Credits Content Management Maisha Khan Syed Mafiz Kamal (Onik) Salsabeel Khan
Designer Md Tafsirul Alam Tusar
UWC Society for Bangladesh Email: uwcsocietybd@petrochembd.com Website: www.uwcbd.org
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One World is an initiative by the UWC Alumni Association of Bangladesh. Views expressed in One World are not necessarily the views of the Alumni Association or UWC Society for Bangladesh.
Contents 04
About UWC
06
Message from the UWC Bangladesh President
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Message from President of UWC Alumni Association of Bangladesh
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UWC Students and the Potential for the likes of Steve Jobs
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A UWC Student is Not Only A Dreamer But A Doer
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Application process : Timeline
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FAQ for Prospective Students
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Updates from UWC international
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Meet the Bangladesh UWC Alumni Association Team
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Meet the Bangladesh National Committee
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Featuring UWC ISAK Japan
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Featuring UWC Thailand
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United World Friendships
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A Parent's Address
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The Essence of a UWC Education
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Social Engagement and the UWC Experience
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Reflections
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Not Your Average International School
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The View from the Hill
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Things We Wish We Knew
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A First Hand Experience of a First Year
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A New Chapter
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Glimpses of Students from Bangladesh in UWC
About UWC UWC stands for United World Colleges which consists of 17 international schools and colleges, over 155 national committees and a series of short educational programmes. On average, each of these institutions consists of 200 to 300 students from around 85 countries. The alumni network spans over 50,000 from more than 180 nations. The main UWC international office is located in London. United World Colleges all consist of students from various countries, race, background, ethnicity and cultural dynamics coming together to one place to partake in a variety of academic, educational and extracurricular activities. The end goal of such a unique educational institution is to inspire its students to create a more peaceful and sustainable future. The origins of the UWCs go back to 1962 with the aim of bringing together young people whose experience was of the political conflict of the cold war era, offering an educational experience based on shared learning, collaboration
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and understanding so that the students would act as champions of peace. The initiative was undertaken by Kurt Hahn at the very first UWC called Atlantic College located in Wales. The colleges still share this goal but have extended this approach and applied it to tensions and conflicts that exist within as well as between societies today. UWC is proud of their comprehensive scholarship programme that offers over 60% of the national committee selected students to receive full or partial aid towards their UWC experience. Due to a deliberately diverse student intake, varying financial assistance like bursaries, scholarships (full and/or partial tuition, room/board), and fee structure are formulated to ensure a wide-ranging socio-economic mix in the student body. At UWC the main goal is to ensure the students take back more than just what is offered to them in the classrooms and during their time spent there. It is to learn and develop and acquire an insight that will impact upon their adult lives in a positive manner and help bring about a change in the world for the better.
UWC Schools and Colleges
155 UWC national committees 17 UWC schools and colleges 3 UWC school and college proposals 12 UWC short courses Incl. 5 new
AFRICA
NORTH AMERICA
- Waterford Kamhlaba UWC, Mbabane, Swaziland
- Pearson College UWC, Victoria, Canada - UWC-USA Montezuma, New Mexico, USA
ASIA - Li Po Chun UWC Hong Kong: SAR, China
EUROPE
- UWC Mahindra College: Pune, India
- UWC Adriatic: Duino, Italy
- UWC South East Asia: Singapore
- UWC Atlantic College: Llantwit Major, UK
- UWC Changshu China: Jiangsu, China
- UWC Dilijan: Dilijan, Armenia
- UWC Thailand: Pukhet, Thailand
- UWC Maastricht: Maastricht, the Netherlands
- UWC ISAK Japan: Nagakura, Japan
- UWC in Mostar: Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina - UWC Red Cross Nordic: Flekke, Norway
CENTRAL/SOUTH AMERICA
- UWC Robert Bosch College: Freiburg, Germany
- UWC Costa Rica, Santa Ana, Costa Rica
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Message From President of UWC Society of Bangladesh
Throughout the history of mankind, dispute and violence have plagued us due to greed and dishonor of Human rights. Relentless efforts of great people to establish peace have resulted in some places, from time to time, but it is still a wish only in most of the world. All the religious and the UWC also preach for Peace. Poet Rabindra Nath Tagore has said that, “The more knowledge you acquire, the more you realize that you know so little. The more money you acquire, the more you realize that you need more.” Thus the more you run after wealth the more you push “PEACE” away. The conflict in this world is all because of greed for more wealth and supremacy, BUT, in the name of PEACE.
