Giovanni Díaz-Infante Posadas, Grade 11
UWC Maastritch
Ever since the first United World College opened in 1962 in the cloudy and windy United Kingdom, the UWC movement has grown across the globe in search of ‘peace and a sustainable future’, goals that remain as relevant today as they were almost six decades ago. There is no better evidence of the proliferation of the movement than the increase in the number of schools and colleges associated with the brand. To this day, there are a total of 18 UWC colleges located in 17 countries; the newest one being UWC East Africa (UWCEA) in Tanzania, which became part of the movement in August 2019.
Year after year, these colleges receive students from over 100 nationalities promising an education “like no other” composed of two major elements: a boarding experience and a demanding academic curriculum, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP). To an outsider, the criteria for a school to become part of this unique community seems pretty straightforward. Despite the absence of a ranking, as an applicant, one cannot help but wonder whether the setting of each UWC affects the experience or not. Intuitively, one can conclude that spending two years in Hong Kong must be different from spending two years in Costa Rica. So, is there a perfect match for every applicant? Is there a perfect UWC?
Lodewijk van Oord, head of UWC Maastricht (UWCM), answered this question during one of the reconciliation circles that took place near the start of this school year, after the student-led protests against the UWCM Leadership Team organized in late September. Lodewijk’s answer was: “There is no such thing as a ‘perfect UWC’; there can’t be. UWC is not a place. UWC is an ideology”. This was not the best answer to give to a large group of students frustrated with the school’s lack of ‘UWCness’ and commitment to the common mission and values, but, after a year of living in this bubble, I see the value of that statement. After all, if UWC were nothing more than a location, it would be pointless to open schools and colleges anywhere else in the world.
For me, UWC has not been about the place. The mission was what inspired me to apply, and there was never a destination in my mind, that was for my National Committee to worry about. Maybe Duino was a more appropriate setting for me due to the Italian influence of my upbringing. Maybe Costa Rica was a more appropriate setting due to my Latino heritage. Who knows?
Those are all ‘if scenarios’ and I will never have an answer to them, so I try not to overthink about it. Those are all different paths, but we all reach the same ending. We all become alumni of the same school and supporters of the same movement. Ultimately, UWC is greater than a two-year experience or a single campus; there is value in what we do during our time, but the true challenge comes once we have to leave the bubble. UWC is meant to be a mission-driven lifestyle, which is why sometimes it is good to slow down without worrying about the shortness of our stay in a borrowed campus. It is okay for UWC to be imperfect. It is okay for UWC to feel normal.
During my first few months, I worried a lot about leaving a mark behind, and I panicked when UWC had flaws or felt like a regular high school, but that was the point all along. I left my home behind and travelled miles away to a foreign land, but I am still a seventeen-year-old teenager trying to get a high school diploma and figuring out who I want to be. My days in Maastricht are counted, but there is much more waiting outside of this island.
Year after year, these colleges receive students from over 100 nationalities promising an education “like no other” composed of two major elements: a boarding experience and a demanding academic curriculum, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP). To an outsider, the criteria for a school to become part of this unique community seems pretty straightforward. Despite the absence of a ranking, as an applicant, one cannot help but wonder whether the setting of each UWC affects the experience or not. Intuitively, one can conclude that spending two years in Hong Kong must be different from spending two years in Costa Rica. So, is there a perfect match for every applicant? Is there a perfect UWC?
Lodewijk van Oord, head of UWC Maastricht (UWCM), answered this question during one of the reconciliation circles that took place near the start of this school year, after the student-led protests against the UWCM Leadership Team organized in late September. Lodewijk’s answer was: “There is no such thing as a ‘perfect UWC’; there can’t be. UWC is not a place. UWC is an ideology”. This was not the best answer to give to a large group of students frustrated with the school’s lack of ‘UWCness’ and commitment to the common mission and values, but, after a year of living in this bubble, I see the value of that statement. After all, if UWC were nothing more than a location, it would be pointless to open schools and colleges anywhere else in the world.
For me, UWC has not been about the place. The mission was what inspired me to apply, and there was never a destination in my mind, that was for my National Committee to worry about. Maybe Duino was a more appropriate setting for me due to the Italian influence of my upbringing. Maybe Costa Rica was a more appropriate setting due to my Latino heritage. Who knows?
Those are all ‘if scenarios’ and I will never have an answer to them, so I try not to overthink about it. Those are all different paths, but we all reach the same ending. We all become alumni of the same school and supporters of the same movement. Ultimately, UWC is greater than a two-year experience or a single campus; there is value in what we do during our time, but the true challenge comes once we have to leave the bubble. UWC is meant to be a mission-driven lifestyle, which is why sometimes it is good to slow down without worrying about the shortness of our stay in a borrowed campus. It is okay for UWC to be imperfect. It is okay for UWC to feel normal.
During my first few months, I worried a lot about leaving a mark behind, and I panicked when UWC had flaws or felt like a regular high school, but that was the point all along. I left my home behind and travelled miles away to a foreign land, but I am still a seventeen-year-old teenager trying to get a high school diploma and figuring out who I want to be. My days in Maastricht are counted, but there is much more waiting outside of this island.
www.unitedworldwide.co