WAB is turning 30! Save the Date & Volunteers Wanted |
On September 1, 2024,
WAB is turning 30! This is an exciting milestone for our school and our community, and we want to celebrate in true WAB style. We are planning a series of events and activities throughout the year, both online and offline, to celebrate our past, present, and future.
But we can't do it alone. We need your help to make this happen. We are looking for enthusiastic and creative alumni volunteers to help out with activities around the world!
Click here to find out more. |
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WAB History Archive Launch |
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As the first of our 30th Birthday celebrations, we have launched a NEW look WAB History Archive and two new WAB dancing Tigers. Read more in the article here. To see photos of the event and our tigers in action, click the play button ? |
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Nick Arbenz
Nick left WAB with a passion for broadcasting, which led him to graduate from Southampton Solent University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Television Production Technology.
He started his professional career as a visual engineer for NEP Group, a Pennsylvania-based international production company that provides outsourced production for live sports, entertainment, music, and other major events.
Read more about Nick >> |
| Zak Lefevre
Known for his entrepreneurial spirit, Zak has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing the electric vehicle (EV) charging industry as the Co-Founder and CEO of ChargeLab.
After graduating from WAB in 2010, he attended McGill University, earning a Computer Science and Finance degree. Zak started his first business at university, selling house painting jobs and recruiting other students into his business.
Read more about Zak >> |
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Alumni Association Launch |
The WAB Alumni Association is a self-funded, alumni volunteer-driven organization dedicated to fostering enduring connections among WAB alumni. Our mission is to establish a vibrant and supportive network for WAB alumni, expanding its reach beyond the WAB community to encompass alumni from international schools across China and around the globe. We are seeking global reunion reps in Europe, Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia; please contact [email protected] if you are interested.
Read more about the WAB Alumni Association >>
Meet our first Initial Alumni Association committee members: |
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Franklyn Zhu, Class of 2012
Franklyn is a true WABbie, having been a student at WAB from 1997 to 2012 (K-12). After graduating, he pursued his passion for opera by studying in Italy for a year before attending Yale University, where he studied Computer Science and Psychology and was also involved in a cappella singing.
Following college, Franklyn spent several years in Silicon Valley and is now an investor based in Shenzhen. He has a deep appreciation for opera, classical music, and jazz. |
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Katarina Krajnovic, Class of 2021
Katarina, a graduate of WAB in 2021, serves as the Young Alumni representative for the WAB Alumni Association Steering Committee. Although she only spent 3 years at WAB, the community had a profound impact on her. Now, she is dedicated to giving back by facilitating opportunities for WAB alumni to connect and support the school's mission of fostering a diverse community.
Currently, in the final year of her BSc in Psychology at UCL in London, Katarina has had the chance to meet a number of inspiring alumni. "I am excited to collaborate with our community to expand our diverse alumni network," said Katarina, "and to provide even more opportunities for our students to connect, inspire, and make a difference." |
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Dennis Tian, Class of 2014
Dennis Tian is an active member of the WAB community and a failing entrepreneur. He can be found somewhere between loafing around in the Adrenaline Fitness Center and flying to secure his next Panda Express meal. He is now preparing to scale the Himalayas — albeit only spiritually.
Raised among the wheat fields and tornadoes of 90’s Kansas, Dennis later migrated to the scaffolded canopies of noughties Beijing. Fortunately, the education he acquired in his eleven years at WAB has made this cultural parageusia somewhat palatable; a very particular set of skills he has now flawlessly executes to spew on life’s canvas.
His masterpieces to date include “Behavioral Neuroscience Degree” (ink on cold press paper, n of n+∞, 2018), "The Thinker, Banker and Drinker" (ash of cash in an empty glass, 2021), "Arkhé Collection" (cotton thread, wool, and linen resting on epidermis, 2023), and most recently "How to Climb a Mountain with a Broke Back?"
(unfinished). |
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Guohao Sun, Class of 2014
Guohao, a graduate of WAB Class of 2014, pursued his IB PYP at an international school in Singapore before spending 7 years at WAB for the MYP and DP programmes. He also studied at the National University of Singapore and Maryland Institute College of Art during his time in the U.S., ultimately graduating with honors from Johns Hopkins University in 2018.
After completing his education, Guohao returned to Beijing and became a Partner at EasyTransfer, a cross-border fintech unicorn backed by Tencent, IDG Capital, and New Oriental. Additionally, he co-founded Providence Academy, a not-for-profit education platform for young international leaders, showcasing his passion for entrepreneurship and global citizenship.
