During these last two years, I, Alexandra Chvedine, have been an IB
student. For those of you that do not know what IB stands for or what it means,
I will read the most realistic definition I could find:
“IB: International Baccalaureate
also known as a malicious program aimed at the unnaturally brighter population
in an attempt to overload their brains, and thus reducing them to vegetables
without lives.”
Fortunately, for the IB students present in this room this is our last
year of stress, the last year of uncertainty, and the last year of the IB. It all comes to an end, it is sad, but I think
we all need it to end; we need to rest from these intense years. Who would have
thought that we would be the ones that stayed for these two years? Who would
have thought that we could make it this far? Maybe we really are IB students
after all.
IB students are thinkers, reflective, balanced, open minded… I could
continue but these attributes are just behind me and we can all read them. These
are the adjectives that according to the IB best describe the students who
study this program. I know that many if not all of us disagree in at least one
of them: balanced. Throughout these two years the lack of sleep, the stress and
our own negativity have made us not be happy and joyful at times. However, I
would not remove this adjective but rather change it for resilient. Throughout these years we have been battling
with the curriculum of two baccalaureates while writing IAs, an extended essay,
personal statements and even studying for the driving test. The fact that we
were able to complete each task, to write each IA and to meet the final
deadlines proves that we are resilient indeed. Because if I have learnt
something from this experience it is that, we, second of baccalaureate students
do not give up.
Looking backwards in time, I see a sixteen year old me who did not know
how she was going to manage and do everything on time and in the best way
possible. I still remember how intimidated I was the first day when I saw all
of you. I thought that if anyone would not be able to reach what was expected
from us, it was going to be me. I thought that if anyone had to study more to
match the class’ level, it was going to be me.
The reality was that no one of us was prepared for the IB; we were
fourth year of secondary school students who were starting a very intense and
difficult program that would involve break downs, stress and learning how to
organise ourselves.
It is not fair to focus on the bad things the IB brought into our lives;
we must also revive and think about those moments in which stress resulted in
laughter and friendships. If there is something positive about the IB is the
good friendships you get, because as it is said: friends that suffer together,
stay together, right?
As for now, we are very close from the finish line, so close we can
almost see it, it is called summer. In little time we will be stressed, but not
because of the IB, but because of the university. It will be the time for us to
pursue what we truly want. I wish you luck, I know you will be able to do
anything you want, you will be able to study what you want and be the people
you aspire to be, because after all, we are IB students, right?
