As promised, we begin our Amsterdam International Community School
'Alumni Spotlight' series, sharing former students' stories about what they've been doing since they left the school.

Today's interview features Indy Davis, a PhD student at Princeton University.

I first started at the AICS in Group 5 in 2009 and spent ten years at the school until completing the IB exams in 2019.

After graduating, I moved to the USA to pursue my Bachelors degree in the WEB Du Bois Department of Afro-American studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Upon completion, I stepped out of academia for a year to focus on family, travel, and work. During this time I lived in Indonesia for a few months while applying for graduate school.

A year ago I returned to the USA, this time to New Jersey, where I am working on my PhD in the Department of History at Princeton University. My work here focuses on race and discrimination in US legal history. Outside of research, an important part of my life in NJ is my voluntary work with the Dutch Probation Services (Reclassering) for which I visit Dutch citizens incarcerated in US prisons and offer emotional guidance and reintegration support.

Having spent ten years at the AICS, I have many great memories there. I remember how fascinating it was in Primary school to be exposed to so many different cultures and how we would all want to exchange our lunches because what was super normal to one student, was a treat for another. I also have great memories of our annual school trips in Secondary where we could start the year connecting with others and adapting to the dynamic student-body. When I think back on the AICS, I always have to think of the amazing teachers I had that truly made the experience — some of whom I still enjoy staying in touch with and seeing when I’m in the Netherlands.

That being said, my advice would be to actively connect with people around you and within your network. You might be surprised how people impact the course of your life, so don’t be afraid to ask questions. When I was in my BA program and unsure what next step I wanted to take, I reached out to alumni of my school and people I admired to learn about their lives and how they got to the place they are. It is something I wish I did more of in Secondary school to explore what career paths were out there for me. Finally, that connecting also counts for friends — being in such an international environment is really great, especially if you end up moving abroad.  I unknowingly ended up at the same university in Massachusetts as another AICS Alumni and just recently met with an old Primary-school classmate when we discovered we now live in the same area (after ten years of not seeing each other) so you never know where you will cross paths again.