Farewell Ms. Eszter Bálint!

As this school year comes to a close, we are preparing to say goodbye to someone who has quietly and faithfully shaped so much of what happens behind the scenes at ICSB. From a warm welcome at the front desk to the seamless planning of major school events, Ms. Eszter Bálint has worn many hats—but always with the same spirit of excellence, joy, and heart for community.

 

 

Born and raised in Brașov, Transylvania, Ms. Bálint was brought up in a strong Christian family. Upon returning home from Bible school in England, she visited a pastor's training conference where she met American missionaries who recruited her to join their team in Hungary. She agreed to their offer, moved to Budapest, Hungary, where she worked with Novo, formerly known as Church Resource Ministries, for several years (and also babysat the author of this article).

Fast forward several years, when their daughter Petra was in her last year of kindergarten, Ms. Bálint and her husband, Sanyi, thought it would be a good idea for Petra to attend ICSB for her Pre-First year, to help her learn English. 

“After her first week here, Petra told us, ‘I’m going to graduate from this school,’”

Ms. Bálint remembers. Turns out, Petra was right. What was supposed to be a short-term preschool language immersion experience quickly turned into a newfound home for over a decade. 

 

 

With her child now being an ICSB student, Ms. Bálint started volunteering at the school. She began as a receptionist. It did not take long before Ms. Lori Dickason, who was Upper School Principal, asked her to be her Admin Assistant. During the time Mr. David Welsh was director, she started working as his assistant, until Dr. Kristi Hiltibran took over the Director role, and together they created the position of Executive Assistant to the Director. Working as a team, they built this role from the ground up. 

 

I think the highlight would be working with Kristi. It was so fun to work with her, and such an honor. I've learned so much. Having her trust, the ability to work out of my strengths, and the freedom for independent work...if I had an idea and she was up for it, then I could make it happen. We built this job up from zero... I like building up systems and making things better.

That trust, combined with her spiritual gift of hospitality and natural gifting in organization, has made her a linchpin of the school’s event planning and community-building efforts. Her heart for hospitality is clear to anyone who has ever attended anything she has organized, be it schoolwide events, staff retreats, or parties. Her professionalism, standard of excellence, and love for people always make the events she organizes a good experience for attendees, vendors, and everyone involved. Organizing has also always come naturally to her—something that likely stems from being the eldest of four siblings. Her sister often remarked that she was “born an organizer.” Since the Director’s Office is responsible for coordinating all-school events throughout the year, as well as staff events, she had plenty of opportunities to hone these skills during her time here, and so she did. These responsibilities allowed her to gain valuable experience in event planning, vendor coordination, negotiation, and more. She’s built strong working relationships, including with local vendors, and has consistently gone out of her way to make the most of the available budget for each event, always striving to find the best deals and introduce variety, especially when it comes to food. From liaising with vendors to negotiating deals and creating meaningful, well-run events, she’s done it all, with grace. 

Here is what ICSB Director, Dr. Kristi Hiltibran, had to say about working with Ms. Bálint:

Eszter has been an immensely valuable partner throughout my tenure at ICSB. Her exceptional ability to manage projects, orchestrate events, and execute tasks—combined with her remarkable interpersonal skills—has been instrumental in cultivating a positive school culture. I could not have effectively fulfilled my responsibilities without her unwavering support. I am profoundly grateful for the consistent attention, encouragement, and dedication she has shown me each day, and I will miss her very much.

 

 

Looking ahead, Ms. Bálint plans to first take some time to rest and reflect, help her daughter in her season of transition, and later this year, pursue new challenges in her passion for Event Planning. With Petra transitioning into a new phase, "It's a natural closing of this chapter, it doesn't feel abrupt or forced. I kind of knew it would be until Petra graduates. I felt peace about it then, and I've felt peace about it ever since. It is a natural way of closing this chapter."  Ms. Bálint said. But she says she will still be around and come to community events, so we will still get to see her around.

 

 

As she prepares to leave, she carries with her countless cherished memories: staff retreats, the electric energy of Spirit Week and Winter Classic, the joy of seeing ICSB grow and flourish, and of course, the uniqueness of this community and the joy of getting to know so many of the people and families that make up ICSB. "I've built lifelong relationships here that I want to keep cultivating in the future."

To know Eszter is to feel the love of Christ. Eszter pours out her faith on all that she meets, whether that is selfless service at work, a listening ear to life's struggles, a liaison for navigating everyday life as a foreigner in Hungary, or a cherished friend to celebrate moments big and small. Eszter is a blessing to all she meets because of her faithful and genuine walk with the Lord. I am blessed to call her a friend and sister in Christ! 

- Ms. Heather Endicott

From all of us at ICSB—thank you, Ms. Bálint, for the heart, dedication, and excellence you've poured into our community. You will be deeply missed, and we’re excited to see what God has in store for your next adventure.