By Andrew Kittell
Last summer, ACS Hillingdon International School welcomed Christina Decu as its new Dean of Admissions. Having had time to settle in, we decided to now share her story with the Mobility industry and others interested in all things ACS.
Christina’s journey to ACS began in Sweden, being born to German parents living abroad. Enjoying an interest in travel and being blessed with a facility with numbers, Christina studied tourism and then worked in Germany and New York City. She had the opportunity to move to Shanghai in 1992, happily combining the two as a finance director located in one city but responsible for various departments in Greater China. This experience led to an MBA and a hand in starting the German School of Shanghai, then serving on the new school’s Board of Directors.
Meanwhile, Christina’s two children attended a nearby international school where she was president of the Parent Teacher Student Association. This led to an employment offer that changed the course of Christina’s professional life. She explains, “I accepted an offer from the Head of my children’s school to lead the Admissions team there. I have loved working in international education ever since, even volunteering to help local Chinese families understand some of the world’s other educational systems as well as helping international families in transition to new locations.” Then came ACS.
After a global search, ACS Hillingdon International School became Christina’s new home, one much closer to her family in Germany. It’s a community Christina embraces, “ACS Hillingdon is a beautiful international school, one celebrating diversity in a wonderful setting. Being part of the ACS group of schools that challenges and supports students makes me very happy and proud. My colleagues here come from many different places, as do our enrolled families, and we all have the students’ well-being and growth at the center of what we do.”
What Christina does is manage ACS Hillingdon’s Admissions Office. It’s a role that seems to come naturally to her, something she still enjoys very much. Christina shares, “The most enjoyable part of working in Admissions at an international school is meeting families from all over the world. Every student is on their own journey and, as a Dean of Admissions, you can be part of their next exciting life chapter. It is a privilege to see the students arrive on their first days, helping them transition into a new-to-them school, often in a new country, and sometimes even a new educational system.”
Though inspiring most of the time, enrollment management leadership presents some challenges. Back-to-back meetings fill Christina’s days at ACS Hillingdon International School, but she still strives to avoid making too many assumptions, remaining open minded and welcoming to all. As she observes, “I have to remind myself not to assume anything. If a family is arriving from one country, they might actually have a very different background. A passport may not say anything about their roots or even mother tongue. I always have to take time to listen carefully, avoiding jumping to conclusions.”
One experience Christina shares with the three other current ACS campus-based Deans of Admissions is critical to her success. Put simply, that’s having lived and worked across international borders. Christina expounds, “Living abroad most of my life, even being born in a different country than my passport might suggests, helps me gain and maintain a broader perspective. I love interacting with people from all over the world, especially young people. When you travel a lot, you have to be very open-minded. Many countries have different approaches to reaching the same outcomes. It’s important to realize and understand that these approaches aren’t better or worse, they’re just different.”
A lifelong learner, Christina stays current professionally by reading and when she’s able participating in professional development opportunities such as conferences and seminars. She remains committed to enrollment management as a profession, sharing some words of advice for those considering this career path, “Admissions work is best learned on the job. Most schools, colleges, and universities recruit at the entry level. It’s a good opportunity to get a feel for the profession before advancing and investing in graduate-level education. The best enrollment managers are highly organized, have a head for numbers, and a heart for dealing with people.”
Although the stakes in most international career-linked moves are high, Christina maintains a healthy sense of perspective and good sense of humor, meeting as she does with so many people feeling the stress of relocation. She quotes the great comedian of yesteryear Charlie Chaplin who once said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” Christina adds that a lot of what she finds humorous stems from having people in the same room from different backgrounds, speaking different first languages, but all trying to say the same thing and coming out with expressions that mean the exact opposite in translation.
When not on the ACS Hillingdon International School campus meeting with prospective families and others interested in the school’s program, Christina enjoys sharing time with her own family and with her friends. Of course, there’s always a yearning to travel even more. And then cooking to enjoy and impress, music, and finally an absolute love for dogs.
Please join the entire ACS community and the greater Global Mobility industry in welcoming Christina Decu to our Hillingdon campus.