Leading Change: Maria-Luisa ’15 on Sustainability and Innovation

When Maria-Luisa set out to measure ISZL’s carbon footprint as a student, she sparked a journey that continues to shape her career today.

Maria-Luisa Gopsill graduated from ISZL in 2015 with the IB Diploma, already showing signs of her future impact. As part of her Extended Essay in Environmental Systems and Societies, she led the very first pilot project to calculate ISZL’s carbon footprint — a collaboration with MyClimate that laid the groundwork for future sustainability efforts at our school.

After ISZL, Maria-Luisa went on to study at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, earning a Bachelor in International Hospitality Management. Her career took her across several roles in the hospitality sector, including a position at the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States, working in the Office of the Ambassador.

But her commitment to sustainability kept calling. Maria-Luisa realised she wanted to do more than observe change — she wanted to drive it. Now based in Zurich, she’s completing a Master of Science in Circular Innovation and Sustainability at Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), with a research focus on the circularity of Swiss mattresses.

Alongside her studies, she works as a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) System Analyst at Eaternity, a Zurich-based NGO that promotes sustainable food systems. Most recently, she reconnected with ISZL’s Sustainability Lead, Zoe, at the Swiss Climate Reporting Forum, where she was volunteering with Greenbuzz — another platform for her to champion meaningful change.

Maria-Luisa is a powerful example of how ISZL alumni carry our values into the world. Her journey reflects our school’s vision to make a difference in our communities, and beyond.