Boarding Abroad

Elizabeth Marini and Mira Rosa Marini share parentchild perspectives of life at TASIS, the American boarding school in Switzerland that shaped a confident young woman

- Kiran Pillay

Mira Rosa Marini began her education journey abroad at The American School in Switzerland (TASIS) in the autumn of 2018, entering the 8th grade. Established in 1956, TASIS is the oldest American boarding school in Europe committed to creating global citizens. For Elizabeth Marini, vice president of Marini’s Group and mother of Mira, the choice of school for her daughter came down to nurturing her identity. “Modesto, Mira and I decided that we wanted a place where she could connect to her Italian roots and still benefit from a multicultural perspective in her day-to-day learning and life encounters.”

TASIS is based in Lugano, Switzerland, the largest city outside Italy to recognise Italian as the official language. Unsurprisingly, half of the TASIS student body is Italian. “We visited one summer and fell in love with the school and the town. TASIS has more than 60 nationalities represented among students, even if Mira was the only Malaysian pupil there.” Another factor that sealed the deal for Elizabeth and Mira was the boarding conditions. “The boarding rooms are less congested than those in schools in the United Kingdom, with two students per room. It was perfect.”

As a parent, Elizabeth feels that boarding school nurtured Mira to grow into a confident young woman. “She sings on stage in front of her school and plays the piano with passion. It’s a complete turnaround from when she wanted to quit playing when she lived in KL. Her music and drama teachers have been so encouraging in shaping her to become a wonderful performer. The experience has brought out so much light in her,” the proud mother shares.