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Exceptional Science and Math Student Headed to Imperial College London
Ben Marconi '21

TASIS lifer Ben Asher Marconi ’21 (Italy/Switzerland/Brazil) has decided to study Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London after also fielding offers from University College London and Polytechnic University of Milan. Though he plans on exploring all options available to him at university, he currently thinks he may want to pursue a career in robotics, electric vehicle development, or electronics design. 

Ben started at TASIS as a Pre-Kindergarten student in 2007 and capped off a highly impressive 14 years at the School by earning 42 points on his IB assessments, including a perfect 7 in all three of his Higher Level subjects: Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. He was also selected by his peers to deliver a speech at his class’s Senior Banquet and received the prestigious Excellence in Science Award at the 2021 Commencement Ceremony.

A trilingual (Italian, English, and Portuguese) scholar who won a host of other math and science awards throughout his High School career, Ben was inducted to the TASIS Cum Laude Society chapter as a junior.

Following his graduation in May of 2021, Ben answered the following questions about his time at TASIS The American School in Switzerland.

Do you feel that your time at TASIS has prepared you well for college?
I feel that my time at TASIS has certainly been helpful and that I learned a lot, and I developed excellent study habits. I also feel that for the time being, I am unable to say whether I'm prepared or not for future studies, as that is something I'll find out once I begin university. I know that I will be studying a very difficult course, so I prefer to have the mindset that I'm less prepared and that I will have to do more work in the first few months rather than assume I am prepared and get immediately overwhelmed by the difficulty of the course. 

In what ways did the College Counseling Office help you achieve your goals? 
Ms. Fishbein, my college counselor, has been fundamental in helping me achieve my goals. She has been extremely helpful through the whole application process, and I am grateful to her. 

What experiences have you found most inspiring at TASIS?
At TASIS I had several inspiring experiences both in the classroom and outside. Completing my Extended Essay and my Chemistry and Physics Internal Assessments in the science lab have all been valuable and inspiring experiences for me, as not only did I learn the basics of scientific research, I learned that I enjoyed working on these types of projects. Inspiring experiences outside the classroom were the countless Academic Travel trips I attended throughout my time at TASIS, which always showed me that what I was learning had connections to the real world.

What courses or teachers will you remember most fondly? 
I will remember Chemistry class with Mr. Ogilvie. In these past two years I learned a lot, and it was always a pleasure to be in class. It was also nice to have him as a mentor for my Extended Essay and Internal Assessment. I will also remember Mr. Hughes, as his non-traditional teaching style was always something to look forward to. He always gave me support and made sure I aimed high before I took my final Physics exam. I have pleasant memories of many other teachers I encountered in High School, including Mr. Greenwood, Ms. Barciak, and Mr. Grimm, among others.

What do you think you will miss the most about your time at TASIS?
What I will miss most about my time at TASIS is the people I met along the way. Whether it was playing team sports, studying on the tables outside the snack bar, or having lunch together, I always had time to create meaningful friendships. I will also miss the insightful conversations with teachers during office hours. Finally, the campus and the sunny weather is something I'll surely look back to when I'll be in London. 

Clearly dealing with a pandemic for your final three semesters isn't how you and your classmates wanted to end your time at TASIS. But is there anything positive you've been able to take away from all of this?
Because of the pandemic we were encouraged to spend time with the same group of people to avoid the spread of the virus. This meant that I strengthened my relationships with the friends that I saw most often, hopefully allowing our friendships to continue long after our departure from TASIS.

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