Duy Nguyen (Class of 2006) started the page Closer to Earth as an initiative to share actionable steps that everyone could take to make a positive impact on our planet, whether it’s going zero waste, ideas/ works that turned single used wastes into useful items or projects.

Duy shared, “I really believe that one of the best ways to help raise awareness is that we just have to start with ourselves. We run an e-commerce business selling children’s products, and it really bothered me seeing the amount of packaging waste that would accumulate over time. Since we already have an audience of thousands of customers and growing, I thought there’s no better way to spread the words through our products. Starting October 2019, we will start to replace our current packaging to using the reusable pouch for packaging and D2W biodegradable mailer bags and will continue to find ways to address the problem.”

Every week we feature a short profile or an activity from our global alumni community in Tin Tuc. UNIS Hanoi is connected to 55% of all alumni students, families and faculty with our very own world wide web connecting UNIS Hanoi in the four corners of the globe!

Sofia and Erik Cunelius (Alumni Faculty/Staff) found out that Linnea Niklasson (Class of 2019) was coming back to Sweden after graduating in May 2019 and organized a mini reunion in their home in Stockholm. Sofia was Linnea’s Swedish teacher at UNIS Hanoi in Grade 6 and 7 and her husband Erik Cunelius was the soccer coach during this period. Linnea got to meet Sofia and Erik’s two new family members while talking memories. Sofia is working at an IB school in Stockholm.

Every week we feature a short profile or an activity from our global alumni community in Tin Tuc. UNIS Hanoi is connected to 55% of all alumni students, families and faculty with our very own world wide web connecting UNIS Hanoi in the four corners of the globe!

Daphne de Leeuw (Class of 2009) wrote to share that she started working at CIS from January 2019. As the Events Coordinator in the Higher Education Service area, Daphne coordinates and organizes annual events for CIS Higher Education, among which are the CIS Institutes, school and university fairs in Europe and the CIS Global Forum on International Admission and Guidance 2019.

Having worked at large corporations prior to CIS, Daphne shares, “I honestly did not foresee that I would be working within the Education industry, as hospitality and events were really my career ambitions. Nevertheless, when I saw the vacancy at CIS as an Events Coordinator, the fit could not have been more perfect! […] Seeing as I had several years of experience as an events manager in combination with having an international background, I am able to give ‘something back’ to the community and be a better global citizen. It is really a great joy to work for CIS!”

Every week we feature a short profile of one of our global alumni in Tin Tuc. UNIS Hanoi is connected to 55% of all alumni students, families and faculty with our very own world wide web connecting UNIS Hanoi in the four corners of the globe!

My Tran (Class of 2014) won the 2019 Chautauqua Janus Prize for their story “Tree rings, like concentric ghosts”.

My Tran (Class of 2014) attends Brown University in Providence where they identify as a cross-genre/gender artist making sculptures and performances.

Impossible to summarize or categorize, and touching on everything from longing and loss to theories of language, consciousness, and time, “Tree rings, like concentric ghosts” is featured in the Spring/Summer 2019 issue of Black Warrior Review and was nominated by its editors for the Prize.

Started in 2018, each year the Chautauqua Janus Prize celebrates one emerging writer’s single work of short fiction or nonfiction for daring formal and aesthetic innovations that upset and reorder literary conventions, historical narratives and readers’ imaginations.

As the winner My will receive a summer residency at Chautauqua during the 2019 summer season where My will present a public lecture and reading at a celebratory event. My’s writing will also appear in a future issue of the Literary Journal Chautauqua.

Every week we feature a short profile of one of our global alumni in Tin Tuc. UNIS Hanoi is connected to 55% of all alumni students, families and faculty with our very own world wide web connecting UNIS Hanoi in the four corners of the globe!

Brendan McGibbon (Alumni Faculty) wrote to share about his most recent project – an AI character that can help in the classroom. Read Brendan’s message below:

“Hello from Japan!

I left UNIS about 4.5 years ago and I really miss my friends there and of course – beautiful Vietnam. I left because I was offered the opportunity, with my wife Izumi, to start a new boarding school in Japan and design a 3- year stand alone leadership course that focuses on Mindfulness, Neuroscience, Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship. It has gone really well and it’s now the cornerstone of the school ethos. I think the school wide leadership course is really unique and would love to share it far and wide.

Right now my most recent personal Leadership project is starting to take off. I am focusing on how we might use AI in the classroom to help students think through difficult problems when they get stuck. I created the character TIVI and he is helping people in two ways. Firstly I am writing some good old fashioned graphic novels aimed at creating a growth mindset in elementary students and help reframe challenges as opportunities to learn about themselves and secondly I have created a fun conversation bot. When I have enough data I will refine it and begin the laborious work of coding the AI. 

