 2019.
Esti has represented Indonesia in various international organizations, including the Young Parliamentarians Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the World Bank Young MPs Steering Committee (2022–2024).
Jessica Chang
Class of 2002
Co-Founder and CEO of Upwards, Childcare Network in America
A committed early childhood education advocate, Jessica Chang is a business and finance maven determined to solve the childcare crisis. She is the CEO and co-founder of Upwards. As a tech CEO of this largest childcare network in America, she is disrupting the childcare industry and making a lasting impact on the lives of countless families.
Prior to co-founding Upwards, Jessica was COO of Affinity China, a principal investor at Macquarie Capital, and VP of Marketplace at Radpad. Her work has been featured in EdSurge, Forbes, Fortune, the LA Times, NPR, PBS, TechCrunch, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, USA Today, and The Washington Post.
A graduate of UC Berkeley, Jessica is a former preschool owner and resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two kids.
Law Chen
Class of 2005
Award-winning Film Director
In 2023, Law Chen finished his first feature, Starring Jerry as Himself, a genre-bending film whose protagonist is an immigrant dad retired in Florida. It’s part documentary, part spy film, and is ultimately about an immigrant’s search for the American Dream.
Starring Jerry as Himself premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival, where Christopher Nolan (Interstellar), Bong Joon-Ho (Parasite), and the Russo Brothers (Avengers) all had their first films. Dozens from the ISB community came to show their support and Starring Jerry as Himself ended up winning the Grand Jury, Audience, and Best Actor awards.
The film continued its festival run at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and Thessaloniki Doc Film Festival, both Academy Award-qualifying festivals, and will be traveling to several others around the world.
Tommy Ma
Class of 2016
Co-Founder & Former CEO of iDeal Technology LLC, an Innovative B2B & B2C E-Commerce Platform
Tommy Ma is the co-founder and former CEO of iDeal Technology LLC, an innovative B2B and B2C e-commerce platform that achieved over $US5.3 million in gross merchandise value (GMV). After a successful exit, Tommy transitioned into various venture capital roles, where he continues to support and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs. Currently, he is pursuing his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Tommy has a deep connection with the ISB community, spanning students, faculty, and alumni. Having attended ISB from Grade 6 through graduation, he has remained actively engaged in alumni events across the United States in recent years. Recently, Tommy was honored to become the ISB Ambassador for Chicago, further strengthening his commitment to the school and its global network.
Wendy Qiu
Class of 2011
Lawyer
Wendy Qiu is currently (as of April 2024) a 6th-year associate at Holland & Knight, an international law firm with over 2,000 attorneys. Her clients have ranged from Fortune 500 companies to pro bono sexual assault victims and tenants in slumlord cases.
Wendy recently completed oral argument in front of the United States Courts for the Ninth Circuit (one level below the Supreme Court). This type of opportunity is rarely given to a mid-level, 6th-year associate at a large international law firm. As a first-year associate, Wendy conducted an internal investigation of one of the world’s largest video surveillance companies. As a junior associate, she was heavily involved in litigation strategy, drafting, and management for the high-profile case UCLA Vs Under Armour.
During law school, Wendy externed/clerked for the Honorable Dolly M. Gee, the first Chinese American women to serve as an Article III Judge (Federal District Judge). This Alumni Achievement Award finalist is also on the Pro Bono Advisory Council for civil rights advocacy group Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California.
Honoring this year’s recipients
The Alumni Achievement Award will be presented to the 2025 recipient, Mattie Bekink, Class of 1996. Date and time to be confirmed.
Seeking nominations for 2025-2026
Please submit a nomination to be considered for the award by the last day of February 2026 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