Elvin Caldwell graduated from the International Academy of Flint (IAF), a member of the SABIS® School Network, in the summer of 2007. Following graduation, he attended Kalamazoo College in Michigan, where he pursued a degree in history and political science. Today, Elvin has come full circle; he is currently employed as the Student and Recruitment Coordinator for SABIS® Educational Systems, Inc., and the entire SABIS® community is thrilled to welcome him back.
In his new role, Elvin acts as an ambassador for SABIS®. He travels across the U.S. in places where the organization is looking to open new schools to spread the word about SABIS® and promote the SABIS® Educational System to potential students and parents. “IAF changed my life,” said Elvin, “and I want to share this experience with as many people as I can.”
From the moment he joined IAF in 2000 as a young 10 year old boy, Elvin quickly became an active member of the Student Life Organization®. “Through Student Life I organized community service projects and events for the SLO®. These activities instilled in me a sense of social justice and character,” claims Elvin. “While I was an SLO® prefect, I served food to the hungry, engaged in cleaning-up campaigns in the community, passed out supplies to those in need, raised money for those less fortunate, rang bells for the Salvation Army, tutored those in academic despair, and created fun and positive events for the students younger than me,” he continued. Elvin was also very active in sports at IAF. He played basketball, wrestled, cheered, and ran cross country and track. He received 12 varsity letters, a distinction of excellence, for basketball, track and cross country in addition to many other awards. He was also captain of the cross country team, basketball team, and track team.
The SLO® is an integral part of the SABIS® Educational System. At every SABIS® member school, students are encouraged to join the SLO® where they have the opportunity to learn social, ethical and moral values, become active and constructive members of the community, develop leadership skills, and form circles of lasting friendships. By developing a broad range of abilities and experiences, students learn to be effective and valuable team players and become more likely candidates at top universities around the world.
Elvin agrees. “IAF has shaped the person I am today and defines the person I strive to be,” he said. “I gained many skills at IAF but the most important and life changing one is my sense of social justice and cultural integrity, which I learned through Student Life,” he said. “At IAF I learned to focus and remain steadfast in the daily pursuit of excellence.” In the future Elvin aspires to go to law school and become a successful attorney. We wish him all the best!