Here is the link to the Kindbot Beta TIVI: https://landbot.io/u/H-140105-20LRFAH93KRY9Y0I/index.html

I’m at 500 users now and growing. Each time someone uses it it can be refined and expanded to learn more scenarios and I can program more features. Try it out.
I wish UNIS well and please reach out if you are in Japan – want to know more about the leadership program (Gr10-12) or my AI project.

Kind Regards,
Brendan McGibbon”

Every week we feature a short profile of one of our global alumni in Tin Tuc. UNIS Hanoi is connected to 55% of all alumni students, families and faculty with our very own world wide web connecting UNIS Hanoi in the four corners of the globe!

Brendan McGibbon (Alumni Faculty) wrote to share about his most recent project – an AI character that can help in the classroom. Read Brendan’s message below:

“Hello from Japan!

I left UNIS about 4.5 years ago and I really miss my friends there and of course – beautiful Vietnam. I left because I was offered the opportunity, with my wife Izumi, to start a new boarding school in Japan and design a 3- year stand alone leadership course that focuses on Mindfulness, Neuroscience, Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship. It has gone really well and it’s now the cornerstone of the school ethos. I think the school wide leadership course is really unique and would love to share it far and wide.

Right now my most recent personal Leadership project is starting to take off. I am focusing on how we might use AI in the classroom to help students think through difficult problems when they get stuck. I created the character TIVI and he is helping people in two ways. Firstly I am writing some good old fashioned graphic novels aimed at creating a growth mindset in elementary students and help reframe challenges as opportunities to learn about themselves and secondly I have created a fun conversation bot. When I have enough data I will refine it and begin the laborious work of coding the AI. 

Here is the link to the Kindbot Beta TIVI: https://landbot.io/u/H-140105-20LRFAH93KRY9Y0I/index.html

I’m at 500 users now and growing. Each time someone uses it it can be refined and expanded to learn more scenarios and I can program more features. Try it out.
I wish UNIS well and please reach out if you are in Japan – want to know more about the leadership program (Gr10-12) or my AI project.

Kind Regards,
Brendan McGibbon”

Every week we feature a short profile of one of our global alumni in Tin Tuc. UNIS Hanoi is connected to 55% of all alumni students, families and faculty with our very own world wide web connecting UNIS Hanoi in the four corners of the globe!

Linh Lan Dover Arthur (Class of 2002) and family is coming back to Hanoi this April to deliver the funds raised at her wedding in support Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation.
As part of her wedding celebration on 16 March in Sydney, Australia, instead of gifts or money, Linh Lan and her husband Ben set up a personal fundraiser on a crowd raising platform and asked the guests to donate to Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, hoping to raise AUD 1,603 to mark the date.

The couple proudly shared that AUD 7,000 was raised as a result, “We are very happy that this money will go to helping street kids, and those affected by trafficking, AIDS and disabilities as well as help put those in need through school and rehabilitation.” Linh Lan and Ben and their children are living in Australia. They plan to be back in Hanoi this Spring for a small celebration with friends and family in Hanoi and to deliver the funds to Blue Dragon.

Every week we feature a short profile of one of our global alumni in Tin Tuc. UNIS Hanoi is connected to 55% of all alumni students, families and faculty with our very own world wide web connecting UNIS Hanoi in the four corners of the globe!

Linh Nguyen (Class of 2018) was selected to receive one of the Vanderbilt University’s Nichols Humanitarian Fund Awards to help improve health care access and education system in Ban Lien, an impoverished, geographically-challenged region in Lao Cai, Vietnam. Thanks to the support from the Fund, Linh will be travelling back to Vietnam in summer 2019 to allocate the granted funds alongside SANSE, the Service Learning group co-founded by Linh during her time at UNIS Hanoi. A former UNIS Hanoi scholar, Linh is pursuing a double degree in the field of Communications and Human and Organisational Development at Vanderbilt University on a full scholarship. The merit- and need-based Nichols Humanitarian Fund is awarded to service-based projects proposed by students to address an area of need of a community, domestic or international.

Every week we feature a short profile of one of our global alumni in Tin Tuc. UNIS Hanoi is connected to 55% of all alumni students, families and faculty with our very own world wide web connecting UNIS Hanoi in the four corners of the globe!

