NASEA 2025 - North American Boarding Schools Across Four Asian Cities

From October 25 to November 1, 2025, FindingSchool has successfully hosted the North American School Expos in Asia - NASEA 2025 in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tokyo, and Ho Chi Minh City. More than just an opportunity for families to meet North American boarding schools, the expo fostered in-depth conversations about international education options that may suit Asian students best.

In its first year, the expo series attracted nearly 700 parents and students across four destinations, along with over 30 renowned North American boarding schools, e.g., Choate Rosemary Hall, Blair Academy, Peddie School, Emma Willard School, The Webb Schools, etc. as well as education partners like ETS (TOEFL), Vericant, SPBCN (Spelling Bee China) or even financial organizations like HSBC. The event offered countless meaningful insights to families who are exploring education at U.S. boarding schools.

A Significant Milestone

First-Time Expo Across Four Cities and Three Countries

• Shanghai - October 25, 2025
• Shenzhen - October 26, 2025
• Tokyo - October 29, 2025
• Ho Chi Minh City - November 1, 2025

Despite differences in culture, NASEA maintained one consistent goal across its four cities: to create a space where families could directly get in touch with schools and gain a deeper understanding of each school's offer.

Parents from all four cities are seen highly focused on learning about schools, including the academics, boarding life, international student support, and how students can get to the top U.S. universities.

Prioritizing the Quality of Interaction

FindingSchool maintained a medium-scale, simple but effective format to foster high-quality engagement. This approach allowed:

• Families to have sufficient time for one-on-one conversations with school representatives;
• Schools to better understand each student's goals, strengths, and academic backgrounds;
• Each conversation to deliver a clear and practical visualization and personalized information.

This model helps assure the core principle which is prioritizing true engagement rather than targeting big crowds.

Number of attending families per city:

• Shanghai: 250+
• Shenzhen: 220+
• Tokyo: 80+
• Ho Chi Minh City: 150+

Key Discussion Topics Across Cities

Shanghai & Shenzhen

In the two dynamic cities of China, parents' discussions centered around the topic "Beyond Grades: What Makes a Good Fit?", emphasizing that academic scores alone doesnot determine a student's suitability for a school.

The panel discussions in China featured Dr. Mark P. Ott (The Kiski School), Ms. Betty Matias Hsu (The Masters School), Ms. Samantha Blankenship (Chatham Hall School), Ms. Lynn Zahn (The Pennington School), Mr. Luke Heywood (The Stony Brook School), and Mr. Tong Cao (Elite Preparatory Academy). They shared invaluable expertise on what makes a student a "good fit," highlighting passions, characteristics, community involvement, and initiatives-attributes that are just as important as academic achievements.

One single message that unifies all the sessions:

"A successful educational journey begins with choosing the best-fit school - rather than the most competitive one."

The discussion also walked families through how U.S. boarding schools are adapting to the rise of AI while fostering global citizenship skills.

Beyond school representatives, the expo welcomed multiple education partners, including ETS (TOEFL), Vericant, China Student Athlete Association, SPBCN, and various training and consulting organizations and financial organizations such as HSBC, providing invaluable resources and guidance to families.

Tokyo

The Tokyo event was held in collaboration with Boarding School Consulting Inc. at the iconic Odaiba island, Tokyo - a blend of futuristic innovation with authentic coastal city culture, creating an inspiring atmosphere.

Tokyo's panel discussions focused on these main topics:

• The meaning and value of U.S. boarding school education
• How admissions officers define an ideal applicant
• Cultural alignment between families and schools

The event opened with remarks by Mr. Xi Zhang, the founder of FindingSchool, whose insights helped Japanese families better understand the core values of American boarding schools in general. The session also addressed practical concerns regarding admissions strategy, cultural adjustment, and how to choose the right school.

It was notable that around 10% of attendees were Chinese families living in Japan, bringing diverse and inter-cultural perspectives to the event.

Ho Chi Minh City - Strong Interest from Vietnamese Families

Ho Chi Minh City was the final stop of NASEA 2025, gathering 150+ parents and students from both top public schools and international schools.

The expo featured many leading U.S. private boarding schools, including prominent Ivy feeders such as Choate Rosemary Hall and The Webb Schools, attracting families who aim for top U.S. universities like MIT, Stanford, and Columbia.

Among the key highlights was the attendance of Mr. Greg Naarden - Chief of the U.S. Consular Section in Ho Chi Minh City, who came to help families with visa-related questions and latest updates on US immigrant policies.

The panel discussion featured:

• Mr. JP Burlington, Millbrook School (NY)
• Ms. Jing Benavot, Emma Willard School (NY)
• Dr. Jamila Everett, The Webb Schools (CA)

Moderated by Mr. James Ramsdell, FindingSchool's Director of Business Development, the panelists discussed holistic student development across academics-arts-athletics, international student support systems, as well as boarding life during holiday periods.

The high level of direct engagement illustrated Vietnamese families' growing interest in high-quality U.S. boarding school education.

