The years at The International High School have had a great impact on my life and there are so many things I have IHGR to thank for. My English improved immensely during my time there, which has been an advantage in my university studies as well as professional life, even though I completed both my bachelor's and master's studies in Sweden. It was at The International High School that I found my interest in international relations, which led me onto my current career path. Teachers and staff were always very supportive and helped me stay focused on achieving my academic goals. One of the things I appreciated the most about The international High school was the familiar atmosphere, where everyone basically knew everyone and everyone was welcome. The friends I made there and I still stick together to this day. After high school I studied development and international cooperation and then peace and conflict studies. Today I'm pursuing a diplomatic career and currently have a temporary position as second secretary working with political affairs at the Swedish Embassy in Cyprus.
Marilia Hansby, second secretary at the Swedish Embassy, Cyprus
My time at IHGR gave me exceptionally valuable skills by both preparering me well for higher education and in developing my English. In my job as a research assistant I meet scholars from all over the world and the issue of understanding each other is often crucial. In my studies I also read exclusively English literature, this IHGR also prepared me well for.
Elias Collin, Research Assistant at Uppsala University
I started at IHGR because I loved to speak English. Being a native Swede, who had lived abroad for a year when I was younger, I was confident enough to have the courage to apply for IHGR, but still nervous if I would be able to cope with studying in English in High School. As IHGR (with its teachers and students from all over the world) were an open minded and welcoming place, not judging anyone based on their ethnicity, social class, cultural belonging or English skills,
IHGR became a natural and familiar place for me to grow as a young adult. In that environment I became confident in myself in many ways. Not only is it a great school for educational progress, the experiences at IHGR also gave me the confidence to speak English in any situation, to anyone.
After having graduated from IHGR, I continued my studies in the Law programme at the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, where I gained an LLM. Although most of the literature during my university studies were in Swedish, I realised quickly that when we were to read literature in English, many of my class mates struggled and experienced difficulties with studying in English. At that point, I realised how lucky I was that I had spent my previous three years at IHGR, and I had a big advantage when it came to studying in English compared to my class mates.
Today, I work as a legal counsel for a global company where I meet, speak to and work with people from all over the world. My understanding for different cultures, experiences and values as well as the English skills that I gained at IHGR helps me every day, at work and in my daily life. I also made friends for life, which I am forever grateful for.
Tilda Engstrand, Legal Counsel