Guohao is actively involved in various organizations, serving as a member of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community, a Young Leader of the Forum for World Education, and Regional Leadership for the Johns Hopkins Alumni Club. |
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Check out WAB's new spaces photo slideshow. |
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New High School Principal:
Dr. Jaime Pustis |
WAB New High School Principal
Dr. Jaime Pustis began her career as an educator, teaching MYP Math and Science, and has lived and worked in various countries including Peru, Poland, Cameroon, Latvia, and the US. Transitioning into leadership in 2015, Jaime has held roles such as MS Assistant Principal, Upper School Vice Principal, MYP Coordinator, and HS Principal.
Jaime holds a BA in Geology and Spanish, an MA in Teaching and Curriculum Design, and a D.Ed. in Educational Leadership, with her dissertation focusing on leadership and the development of positive school culture. She is particularly interested in human-centered leadership and how to integrate positive culture and relationships with innovative curriculum and practice.
Jaime's superpower is running long distances slowly, preferably on trails, and creating a mess in the kitchen while cooking vegan dishes like homemade pasta.
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Click here to listen to the podcast on WAB High School Student Council President Jeremy and Vice President Hannah took the reins as hosts to interview Dr. Jaime Pustis.
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Rachael Andrews
Noah Bajc
Logan Bobb
Sophie Borchert
Victor Bouteiller
Devin Brindle
Luke Carberry
Cecilia Cervell
Jennifer Chan
Kenneth Chan
Tommy Chen
King Cheung
Sophie Cheung
Darryl Chew
Jae Min Cho
Jerry Chung
Frederik Clausen
Zayd Dadiego-Ackroyd
Lou Dietz-Henderson
Olivia Eggleston
Ben Ferrer
Jonathan Gao
Kevin Guo
Dong Yoon Han
Gustav Harborn
Jessica Ho
Vivian Ho
Ronan Hochart
Audrey Hu
Juliana Hudson
Sami Huhtala
Jessica Hwang
Asbjorn Jacobsen
Sohanya Jones
Oscar Jonsson
Anni Karvanen
Danny Kim
Inez Kjellman
Maria Krul
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| Mina Kujundzic
Sean Kwon
Crystal Lam
Ysbrand Lamers
Danny Lee
Jung Seok Lee
Seo Young Lee
Raphael Lee
Simon Lentz
Andrew Li
Angela Li
Kun Li
Jessica Li
Jin Qi Lim
Andrew Liu
Ben Lu
Nicole Lundell
Jack Luo
Liam Lynch
Johnson Ma
Sambhav Malhotra
Isabella Mekker
Anita Meng
Sunny Miao
Victoria Michel
Einav Mimram
Irene Min
Siobhan Morrell
Angie Nam
Claudia Ng
Nanami Ota
Andrew Park
Duncan Paulissen
Andrew Peng
Lukas Petersson
Jessy Pojman
Mie Rasmussen
Vivian Rhone
Andrew Robinson |
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Victor Sandegardh
Andrea Sebastio
Jonatan Sepp
Ronnie Shum
Yun Song
Lucy Stevenson-Yang
Jesse Suderman
Guohao Sun
Marcel Tan
Hannah Teng
Jovin Teng
Magnus Thomsen
Dennis Tian
Jacqueline Tien
Arisa Tomitaka
Joe Von Stanke
Inoue Vong-Seguy
Annie Wang
Jiakai Wang
Jiajia Wang
Iana Weingrad
Kevin Wu
Jordan Yang-Eaves
Annabel Ye
Justin Ye
Cynthia Zeng
Angela Zhang
Eemil Zhang
Freda Zhao
Lily Zhao |
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| Class of 2014 Ten-Year Reunion Rep: Annabel Ye |
Annabel chose Art as an IB subject at WAB, steering her to art and design. She studied Interior Architecture at RISD, focusing on adaptive reuse and sustainability.
Influenced by WAB’s ethos, Annabel envisioned transforming spaces, preserving history yet avoiding excess. She aimed to contribute to sustainability and social responsibility.
Annabel now manages high-end healthcare clinics in China, focusing on health management and preventive care, which is an underserved area.
Though a major change, her WAB education guided her. WAB’s mission inspires her to challenge norms, connect across fields, and make a difference. Her ability to adapt skills to new initiatives in varying disciplines enabled her career transition. |
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| ALUMNI, MAKE WAB YOUR SCHOOL ON LINKEDIN! Update your profile's Education section with Western Academy of Beijing and connect with all your fellow alumni throughout the years. See where they live, work, what their job skills are and more! |
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