Leading North American Boarding Schools Participating in NASEA 2025

NASEA 2025 welcomed over 30 top North American boarding schools, including:

• The Webb Schools (CA):
  Jamila Everett, EdD (Dean of Enrollment Management)
• Episcopal High School:
  Ben Douglass (Senior Associate Director of Admissions)
• Emma Willard School:
  Jing Benavot (Director of International Recruitment & Retention)
• Dana Hall School:
  Gi Yoon Hur (Assistant Director of Admission)
• Blair Academy:
  Mackenzie Maguire (Assistant Dean of Admission)
• The Stony Brook School:
  Luke Heywood (Director of Enrollment Management)
• Western Reserve Academy:
  Lily Zhang (WRA Liaison Officer in China)
• Pomfret School:
  Sabrina Putnam (Associate Director of Admissions )
• Berkshire School:
  Lizzy Spalding (Senior Associate Director of Admission, Director of Financial Aid)
• The Governor's Academy:
  Anneke A. Skidmore (Director of International Admission; Associate Director of Admission)
• The Pennington School:
  Lynn Zahn (Associate Director of Admission)
• Lake Forest Academy:
  Adam Gerber (Director of International Admission)
• Cushing Academy:
  Kevin Smith (Director of Admissions and Financial Aid)
• The Hillside School:
  Sean Rorke (Assistant Director of Admissions)
• Cheshire Academy:
  Sheryl Stearns (Director of Admission)
• BASIS Independent McLean/Brooklyn/Manhattan:
  Jonas Zhang (Amerigo Education - Vice President, Global Enrollment); Claire Sun (Associate Director, Recruitment-Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan)
• CATS Academy Boston:
  Rachel Zhuang (Regional Manager-China)
• Annie Wright Schools:
  Abby Drivdahl (Upper School Admissions Director - International Boarding)
• Applewild School:
  Greg Miller (Director of Admissions)
• Chatham Hall School:
  Samantha Blankenship (Associate Director of Admission)
• Christ School:
  Palmer Straug (Director of Admission)
• Elite Preparatory Academy:
  Tong Cao (Vice Principal&Admissions Director)
• High Bluff Academy:
  Nicolas Duoto (Director of Admissions and Recruitment)
• Hebron Academy:
  Wenkang Zhang (Director of Admission;China)
• Kents Hill School:
  Meghan Bennett (Dean of Enrollment Management)
• Leysin American School in Switzerland:
  Richard Sherwood (AEG Founder and Managing Director); Gillian Donnelly (LAS Director of Enrollment Management,direct contact at LAS)
• John Bapst School:
  Louisa Deng (Director of International Program and Recruitment)
• McCallie School:
  Derek Perkins (Associate Director of Boarding Admission - International)
• Millbrook School:
  JP Burlington (Director of Strategic Recruitment)
• Oregon Episcopal School:
  Chris Anderson (Admissions Associate for Boarding)
• The Putney School:
  Donnie R. Smith (Director of Admission & Financial Aid)
• The Newman School:
  Michael LaRiccia (Coordinator for International Student Admissions)
• The Brook Hill School:
  Hope Cooper (Associate Director of Boarding Admissions)
• The Northwest School:
  Dr. Dmitry Sherbakov (Director of Global Programs)
• The Masters School:
  Emma Katznelson (Associate Head of Enrollment and Strategic Planning)
• The Webb School (TN):
  Alex Winnicker (Director of Enrollment Management)
• The Kiski School:
  Dr. Mark J. Ott (Head of School ）
• Thornton Academy:
  Clint Williams (Director of Enrollment and Auxiliary Programs)
• Salisbury School:
  William Warder (Director of Admissions)
• Shattuck-St. Mary's School:
  Andrew Garlinski (Director of SSM)
• St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju:
  Susan Phillips (Director of Admissions and Marketing)
• St. Andrew's-Sewanee School:
  Ashley Close (Director of International Recruitment and Associate Director of Admission)
• Westover School:
  Tim Phelps (Director of International Admissions)
• Worcester Academy:
  Justin Smith (Director of Admission)
• Northfield Mount Hermon School
• Peddie School
• Choate Rosemary Hall
• Williston Northampton School
• Westminster School

These schools provided multidimensional insights into academic programs, extracurricular activities, school culture, and supports available for international students.

Deepening Connections Between Families and Schools

A unique visual from all four cities suggested that Asian families are increasingly seeking schools which are not only strong in academics but also sustainable, welcoming, and supportive to long-term development.

Beyond just information, NASEA offered a space for open, insightful conversations between families and educational organizations. Through this event, parents and students gained a better understanding of schools' strengths and, on the other hand, schools gained knowledge about the key expectations from Asian students - a true connection that facilitates learning students' secondary education abroad.

The conclusion of NASEA 2025

Looking forward to the next event

NASEA 2025 wrapped up a four-city journey with impactful moments and valuable connections between families and North American boarding schools. The success of this year's event reinforces FindingSchool's role as a trusted and bridging platform connecting families and schools.

We are grateful to all parents, students, partner schools, and collaborators who have supported the first NASEA event.

We look forward to welcoming you again at NASEA 2026, possibly at a larger scale and provide enhanced experiences for the community of Asian parents-students.