In this week's 'Sharing Stories' episode, we hear from Rushil Baya, an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto.

I joined the AICS in January 2021, halfway through MYP4. I had just come from

Singapore and moved to Amsterdam during the second COVID-19 lockdown, meaning that the first two months of my life at the AICS took place over Google Meets. I was at the school until my graduation in May 2024 - part of the first cohort from the Sandcastle to complete the DP.

Just before my graduation, I had entered a competition held by the European Union for 18 year old students to win Interrail passes. I was lucky enough to win one and had planned to travel during the summer, but had to postpone the trip. Instead, I worked, enjoyed watching the football with my friends, and spent time with my family before my impending move.

I moved to Toronto, Canada in August 2024 and have been studying at the University of Toronto since then!  I’ve taken my first year to try out different courses and see what I want to pursue. However tough the IB was, its broad and interdisciplinary nature is something I greatly appreciated, and being able to experiment is a large part of why I chose to study in Toronto.

Outside of my studies, I’ve been exploring, eating, coffeeing and running my way around Toronto. I’ve also capitalised on being on this side of the pond, taking the opportunity to visit the USA and go skiing in Québec. There’s definitely been a large culture shock for me having moved so far away, but I’ve enjoyed the experiences I’ve had so far and am excited for what the rest of my time here has in store for me.

Some of my fondest memories of my time at the AICS come from my involvement with extracurriculars. Leading the Secondary Student Council meant I helped organise several events. While it entailed countless late nights at South Campus and hundreds of flights of stairs climbed, I always enjoyed working and spending time with the Council and it was always rewarding to see the student body go all out.

The 2023 trip to Maastricht for a Model United Nations conference at the UWC also holds a special place in my heart. It was our first conference after starting up MUN at South East, so I was excited to see my fellow delegates enjoy the event (even winning some awards!).

My advice for current AICS-ers is to seize any and all opportunities that come your way: take advantage of what the school has to offer. These are great ways to feel like part of a community, to meet other people, and to build leadership experience - all things which I’ve now learned are what help you through university. If it’s just an application to write or a form to fill out, do it, because you never know what might happen – I know my experience at the AICS wouldn’t have been the same if I didn’t. Like they say, we regret the things we didn’t do more than things we did.