Anna Shine - Founder & President of NESE

In June of this year, NESE turned 25 years old, and we thought that you might enjoy learning some facts about NESE through the ages:

• There were only 11 students at NESE in its first session.
• NESE started on the campus of Lasell College in Auburndale, a suburb just outside Boston.
• Two months after it opened, there was a theft overnight, and almost every single thing in the building was stolen - computers and carpets and even tables and chairs!
• The first Director, Academic Director, Housing Director, and Happiness Director were all the same person.
• In January of 1991, NESE moved to its current location in Harvard Square - we had only 3 classrooms at that time.
• There have been a number of marriages between NESE students.
• There have been a number of marriages between NESE students and teachers.
• After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the subsequent visa difficulties, the number of students at NESE dropped dramatically.
• NESE has corrected approximately 300,000 final exams.
• Students from over 100 countries including Bhutan, Nigeria, Tibet, and Martinique have attended NESE.
• Some employees have been with NESE for over 18 years, and several have held more than one position at the school.
• NESE is now considered one of the best and most respected language schools in the world.
• Some NESE students have been famous: prominent politicians, actors, musicians, and scientists, as well as leaders in law, business, and medicine - and actually a former Miss Universe. Some NESE students have been NESE scholarship students: cleaners, janitors, cashiers, and refugees. All NESE students have been lovely.