Big WIS/Little WIS Launches in the Upper School

This year, a new Upper School ISU initiative is Big WIS/Little WIS, where upperclassmen are paired with underclassmen to help develop a mentor/mentee relationship.

ISU Co-President Victoria Pineda '26 explained her rationale for helping to create this program: ​"I have an older brother (Emilio '24), and we moved around a lot throughout our lives. He was always my anchor, and we became really good friends because often we were the only people we knew. So every time we moved, I always looked up to him, and I would ask "how did you do this in this grade?" Or "how did you go through such-and-such process?" And I just really relied on him as a mentor; he wasn't only my brother, he was also someone who guided me a lot within school."

"When we got to WIS, I realized that, because I was a freshman, and he was already in the IB DP,  ​he could tell me​ things I should be doing freshman year in order to start preparing for the ​IB DP courses I want to take. Or when ​I​'m a sophomore, take certain opportunities in the summer, because ​I​ might not be able to during junior year. He was someone ​who could really help me build my path. ​Not everyone has the luck that I've had, to have a​ brother or s​ibling who is two years older,​ and who has a little bit more of that future mindset.​ With Big WIS/Little WIS, I wanted everyone to have an older "sibling​" ​w​ho is already in the DP, and on the flip side, to have a younger "sibling." There were times I helped Emilio with certain grade​-level initiatives because I was an underclassman​ and he was an upperclassman. I think it's a great way ​t​o have this mentor/mentee bond across grades that you​ might not have in your own family.​"

Upper School Assistant Principal Anne Leflot adds: "The idea was to create Grades 9 & 11 and Grade 10 &12 siblings so that they each student can feel supported in their WIS years and beyond. For instance, when the Class of 2026 graduates, they can still stay in touch with the Class of 2028 and give them advice on college life and applications." Advisories were paired together, and within advisories, there are one-on-one pairs. Pairings were done randomly, and this year each pair is the same gender to make it a little less intimidating. However, Victoria adds, "I hope that in future years, they do mixed groups, because I think there's a lot of good that can come from that too.​"

​So far, the groups have only met a few times. Advisory groupings hung out during Fall Fest, recording their TikTok-style dances together. They recently had their second meeting, where Grades 9 & 11 students played games to get to know each other, while Grades 10 & 12 students discussed the IB DP, with seniors giving sophomores advice about course selections. 

Moving forward, Victoria hopes for more formal and informal meetings between siblings. "I hope people are taking advantage of their pairings and doing informal meetings. But I'm also watching for any free advisory period and trying to put Big WIS/Little WIS little on it, because when something's new, you want to make sure it gets ingrained in everyone's brains. We'd also like to do something like Big WIS/Little WIS week, with a certain set of activities they can do, outside of the classroom or maybe even outside of the school."

​When asked what else she wants parents to know about Big WIS/Little WIS, Victoria said, "Please push your kids to really use their mentor/mentee. ​T​hey're just a text or email away. I think WIS is the kind of place where people really do want to help you​,​ and ​you really just have to reach out​. I ​also understand it's a little intimidating at first​, but I think everyone's really excited about it.​"