Rainer Groh - ISF « Success Stories
As a global school management organization, SABIS® operates Pre-K and K-12 schools in 15 countries on four continents. The schools, which are designed to provide a high-quality education for all students, are found in both the private and public arenas and serve thousands of students worldwide.
ISF Internationale Schule Frankfurt-Rhein-Main (ISF), the first SABIS® school to operate in Germany, opened its doors in 1995 and now serves 1,000 students in K-12.
This is the story of a SABIS® student who, through ISF and SABIS®, has acquired an international perspective and solid foundation which have ultimately shaped his future.
From internships with leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus and major automotive supplier Continental Teves, Rainer Groh has come a long way since ISF. Just four years after graduating, he has completed a joint bachelor’s-master’s degree in mechanical engineering with first-class honors from the University of Bath in the U.K.
Graduating from Bath with first-class honors and receiving distinction as the university’s "Best Graduating Engineering Student" required a disciplined approach and a willingness to take on challenges, the foundation of which Rainer acquired at ISF. "At ISF I completed 7 APs—with scores of ‘5’ on all of them—in various academic fields such as the humanities, languages, and sciences...these exams considerably alleviated the academic strain during my first semester of university," commented Rainer. "As APs are university level courses, I had already covered a majority of the material to be taught during the first semester and established a strong mathematical foundation that helped me to understand new concepts very easily," he added.
Having joined ISF as a Grade 4 student in 1998, Rainer fully benefited from the SABIS® Educational System and recognizes that it prepared him to face the challenges in university. "Although [SABIS®] Periodic Exams can be stressful for any student, it is the experience to perform under pressure that is the stepping stone for achieving the best grades in external and university exams. The multitude of exams at ISF makes it a habit to produce the highest-quality work," said Rainer.
The diverse atmosphere at ISF—which includes a student community representing more than 50 nations—also helped Rainer gain a new outlook on life. "Having been in contact with students from all over the world for nearly a decade while at ISF has not only been a privilege but has also shaped my character in a distinct manner. It has caused me to look at world affairs not from a German or European, but especially from an international point of view!" explained Rainer.
The solid foundation and international exposure gained at ISF helped Rainer excel in not only his studies but also challenging internships. As a structural engineer intern at Airbus in the summer of 2009, Rainer was tasked with predicting the residual life of damaged passenger and cargo plane doors. "It was an interesting and extremely daunting experience to make decisions that directly influenced the safety of a large number of people around the globe," stated Rainer. As a manufacturing systems engineer intern at Continental Teves AG, Rainer applied his know-how to the company’s braking system production line and optimized the layout to maximize production volume. Rainer explained, "The changes I proposed resulted in an increase in production throughput of 29.5% and greatly helped to strengthen the long-term financial stability of the production site."
With a strong academic background and internships to support it, Rainer is on his way to reaching his professional aspirations of improving the airplane manufacturing field. "In the future I wish to work for a renowned aerospace company such as Astrium, Airbus, or Boeing designing the new generation of lightweight structures that will contribute significantly towards making airplanes more efficient and ecologically sustainable," said Rainer.