A.B.A. SIRAJ UDDOWLAH PRESIDENT, UWC SOCIETY OF BANGLADESH
How much wealth do you need for a decent life? The answer is difficult for a greedy person. But if you are honest, you can draw a line. At the very beginning of your life and career, draw a line as to where you will find peace and at what stage of life. Take a vow, never to cross that line and review it after every five years, up to the age of 60. Be happy at whatever you have achieved by then and do not try to go beyond. Through out your life, whatever wealth you earn, you must spend at least 25% for people whom you consider to be less fortunate, irrespective of religion, cast or creed. However, your relations and neighbors should receive your attention first. This will ensure peace of your mind and promote peace in the community and the world at large. UWC advocates peace and it is your duty to establish peace at every level of our lives.
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Message From President of UWC Alumni Association of Bangladesh
Since its inception in 1962, United World College (UWC) has fostered harmony by focusing on educating the youth to be future leaders. Leaders who believe in their merits and have the courage to stand up for themselves in the face of adversity. Leaders who are not the product of their upbringings, economic class, family, religious training, or social background; rather they are products of the choices they have made. UWC has expanded to 14 schools and colleges across five continents. I am an alumnus of the class of 1994, graduating from United World College of South East Asia. I have built my career on the motto “Appreciation, Care and Share� which was instilled in me from my days in UWC. These values are embedded deeply in me and guide me in my role as the President of the UWC Alumni Association of Bangladesh and as the Secretary General of the UWC National Committee of Bangladesh. Having being closely involved with the UWC National Committee and Alumni, I myself have been inspired to get back into formal education after 20 years of career life. I thank the young alumni and students who were a cause of inspiration for me to enroll at Harvard Business School (HBS) Executive Education hoping to relive the days of UWC.
RAQUIB M. FAKHRUL PRESIDENT, UWC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF BANGLADESH UNITED WORLD COLLEGE OF SOUTH EAST ASIA (1988-1992)
I would like to express my gratitude to the current President of the National Committee Mr. A.B.A Siraj Uddowlah for his help and support with all our endeavors. Kudos to the commitment of all those who work within the organization for upholding the foundation of UWC to bring it to where it is today. The teachers are the role models of integrity and passion. Thanks to the National Committees scattered across 140 countries who source the students and help them to apply and go through the formalities of coming to a UWC, making it a truly international school. I believe that the students who are going to UWC will be the future leaders of change. I specially thank each and every volunteer, staff and members for their commitment and sincerity in taking UWC to the next level in Bangladesh. Last but not least, I wish the future students all the best in being the future leaders.
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UWC Students and the Potential for the likes of Steve Jobs KZ Islam Prominent Board Member
In celebrating United World Colleges (UWC), we must all say three cheers for Kurt Hahn who founded the colleges in 1962. Many books have been written on Kurt Hahn but hardly anyone remembers him. His vision was based on his post-war experience at the NATO Defence College where he had observed discussion and collaboration between former enemies. He wanted to transmit a spirit of mutual understanding to young people to help them overcome prejudice and antagonism through living and working together. The first UWC was founded in 1962 in St. Donats Castle, St. Donat's, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan, UK.
It had always been Hahn's view that education was a means of reducing national barriers and fostering international cooperation. This is the basic concept of United World Colleges. Outstanding students at an impressionable age of between 15 and 18 being brought close together are bound to make life long friendships. When they return home undoubtedly they will rise to influential posts in their country and will promote better international understanding and relations. Subsequently, the movement caught on, with another 15 UWCs opening since 1971. The UWC movement presidents have included Lord Mountbatten (19671978), Prince Charles (1978-1995), H.M. Queen Noor of Jordan (1995-present). Former South African President Nelson Mandela was the Honorary President of UWC since 1999. In celebrating the spirit of UWC, I would hereby take the opportunity to pose my thoughts on Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs would be a shining example for all
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UWC students and alumni, from Bangladesh or beyond. My thoughts are extrapolated from a short thought piece which I wrote for the Weekly Holiday back in 2007. Nonetheless, they are as valid today as they were back then. With the Ipod player and iTunes service, Steve Jobs had come to lead the digital music industry. Steve Jobs’ success in transformation, and expectation of a new phase thanks to iPhone, explain why Apple is worth hundreds of billions of dollars and is included in America’s blue-chips elite, the S&P 100 index. The following is a quotation from parts of text of the commencement address delivered in 2005 by Steve Jobs in Stanford University. It throws some light on his life. “It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college. And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. I dropped out of Reed College [Portland, Oregon] after the first six months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned Coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it.
