Meet Mathis Burnichon, who attended ASB for six years and graduated in 2019. He is currently studying Mathematics with Finance at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. “I’m an incoming summer analyst at BlackRock in London, joining the risk management division.”

What experiences or teachers from ASB might have inspired who you are today?

“Chess club with Mr. Wager during lunchtimes. NESDA tournaments and practices; impromptu speech, even though it stressed me out, and debate.

I enjoyed mathematics, physics, computer science, and economics classes the most. I like things that follow a logical approach, that are robust and daring in describing the world around us.”

Tell us a little about any extracurricular activities you were involved in at ASB.

“For my CAS project, I was a French, English, and Spanish translator at a tourism firm. Although languages are not my passion, I used the opportunity to network with the CEO, staying behind multiple times to discuss the workings and driving philosophy of the then-hot new cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. This led him to recommend me as a speaker to a panel at IESE Business school, at which I gave a talk to MBAs later that year.”



In your opinion, what makes ASB special?

“The teaching and evaluation style. After being taught in the French, the European, and then ASB’s IBDP system, I can say that I find the latter most effective overall. In most of my classes, there was always leniency in how to go about answering a question; new approaches were encouraged, the IB grading scheme often includes multiple methods. The freedom to be a little creative in your workings and achieve marks for logical reasoning rather than only for following the taught method gives students a reason to try everything they know when faced with a complex problem.

Regarding the teaching style, once again, liberty and leniency play a key role. At ASB, teaching is done through everything from class games to traditional textbook reading. Often, the teaching style is adapted to the method that will leave the student with the most knowledge. An excellent example of this in economics was the school Economics Fare, a free market simulation. What better way to understand incentives and theories than to have the students feel them in the marketplace?”

If you could describe ASB in one word, what would it be?

“Freedom.”



Once a Lynx, Always a Lynx
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Contributed: April 2021