WHEN Covid-19 first hit Malaysia, schools were ordered to close and students had to attend classes online to continue their education.
As a result, many students graduating this year couldn’t have a proper outgoing ceremony with their peers and teachers. Such was the case for Nexus International School’s IB Diploma programme students.
“Class of 2020 ... we may not have a proper last day of school and a proper graduation, even,” said Lau King Ying in her valedictorian speech during Nexus International School’s IB Diploma virtual graduation ceremony held recently for leaving students.
“But, what we’ve learnt in these last two years is not lost. The transformation that we’ve been through is not lost. Our achievements are not lost. These things are very much real and very much relevant.”
IBDP graduates around the world received their much-awaited examination results recently. Thirty-six Nexus International School Malaysia learners were among these graduates, who despite going through a lockdown during a crucial exam period have come out optimistic, enthusiastic and driven.
Nexus achieves results above world average
Nexus is proud of its Year 13 learners who achieved an outstanding average score of 35.0 points this year in the IB Diploma finals. This is well above the world average of 29.9 points and comes with a 100% pass rate.
An extremely high 33% of learners achieved more than 40 points, placing them in the top 10% worldwide.
Outstanding 2020 IB Diploma results.
Three Nexus learners, Julie Emily Matula, Ahmad Matin Moors and Emily Kuik are among the top 569 learners or top 1% in the world with a score of 44 points.
“I decided to pursue the IB Diploma because it allowed me to explore many different subjects while also encouraging me to try new things – both inside and outside of the classroom.
“At Nexus, I was unafraid to ask questions that may have seemed ‘silly’ to both my peers and my teachers – allowing me to succeed in the classroom,” said Matula who has been accepted to the prestigious New York University Abu Dhabi to study Liberal Arts.
Moors, on the other hand, feels that teachers at Nexus made lessons engaging.
“They helped me organise my overall workload by spreading deadlines and made sure I targeted areas that I needed to improve,” he said.
Moors, who is a full-time boarder at Nexus, will be headed to University of St Andrews to pursue Economics and English.
“Boarding helped create an environment where I could forget the stresses of being in the IB programme, while in the company of friends whom I live with.
“On weekends and public holidays, there were various non-academic activities that would take place, which helped give me a structure to follow,” he said.
(From left) Ahmad Matin Moors, Julie Emily Matula and Emily Kuik are placed in the top 1% in the world.
Another high achieving graduate, Emily Kuik, has been awarded the prestigious Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship by The University of Toronto to pursue a four-year undergraduate degree in Psychology.
Her contribution to the community was one of the factors for winning the competitive scholarship. She actively ran art projects for Orang Asli children, orphans and individuals with Down Syndrome and co-organised charity piano recitals to raise funds for different charitable organisations and refugee centres.
Nexus graduates have also been accepted to other top universities around the world such as Imperial College London, University of Melbourne, University of St Andrews, University College London, University of New York Abu Dhabi, University of British Columbia and more.
Indeed, the IB programme at Nexus is a stepping stone for students towards their university of choice and their future.
IB Programme at Nexus
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year pre-university programme for learners aged 16 to 19 with the aim to develop the academic success and personal development of the students.
The IBDP curriculum comprises theory of knowledge (TOK), creativity, activity, service (CAS) and the extended essay. This curriculum encourages students to think independently and determine their own learning, become culturally aware, and engage with people in a globalised world.
In fact, Lau, who’s one of the 2020 IB graduates, relates how the elements of the IB Programme helped her survive this lockdown.
“All those hours spent doing Creativity, Action & Service (CAS), prepared us for a time when our hobbies would be the only thing keeping us sane.
“All that research we did for Extended Essays, well, that was just practice for when we had to trawl through the Internet to find out whether we should be wearing a mask during this pandemic.
“All the critical thinking we did in Theory of Knowledge (TOK) has allowed us to put ourselves in other people’s shoes, at a time when compassion and understanding are more essential than ever before,” she said.
Open Day & IB Scholarships – Enquire now!
Get to know more about the Nexus pre-university IB Diploma Programme as well as it’s preschool, primary, secondary and boarding School at the upcoming Virtual Open Day on Aug 14 and 15 (Friday and Saturday). IB scholarships and special fee waivers are also available.
To register for the Nexus Virtual Open Day, click here. You may also send an email to admissions@nexus.edu.my or call 03-8889 3868.
