News | 03 November 2022
"We received an email from a teacher with tips for the future – I still look at it to this day"
We talked to former IES student Alva Danielsson about what she has been doing since elementary school and her best memories of IES Sundsvall.
Alva Danielsson
Alva Danielsson finished ninth grade at IES Sundsvall in 2018. Today she is 20 years old and just finished 12 months of military service in Umeå.
What have you been doing since you finished elementary school at IES Sundsvall?
"I studied science at a high school in Sundsvall. I have always liked nature and climate, and in high school I found my passion for biology. Now I just finished 12 months of military service in Umeå. It has both been a lot of fun and educational. I thought it would be tougher than it has been. In military service, you learn things you can use in the civilian world, such as leadership, group dynamics, and discipline."
Looking back, what do you value most from your time at IES?
"The contact with the teachers! They were open, happy, and they always wanted to help and listen to us students. I went through a difficult period in junior high school and my teachers supported me through it, that is what I value the most. When my class finished ninth grade, we received a lovely email from a teacher with tips for the future, including how to deal with performance anxiety, and I still look at it to this day."
What is your best memory from IES?
"We did so many fun things! We had theme days and dressed up, we had World Book Day and Pajama Day - the teachers always went all in. It was so much fun to see your teachers in pajamas! I also recall many laughs during Science Lab when we experimented and mixed different chemicals with solutions."
Do you have any dreams for the future?
"I want to work with nature, climate, and environmental issues. My plan is to study biology or geoscience at university. I have always felt a close connection to nature and the climate issue is close to my heart."