Gurtej, Grade 8
UWCEA (Moshi)
What makes UWC so unique is that it brings everyone together, from birds chirping in harmony to trees gusting in the wind, and excited children playing on the playground. At UWC, it doesn’t matter where you come from or how different you are because you are treated equally and the community makes you feel connected to one another. Ever since I was a child, I was fascinated with the idea of travelling because I wanted to interact with new cultures and ways of life and I believe that UWC’s diversity of people has not only allowed me to further realize this passion but also experience it at school. This is because in my day to day life, I am able to interact with many different people and learn about their cultures and compare it to my own, enabling me to become more open-minded and truly feel that everyone is equal at this school.
Another one of my passions is sports because it is a way in which I am able to de-stress myself and interact with people of different abilities and experiences. At UWC East Africa, various sports and activities are offered, allowing everyone to play in teams and get to know each other and themselves. Sports is also a platform where individuals can help each other out and at the same time have fun and push themselves to become better. At school I love playing football, it is what encouraged me to play sports in the first place. My most memorable moment was in a final penalty-shootout, where we had actually won our first tournament. On the other hand, the opposing team was devastated. Before celebrating, we went and condoled them, appreciating their efforts. This comes to show that expressing love and empathy is bigger for us as opposed to just winning.
I am of Sikh faith and wear a “dastar” (turban) and outside of a school context, I sometimes feel treated differently or judged on my appearance. I don’t think that this is limited to only my religion because I know that there are others from different communities that feel the same way about their appearance. However, at UWC I feel accepted and welcomed into the community. As a result of this, I have been able to express myself, and not be negatively judged for being different and so I feel very grateful and lucky to be part of such a diverse community. After establishing itself all around the world, UWC has changed people’s perspective on different cultures and also introducing new cultures to different people. UWC makes us realize that everyone is the same- despite having different backgrounds, individuals still have the same love for meeting new people, sports, movies, and other human experiences that bring us together.
I was recently talking to one of my friends who is studying at a different school in Moshi. According to him, the aims of students at that school was to achieve good grades, graduate and go to college. My viewpoint on what school is and should be about is dissimilar to this. I believe that our goals should transcend the superficial because we should aspire to be change-makers regardless of our distinct backgrounds and identities. Moreover, we should choose to prioritize the wellbeing of our environment rather than simply just grades. If we want to be great athletes, we should inspire those around us through good morals and sportsmanship. If we want to go through higher education and get good jobs, we should consider helping others in need as well. My opinions on school have been shaped by UWC East Africa, therefore I find that by being a UWC student, it is possible to inspire youth to be more conscious of the world that we live in, transforming them to be the heralds of a progressive world, despite our differences.
Another one of my passions is sports because it is a way in which I am able to de-stress myself and interact with people of different abilities and experiences. At UWC East Africa, various sports and activities are offered, allowing everyone to play in teams and get to know each other and themselves. Sports is also a platform where individuals can help each other out and at the same time have fun and push themselves to become better. At school I love playing football, it is what encouraged me to play sports in the first place. My most memorable moment was in a final penalty-shootout, where we had actually won our first tournament. On the other hand, the opposing team was devastated. Before celebrating, we went and condoled them, appreciating their efforts. This comes to show that expressing love and empathy is bigger for us as opposed to just winning.
I am of Sikh faith and wear a “dastar” (turban) and outside of a school context, I sometimes feel treated differently or judged on my appearance. I don’t think that this is limited to only my religion because I know that there are others from different communities that feel the same way about their appearance. However, at UWC I feel accepted and welcomed into the community. As a result of this, I have been able to express myself, and not be negatively judged for being different and so I feel very grateful and lucky to be part of such a diverse community. After establishing itself all around the world, UWC has changed people’s perspective on different cultures and also introducing new cultures to different people. UWC makes us realize that everyone is the same- despite having different backgrounds, individuals still have the same love for meeting new people, sports, movies, and other human experiences that bring us together.
I was recently talking to one of my friends who is studying at a different school in Moshi. According to him, the aims of students at that school was to achieve good grades, graduate and go to college. My viewpoint on what school is and should be about is dissimilar to this. I believe that our goals should transcend the superficial because we should aspire to be change-makers regardless of our distinct backgrounds and identities. Moreover, we should choose to prioritize the wellbeing of our environment rather than simply just grades. If we want to be great athletes, we should inspire those around us through good morals and sportsmanship. If we want to go through higher education and get good jobs, we should consider helping others in need as well. My opinions on school have been shaped by UWC East Africa, therefore I find that by being a UWC student, it is possible to inspire youth to be more conscious of the world that we live in, transforming them to be the heralds of a progressive world, despite our differences.
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