The smell of satay. The hum of school buses pulling in. The echo of laughter from the SACAC gym. For Cristina Killingsworth, returning to Singapore is like stepping into a memory she never left. And at the center of it all—Singapore American School.

Today, Killingsworth holds one of the highest policy roles in the United States Department of Commerce, but long before she was shaping national strategy, she was a kindergartener navigating the hallways of SAS, wide-eyed and full of questions. She was here from 1990 to 1996, and the impact of those formative years continues to ripple through her life and work.

“The first thing that comes to mind when I think of SAS is Mr. Hoe’s cooking,” she says with a smile that hints at nostalgia and reverence. “It’s legendary in my family. Even now, when my parents visit Singapore, they wonder if they can come back to SAS just for a meal.”

But the food was only the beginning. Killingsworth and her sister, Sholeh Killingsworth (Class of 2000), spent every evening tumbling and training at SACAC gymnastics. “That community of friends—we still keep in touch,” she says. And then there were the bus rides: loud, chaotic, full of stories. “I met so many friends there. I got into trouble. I pushed the boundaries. That was part of it, too.”

Underneath the joy and play, though, SAS was laying the foundation for a deeper kind of learning—one that doesn’t show up on report cards. “Living in Singapore as an expat teaches you to embrace change,” she says. “It helped me feel comfortable being a fish out of water. It taught me to build connections with people who don’t look, act, or speak like me. That has been essential—not just in my career, but in who I am.”

Her journey since leaving SAS has taken her across continents and through some of the most complex arenas in government and international policy. From local politics in Boston to global development initiatives in Washington, and most recently as acting assistant secretary leading the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, Killingsworth’s work is grounded in global awareness, discipline, and empathy.

“If you had asked me in college what I’d be doing now, I never could’ve predicted this,” she admits. “Sometimes the best opportunities don’t come wrapped in the package you expect. Stay curious. Stay open. Let the journey surprise you.”

And still, through all the chapters of her story, Singapore lingers. “Being back here now, I realize—this city feels like the manifestation of me. It’s loud, boisterous, and extroverted. But it’s also orderly, clean, and structured. That’s me.”

For Killingsworth, SAS wasn’t just a school. It was a launchpad. A mirror. A compass. And decades later, it still feels like home.