Dear Members of the SSIS Community,
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Robert Kostrzeski as our Director of University Guidance. This new administrative-level position at SSIS was created by the SSIS Board as part of our current strategic plan. Building upon the great work of Ms. Kris Bumpus and Ms. Erin Hawkins, Robert will lead our school’s efforts to continue to raise the profile of SSIS and its students for top colleges and universities worldwide.
Robert earned a Bachelor’s Degree in French and Spanish at Calvin College in Michigan and then moved on to the University of Arizona where he continued his studies in Francophone Literature and Pedagogy and earned his Master’s Degree. He worked in admissions and student exchanges at the School of International Training in Vermont and the University of Arizona before relocating to California where he first entered the area of college
counselling. His time there included service at the Drew School in San Francisco and later at the Wildwood 
School in Los Angeles.
A love of the international school world, born during his senior year at the Saint Francois Xavier School in Belgium and additional undergraduate and graduate studies in France, Martinique, and Spain, led him to move abroad again. He has served as a college counselor and head of counselling services at Uskadar American Academy in Turkey, the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), and NIST International School (NIST) in Thailand. In the course of his work he has visited over five hundred colleges and universities around the world, gaining insights into their structures, admission practices, and curriculum.
Almost forty individuals applied for the Director of University Guidance position at Saigon South International School. Robert stood out very early on in the process for his wide experience at a variety of U.S. and international schools, his passion for supporting students and parents during the process of applying to top schools, and for his vision of the university guidance office at SSIS, now and in the future.
Robert joins the SSIS community in July with his fiancé, Yik Kun Heng, and his ten-month-old son, Oliver. A visit is planned for the Spring as Robert transitions to his administrative position. Please join me in welcoming all to the SSIS community.
Sincerely yours,
Mark Iver Sylte, Head of School