Ellen Beard (Class of 2013) is working as the lead programme assitant of Redeeming Love, a safe house and holistic recovery programme for sex trafficking survivors in Southern California. “I work directly with residents [of the safe house] to encourage movement toward healing and their future life goals. I’ve been learning about the issue of human trafficking and I discovered sex trafficking as one of the darkest and most troubling injustices I’ve come across, and it is far more common than we realize,” Ellen shares. With this cause in mind, Ellen took on the creative challenge of wearing a dress during each of the 31 days of December 2018 for her personal fundraising campaign “December Dresses” to support Redeeming Love. Ellen’s goal is to raise $750 USD, the cost of mental health services for one survivor, “I decided to start my own page because I know Redeeming Love well and truly believe in the kind of healing it pursues. We focus on quality, highly-personalized support over quantity of individuals reached.” Check out Ellen’s donation page here or ask Ellen a question to keep the conversation going and raise awareness about this hidden problem.

Every week we feature a short profile of one of our global alumni in Tin Tuc. UNIS Hanoi is connected to 55% of all alumni students, families and faculty with our very own world wide web connecting UNIS Hanoi in the four corners of the globe!

On Thursday February 21 Adélaïde Charlier (Class of 2019) was alongside Greta Thunberg in Brussels as Greta delivered a speech in front of the European Economic and Social Committee, an EU consultative body representing civil society organisations. Adélaïde is one of the coordinators of Youth4Climate, the grassroots organisation behind the movement against inaction on climate change in Belgium which mobilised thousands of pupils across Belgium, including 12,500 who marched in Brussels on Thursday (31 January) in protest and thousands more in the Flemish city of Leuven and in Liège, Wallonia.

Every week we feature a short profile of one of our global alumni in Tin Tuc. UNIS Hanoi is connected to 55% of all alumni students, families and faculty with our very own world wide web connecting UNIS Hanoi in the four corners of the globe!

Preyanka Clark Prakash (Class of 2000) wrote to proudly share about Bloomtown, the palm oil-free, vegan, cruelty-free body and skincare company she and her husband, Medwin Culmer, started in the UK. Palm oil is an ingredient hidden in many mainstream beauty and food products. After witnessing first-hand the environmental devastation caused by palm oil cultivation in Indonesia, the loss of virgin forest that is home to endangered orangutans, tigers and so much of the world’s biodiversity, Preyanka made it her mission to offer truly ethical and cruelty-free body and skincare alternatives. Beautifully hand-crafted, the products are the combination of the founders’ love of nature and Preyanka’s botany and aromatherapy expertise. Find out more about Preyanka’s story, her creations and the very thoughtful ethical policies on Bloomtown’s website.

Every week we feature a short profile of one of our global alumni in Tin Tuc. UNIS Hanoi is connected to 55% of all alumni students, families and faculty with our very own world wide web connecting UNIS Hanoi in the four corners of the globe!

The First Ever UNIS Hanoi Alumni Reunion in Dubai was held on Sunday 11 November 2018 at the Crowne Plaza Dubai.Head of School Jane McGee, along with Megan Brazil, ES Principal, and Scott Schaffner, HS Principal, hosted the event. In attendance were Loretta Mazzuchin (Alumni Faculty/Staff), Gergana Schneider (Alumni Faculty/Staff) and Pam and Robin Rickard (Alumni Parents).  It was a warm and cozy meeting of alumni from as long as 18 years ago and everybody had a good time reminiscing about their time in Hanoi. 

The Alumni Reunion in Kuala Lumpur was held for the second time after 6 years last Saturday, October 27. Meeting in the beautiful lounge of Shangri La Hotel Kuala Lumpur, our group of 15 former students and parents covered the years 1995-2017 of UNIS Hanoi history. Everybody had a great time sharing memories, catching up with old friends and making new ones.

If you’re ever in bustling London and wish for a small oasis to recharge, this is for you!

Robin Baxter (Class of 2011) wrote in to share about his new project the Hideaway Coffee. Tucked neatly in a quiet corner of busy Soho, this cozy coffee place focuses on specialty coffee and other drinks. And if you’re hungry, you can choose from a selection of salads, sandwiches, slow cooked sirloin or salmon as well as various vegan and vegetarian options.

Robin and his business partner, who is originally from Vietnam, hope to create a space where young entrepreneurs can collaborate and develop ideas ideally for positive social change. “We believe with the right tools, connections and confidence young people have the capacity to create innovative solutions to old problems,” Robin shares. “Having worked in the hospitality for many years, we want to set an example of what employment in hospitality can look like, such as offering staff London Living Wage, full-time contracts and ensure their voices are heard when important decisions are made.”

So next time you are in London, don’t forget to stop by and have a chat with Robin while enjoying a cup of coffee. The cafe is located in a quiet little courtyard off Brewer Street called Smith’s Court. The address is 7 Smith’s Court, Soho, W1D 7DP.

Every week we feature a short profile of one of our global alumni in Tin Tuc. UNIS Hanoi is connected to 55% of all alumni students, families and faculty with our very own world wide web connecting UNIS Hanoi in the four corners of the globe!