Diana Chang - the Head of Boarding at Institut Montana

Ms. Chang grew up in Canada, where she studied commerce at McGill University and worked for financial institutions and public corporations, as well as on her own business for a while until her passion for psychology and cognitive sciences took over. Now she is completing her Master of Cognitive Sciences at the University of Neuchatel and doing psychotherapy training at the ISAP Zurich.

 

At Institut Montana, Ms. Chang is responsible for students’ general well-being and safety, team organization, administration, as well as assessment, development, and management of the organizational infrastructure.

 

There is no typical day for the Head of Boarding at Institut Montana. The school year moves in cycles and different times require different planning and organization. It is about managing the big picture and staying present in the day-to-day moments with students and staff. You can often see Ms. Chang around mealtimes, during weekends with the students, or walking her dog on the Zugerberg.

 

Ms. Chang’s and her team’s approach to taking care of students is listening and being present for them, providing the means for them to pursue their idiosyncratic curiosity and interests, as well as support and inspiration.

Our boarding team helps students grow and develop into their potential as adults while inspiring them to live by the school’s values through their own actions. They try to disseminate different skills and perspectives that will serve students in their future adult life e.g. the value of hard work, discipline, time management, social skills and taking perspectives, working in teams, and creative problem-solving while providing a safe place for everyone where tolerance and individual integrity and dignity can be upheld. 

 

“The thing which inspires me most is the potential of the kids, the potential of our school and school as a microcosm of our society. As a kid myself, I had to enroll in a private gifted high school. I wasn’t thrilled about it at first. But the school changed me. Being around teachers who genuinely cared, being surrounded by students who had a natural curiosity for learning opened my eyes to seeing the world and life in a new way. It was because of how much this experience gave me in my adult life that I wanted to spend my life working in a school, trying to share this inspiration with the next generation of students.”