Alumni Profiles - Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley

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ECOLE BILINGUE DE BERKELEY ALUMNI PROFILE: IVAN SPAZKOWSKI, CLASS OF 2000 It’s hard to believe that it has been over eight years since I graduated from EB. Though I am no longer studying French, and now live on the other side of the world, I still feel an attachment to French culture. However, my primary interest has settled on another country. After running out of French classes in high school, I made a decision that’s shaped my life ever since. I started learning Mandarin. In college, I became ever more immersed in studying both Chinese and China. My first trip to the country was an amazing experience, though my first impression was hardly positive. Stepping out the airport door, I was confronted by thick, gray smog, and all I can remember thinking was that the warnings about pollution I had received were dramatic understatements. However, my decision to spend a semester abroad was quickly reaffirmed and my passion for China cemented. The food, always among my top priorities, was spectacular and completely unlike Chinese food found in the United States. Only French cuisine can compete with the variety of authentic Chinese food, and even then, French cuisine is hard pressed if the food of China’s minorities is accounted for. Walking down back alleys in Beijing was a pleasure, of which I frequently took advantage, enjoying the smells and tastes of the street vendors’ fresh foods. While in Beijing and other large cities, I was also struck by the sense of change that surrounded me, manifested not just by omnipresent building cranes, but also by the sense of dynamism reflected in the infusion of new stores, restaurants, and even neighborhoods. However, one of my most memorable experiences of that first trip was traveling to China’s northwest, which is inhabited by Turkic Muslims (usually referred to as Uyghurs). Upon arrival, I felt as if I had been transported out of China and into Central Asia. While I soon discovered the region’s fusion of both familiar Chinese culture and that of the Uyghurs and other minorities, what most influenced me was not anything cultural. Rather, it was the contrast in development that I was seeing firsthand between China’s aggressively modernizing coastal cities, and its poor, minority-dominated northwest. Back at college in the United States, I had the surprising pleasure of applying my French skills to my schoolwork by taking advantage of a course on the Enlightenment to read Rousseau in the original French. Outside the classroom, I explored the opportunities offered by living near Washington D.C. by immersing myself in the East Asian policy community through internships at a political NGO and a research institute. Following graduation, I returned to China, seizing the once in a lifetime opportunity to experience this summer’s Olympic Games—China’s “coming out party” as a rising superpower. Though I was disappointed to discover that the street vendors I had so enjoyed had been forced off the streets, it is hard to imagine a future Olympics ever topping this year’s in terms of sheer grandeur. I have since moved to Nanjing, where I am studying international affairs in Mandarin at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. It is incredible how much, even here, my EB background still influences my life. Shortly after arriving in Nanjing, I walked down a back alley and into a small restaurant for lunch. To my surprise, in the back room I found three young Westerners having a conversation in French, which I delightedly joined in. Since that time, I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of French speakers in Nanjing, including some of my classmates. Moreover, I have been blessed with an amazingly authentic French restaurant located close by that serves the most amazing chocolate mousse. My life may have shifted to focusing on China, but my French upbringing remains a part of who I am. Whether it is through sudden cravings for delicious French cuisine, or the desire to watch French movies without subtitles, my subconscious consistently remind me of the influence of EB on my life. WN16–7 JAN 2008 11
ECOLE BILINGUE DE BERKELEY Hannah Lê (EB class of 1994): Faculty Representative and alumna on the board My name is Hannah Lê. I am a first-generation Vietnamese American. My mother was raised in a French school in Saigon, and wanted to pass on her French education to me. My parents enrolled me at Ecole Bilingue as a kindergartener in 1985. The four years I spent at EB were wonderful and had an everlasting impression on me. I attended Berkeley High and then UC Davis, where I studied French and Human Development, with a minor in Education. I have always wanted to become a teacher. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children, seeing them learn and grow. The following year I entered UC Davis, School of Education, where I received my California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with CLAD and then my M.A in Education. I have never regretted my decision to become a teacher. None of the teachers I had are currently at EB anymore. However, one teacher that stands out in my mind is Michael Rossman. He was the science teacher that everyone loved. His quirky sense of humor made learning fun. He was a very “hands-on” teacher. He dissected every road kill, taught us how to ferment grapes to make wine, and brought in various rocks to show. Michael was one of a kind. Michael was inspirational to me; I hope to someday make a difference in the lives of my students. I currently live in Oakland with 2 roommates and my dog Guinness. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, playing the piano, practicing Aikido, and hanging out with Guinness. This is my third year at EB, and my fifth year teaching elementary school. I taught two years for the Pittsburg Unified School District and decided that I had to either change schools or find a new career. Teaching is my passion, so I pressed on. When I decided to leave my former school, I was elated to find out that there was an opening at EB. Teaching at my alma mater has been and continues to be an enriching experience for me. Working at EB fits perfectly with my interests in teaching and in the French culture and language. As a former student and a current teacher at EB, I can relate to my students. I understand those who are struggling with learning two languages and who may need encouragement. I find it ironic to be teaching in classrooms that I use to be in. Rather than sitting at the desk, I am now in the front of the room. It still seems strange to me. I am proud to serve two years as a Faculty Trustee. As a trustee, I plan to bring in my dual perspectives, my insights, diversity, and perhaps a sense of humor. I try to bring in all of these qualities into the classroom. WN9–4 NOV 2008 4
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Alumni Profiles - Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley

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