Tahsinur Rahim, Grade 12
UWC-USA


A question very often asked by interviewers when you apply for a job or for school. I hate existential questions, because it puts the grandest of things like the future, under a microscope. As if 10 years from now is just a corner around the block when I cannot even imagine what I would look like when I turn 20 years old. I cannot exactly say for sure what I am going to do well beyond UWC, because interests can change, luck changes and etc. The best I can do is probably give what I may do 10 years from now, and then maybe I may go off the rails from that decade and go past that. I love to dream but at the same time, I want to stay connected to reality. First things first, working hard to get into a really good university.
 
Reflecting upon UWC so far, I have learnt the great importance and skills of leadership. I was not a confident person before coming to UWC, and I felt awkward around people when it comes to bossing them around, or trying to stand up for myself. But after coming to UWC, and attending the Global Citizen Year academy, I felt more confident in myself and able to guide others. I feared taking initiative and bossing people around and appearing rude, but I realise that there is nothing to lose in trying something out, and that leadership is not about trying to boss people, but about guiding others to a goal. So I definitely want to captain a club or a team in school in the future. I am going to be a co-leader for the contemporary music club at UWC, but I hope that when I get into a university, I could captain say their football team, marching band, or a society/fraternity.
 
I realise the importance of sustainability when I arrived at UWC. Before UWC, I would think that recycling is going to help a lot to be sustainable, but that could not be any further from the truth. We still need sustainable transport, sustainable diets, sustainable buildings, sustainable energy and etc. I plan on majoring in engineering in college, and I hope to learn about making transportation sustainable, through revolutionary design changes or something like that. It probably is a good research idea or dissertation topic as well!
 
Once I get my bachelor’s degree, and master’s too, I would try getting a job, which is very challenging nowadays. Build experience upon working in a company and in a team. Then maybe convince the bosses to start a new project on sustainable transportation or some kind. What kind of company this may be you ask? Think Boeing, Airbus, Mitsubishi, Mclaren and etc. After hopefully getting a go-ahead, I would make a plane, car, or rocket, that would be the most sustainable vehicle to date. In the meanwhile, a private pilot's license would not hurt, since I am really interested in aviation and have been since I was a little boy.
 
This is the part where I cannot imagine much after that. I do not expect to life go exactly this way. After all, I dream every night. I have multiple visions of the future. Ranging from a billionaire to a footballer, to a musician, to a pilot. Simply saying, my goals are to be more confident and be more of a leader. Get into a top university, and experience higher academia. Get a job, and change the world, making it more sustainable. 

Image Courtesy: ​https://urjanet.com/blog/prepare-future-sustainability/