Alexandra Minovici, our Alumni Ambassador and Head Girl from the Class of 2021, joins Ms Julia for a trip down memory lane, sharing fond memories of her time at Cambridge School of Bucharest and the connections that continue beyond graduation.
When you look back at your time at CSB, which moments or relationships have stayed with you most, and why?
There are too many moments to count, but there are at least two groups of people that come to mind: my friends and my teachers. For many of the students in my generation (and possibly still today), it was not unusual to reach Year 13 with many of the people you had known since Year 1. I grew up without any siblings of my own, but I see many of my friends from CSB as my family, and we still rely on each other as such despite living in different corners of the world. These days, I time my research trips to Bucharest so that I can see as many of them as I can while we’re all in town.
My teachers, meanwhile, saw something in me that no one else did. They often went the extra mile for me when they didn’t have to, and their thoughtfulness changed me completely back when I was in school. Even if I could finally find a way to repay them for all they have done for me, I know they would never let me — so I have learned how to model my behavior after theirs and instead pay it forward when I can. I am very proud to have been their student, once upon a time!
What did being Head Girl teach you about leadership and yourself? Can you share a moment that challenged you or made you proud?
First and foremost, I learned that I was capable of being in a leadership position. I was a notoriously anxious teenager who found it difficult to see potential in herself, and I often needed others to see it for me first. That’s why even just being elected to that position felt very empowering. It was important for me to learn that my community saw that potential in me, and I’ve carried that feeling into the world beyond CSB ever since.
As for the role itself, it is entirely up to each student to shape it based on the campus’ changing needs. I know that the many generations of Head Girls since me have stepped it up tremendously, and it is truly wonderful to see. In my case, I remember how one of the big things we advocated for at the time was allowing for students in Sixth Form to bring personal laptops to school to boost our productivity during free periods — an initiative that sprung out of a previously complete technology ban. But more than that, I learned how to think more broadly about events, concerns, and interests outside of my year group.
This is something I’ve only recently remembered, but on a day when just three of us had attended our history A-level revision session, Mr. Jon cancelled our study plans and instead took us downstairs to a primary school classroom celebrating World Bee Day. Coincidentally, two of us were Head Girl and Head Boy, and he encouraged us to explain what exciting things were waiting for them years down the line. While it was a remarkably informal and impromptu spiel, I was proud to appear spontaneously before other generations who had not gotten to know me yet. In that respect, I would say that being Head Girl was really about giving younger students something to aspire to, as well as making yourself known as an advocate in their corner. I cannot overstate how significant it is to be seen and heard by the entire student body you represent.
What inspired you to study in the US, and how did your experience at CSB help you prepare for that move?
Studying in the U.S. was primarily the product of financial circumstance: Brexit had taken place recently, making my original plan of studying in the U.K. particularly expensive for my family. I therefore took advantage of my dual American citizenship, which allowed me to be considered for financial aid at U.S. institutions. At the time, very few CSB alumni had even applied to universities in the U.S., so I was lucky to be informally advised on my applications by many of the American teachers I got to know at school. In the end, Emory University was one of the places where I was offered close to a full ride, helping me make that final decision to move across the Atlantic.
That doesn’t mean that it was easy, however. Leaving CSB after spending twelve consecutive years there was really difficult for me; I felt like it was all I had ever known. But the fact is that I was very well-prepared to take what I had learned into the world. I joke about this frequently, but even while being enrolled in a PhD program in History, I credit the intensity of my IGCSE and A-Level instruction for giving me the necessary baseline to read, write, and study professionally. These days, I do some teaching myself and frequently reference our curriculum when designing syllabi for undergraduate courses. It is amazing how much of it has stayed with me to the present day.
What has surprised you most about university life in the US? Tell us about a time when you had to step outside your comfort zone.
The most surprising thing to me was how self-sufficient our student community was in creating opportunities for each other with minimal administrative involvement. While I am sure this is not entirely unique to the American experience, I had the opportunity not only to participate in but actively shape campus life through my involvement in multiple clubs, societies, and jobs. For every semester but one, I worked as a campus photographer, which introduced me to so many spectacular students, staff, and faculty members. While I also had a hand in organizing chess tournaments, ballroom dancing, playing in a local band, and tutoring in my local county, the most incredible arc in my extracurricular life had to do with my involvement in collegiate acappella.
Even though I loved the movie Pitch Perfect growing up in Bucharest, I never actually saw myself seriously joining an acappella group because of the deep-seated anxiety I grew up with, as well as a crushing awareness that I had no formal musical training and I could not read sheet music. I signed up for auditions in my first semester just to be polite at the club fair, and even showed up to my audition slot time in pyjamas to tell the group that I was backing out already and not to waste their time waiting for me. One of my now good friends convinced me to do the audition anyway, and I ended up graduating from Emory as the co-president of my acappella group. The more I performed with them, the more confident I became — not just on stage, but in the classroom, too. A student once too shy to raise her hand to speak in class, I am now notoriously difficult to silence during a seminar… It was a completely unexpected outcome on all fronts, but I do credit that facet of the U.S. university experience for giving me an opportunity to practice that bravery to do what you love and say what you mean to say.
As our alumni brand ambassador, what would you like to help build for the CSB alumni community? What would make you excited to stay involved as a graduate?
For me, the most exciting thing to build would be a framework through which alumni can actively get involved with current students, recent grads, and events on campus. I would like to see our alumni community become a resource that can open doors to future generations, especially as we end up doing marvelously different things near and far. Despite the reality of our busy, post-grad lives, I have found it really fulfilling to take even a few brief moments of my time to give back to this place we came form. I hope to encourage others to do the same!
What do you wish you had known in your final year at CSB, and what advice would you give students preparing for their next chapter?
When I was getting ready to go to university, I was worried that I was about to lose everything I had even known and loved, before quickly losing myself. Why would I willingly sever myself from all of this? The truth is that every time I have sought out something new, I have found those things I loved again and again while actively learning so much about myself and the world beyond. There is nothing to fear. Please, believe me — I could never have imagined, six years ago, how much better the life I would make for myself post-CSB was going to be. You are about to take your life into your own hands and shape it as you see fit. Nothing could be more exciting.
We warmly invite all former students to stay connected through the CSB Alumni Network. To share your story or get in touch, email alumni@cambridgeschool.ro.