Alumni Spotlight: Frieda Dietrich

“I have several former students who have chosen counselling as a career, the ultimate “feel good” moment for me!”

Meet Frieda Dietrich, who was our Upper School Counsellor for many years, and worked at ISA in different roles another two times.

How did your time at ISA impact your life?

The chance to really get to know faculty from other cultures during the early part of my international career in the 90s provided a strong foundation for the rest of my career. 

Thanks to my 30+ years in international education starting with ISA, I have had the chance to engage with faculty who started with me in Amsterdam and who have moved along similar trajectories. For example, I have had the opportunity to work with the same teacher in three different countries where I was able to see his family grow from little ones to college age. I just had dinner with 5 retired teachers in Minneapolis where our professional pathways have intersected in multiple schools over the past 25 years, including Amsterdam. 

What are some of your most memorable moments at ISA?

Memorable moments include the excellent opportunities for professional development that occurred throughout Europe. Even more impressively, when I visited the ISA campus in March of this year, I was greeted by name at the front reception desk with warmth and fun remarks that one does not see at all international schools. It felt like being back at home…great feeling.

But of course, working with students and staff who aspired to make a difference in the world. And it stays with you – within the past year, I connected a recent ISA graduate with one of my students from Singapore who has an executive position with Nike. It truly takes a village.

What is your current career, and why did you choose that path? What advice do you have for others looking to enter your field of work?

Thanks to the inspiration (pre-internet) from several pen pals who exchanged news via letters over several years with me about music, politics, and life in general in Europe, I made the decision at age 12 to eventually work abroad.  Although I started my career as an English teacher in the US and raised a family, I could not resist the urge to help students explore career choices and university opportunities. After 30+ years, I  have had dream positions as a university counsellor in Cairo, Singapore, Delhi, Bangkok, Amsterdam, and most recently on Jeju Island in Korea. Taking a short break this year, I have been able to assist with reading applications at a highly selective US university. As a lifelong believer in “paying it forward”, I have also spent time doing pro bono work with students who have limited counselling services at their school. In between gigs, I spend most of my free time travelling to film festivals and rock concerts.

Many of my most rewarding experiences over the years have been the result of my avid passion for following the careers of my former students who are making a name for themselves in business, social justice, technology, education, law, medicine, entrepreneurship, and countless other professions. I especially like working with alumni groups at the high schools where I have worked. Thank goodness for LinkedIn! And, yes, I have several former students who have chosen counselling as a career…the ultimate “feel good” moment for me! That said, I am still figuring out what I want to be when I grow up…any ideas welcome!

What advice or insights do you have for our current ISA students?

I would advise students to take advantage of the tremendous amount of expertise, connections to the real world, and mentorship available from ISA faculty, staff, parents, and administration. This is an often-ignored facet of being part of student life at ISA.

The ISA Alumni Spotlight series aims to showcase the journeys of individuals in our student, teacher and parent alumni communities. We ask them to reflect on how ISA made an impact on their life, and to share their advice on how to carry the mission of international understanding.