What is your favorite travel memory?
My favorite travel memory was when I was about 15 and I went to Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. Ngorongoro is a large volcanic crater and home to about 25,000 animals. Waking up in the clouds in such a breathtaking setting made me realize how incredible our world is and gave me my great passion for Africa and conservation.
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
I am filled with optimism! Having the chance to meet so many young people from all over the world, I am blown away every summer when I listen to their views, ideas and dreams for the future.
They are smart, kind and cultured and it fills me with great pride when I see how they interact with one another.
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
Well I always love it when a student comes to us, tries something new and discovers that they have a great talent and or passion for that particular activity. Over the years, I have seen that happen time and time again and it never ceases to make me smile.
But most of all, I love to see a shy student grow in confidence. Because at ISSFT we feel like a family, so it's lovely to see our students return after a year and to see how they have changed and grown.
One of our returner students has gone on to be quite a successful junior golfer in his own country, but what I am most proud of is that he is a truly, lovely guy.
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
Now that is a tough one! Well, I would have to say tennis this year. With Andy Murray now the world's number 1 tennis player, it is kind of cool to be able to play on the same courts where he and his brother first learned to play.
Then again, I love the idea of our coding class, with digital tech becoming a greater part of our day to day lives, I think that would be a good one for the future!
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
Well without sounding too cliche, we really do care about our students. We care about their well being both during and after the summer school. I think that is reflected in the positive comments that we receive from both our students and their parents every year.
What makes me most proud of our team, is that they are all very passionate about their field of interest.
I think that comes across in their style of teaching and hopefully goes on to light a spark of imagination in each of our students.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
What I would say applies not just to our company, but to life in general. Just be honest. At ISSFT, we encourage our students to be themselves and that is the same for our organization as a whole.
Life and business are complex, but at ISSFT we believe that any situation can be resolved and that any task can be achieved. So tell the truth, don't make assumptions and just get on with it!