Justin Xiao from Class of '00
	Justin with Mrs Salma Letaief (left) and Mrs Melissa Settle (right) Justin was invited to this year’s AIS Career Day as one of the guest speakers for our high school students on June 22, 2010. He replied to our email invitation enthusiastically: “I would love to be part of this as I would have appreciated this type of event when I was in high school”. Justin enrolled at our school as a Grade 7 student during the California International School era. After graduation from AIS in 2000, he went on for a Bachelors of Science Degree in Information Technology with a minor in Economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in New York. RPI is best known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace and is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world. Justin said he preferred RPI because it is a relatively small university with about 5500 undergraduates and 2000 postgraduates. After benefiting from a small school like AIS/CIS, he wanted the same environment and culture of a small university. Justin reminisced about what he enjoyed the most while at AIS: All teachers and students knew each other on a personal basis and it was easy to take up responsibilities such as joining the yearbook and being part of the school’s athletics teams. Justin was the creator of the first AIS original website.

	Justin speaking to our High School students at Career Day After graduating from university, Justin was admitted to the highly selective Management Associate training program at Citibank headquarters in New York City where he was placed in different rotational roles. After gathering experience in the banking industry in New York, he decided to pursue further challenges in his career so he applied for a transfer to be back to his hometown, Hong Kong. Now he is the Vice President and Regional Product Manager for Prepaid Card Services, Institutional Client Group, Global Transaction Services. When our students asked why he selected global transaction services over financial banking, a sought-after banking area in Hong Kong, he replied he preferred creating solutions for clients and found seeing the end results come alive to be both personally and professionally rewarding. When we asked Justin to compare the school today and ten years ago, he said, “regardless of the many physical changes at the school, the way AIS students behave is still very similar: very genuine and caring, yet inquisitive and smart!” Justin recently received the “Ugly Duckling Award” at the 10th anniversary reunion for the Class of 2000. In everyone’s mind Justin has matured into a graceful, well-educated and successful young gentleman that we are all very proud of today. Interview date:  22 June, 2010  Click to read the next alumni story: Mr. Dongxing Simon Li '10 Mr. Dorian Ho '89 Ms. Shi-Yi Ng '08 Mr. Ronald Lo '97 and Mr. Teddy Lo '93