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. At that time I did not think Calligraphy would come to use in my life. But 10 years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.” The purpose of sharing Steve Jobs’ experience is that UWC students are among young people with such potentials. I have had the privilege of being a member of the Selection Committee of the United World College Society for Bangladesh for more than 25 years now under the chairmanship of A.B.A. Siraj Uddowlah. Each year we select students for United World Colleges, spread worldwide across 5 continents. The scholarships are intended for the most outstandingly brilliant students aged around 15-17. For me, the interviews are an extraordinary experience as the boys and girls have incredible educational achievements, are most articulate, and also proficient in extra curricular activities. One phenomenon is that our girls do far better than our boys in the tests. In all the UWCs the boys and girls are required to complete the International Baccalaureate, which is presently universally accepted as the entry qualification to all the universities of the world. Since the intake of UWCs is of such a high standard, the results are also comparable. The UWCs are the springboard for full scholarship to the top universities of the world including, the IVY League of the US and Oxford and Cambridge of England. Our alumni, particularly the girls, have done so well in the universities that they invariably end up with top jobs in the US, UK and international organisations like World Bank, IMF, UN etc. If you have a meritorious student in your family there can be no better route to the best education other than the United World College. You never know, the student in your family may be the next Steve Jobs.
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A UWC Student is Not Only A Dreamer But A Doer Khaleda Mariam Sajjad Prominent Board Member
UNITED WORLD COLLEGE or UWC in short, is a pre university place for studies for young students from all over the world to complete the IB Diploma Course for two years. These two years are crucial for these students as, along with the academic challenges, these young and brave girls and boys in all UWC colleges, transform education as a force to unite irrespective of differences in nationality, race, religion, culture or socio economic backgrounds. These young minds from across continents are interactive and are engaged in bringing a difference in the lives of others around , beyond all expectations ,with their commitment, their dedication and faith and value they give to human life. The UWC is committed to ensuring that as many students as possible, from all over the world, experience the philosophy of UWC education and unite
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for peace. The community at UWC starts with the students and expands into the hearts of the local communities and their social concerns. A UWC student is inspired and armed with courage and a sense of duty to bring changes in the communities they live in. The changes they are committed to make may not be made at large but they do make it possible to bring valuable but small changes in societies, through their motivation and sacrifices. These are the people we so desperately need in today’s world. These young people are willing to stand up for what they believe to be right, to challenge practices that cause sufferings and pain to others, to face discomfort and to value and dare to be driven with passionate motivation and by making sacrifices to bring peace and justice to societies when things go wrong . The world at large is being challenged and shaken by existing conflicts of interest within and outside nations; by politics of aggression and suppression, by social injustices, by discrimination in regard to cultural, religious, language and ethnic differences. Human rights abuses, cruelty toward s fellow humans has spread to a new level in recent times. UWC experience is valuable to bring changes in such situations. For years UWC students have been spreading to communities the message of good understanding and appreciation of others, of social justice and of equality, of mutual respect and responsibility to each other, of collective understanding of human rights and freedom which may not have been accepted and interpreted correctly and thereby, resulting in frustration. Hate and fear has triumphed at unexpected levels in most societies. These students make contributions to ease tensions in such moments of crisis.
It is the ethos taught and trained to all UWC students to work for building peace in such situations. It has been the teachings to these students to make selfless sacrifices with their dedication to work for causes they believe in, to work with sincere motivation and passion to make small changes where ever necessary. Each alumni or the present UWC student work in a unique way for causes and issues and bring a difference in others’ lives and continue to uphold the philosophy of UWC teachings. Many have been making incredible impressions in their personal spheres of influence over the years. From heads of states, professors, renowned doctors, CEOs ,astronauts to members of business communities , the alumni are spread with the same spirit of unity and sense of service to the people in the world and has enriched this world over the years. They have worked and do aspire to make this education a force to unite people ,nations and cultures for peace for a sustainable future. A UWC student is not only a dreamer but a doer. She/he is idealistic and is driven by passion to make changes for the better in every society. UWC students are having that power to act as the architects of hope for better understanding and peace for a sustainable future. A UWC student is expected to make contributions in the lives of others where ever he or she may be residing. A large number of Bangladeshi students have completed education from many UWC colleges. It is expected that they will always be inspired by the true teachings from such an institution and continue to contribute to the causes that are so important to UWC philosophy. I believe in the saying: Once a UWC student, you are always a humble, modest, passionate change maker.
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Application process : Timeline September As you begin 10th grade, you can start preparing if you decide to apply to the UWC Programme that academic year. The National Committee focuses on both academics and extracurricular activities, so you can improve your academic performance along with increasing your engagement in extracurricular activities (for example, sports, arts, community service etc.)
January-October Start the application process and gather all the required documents.
November- December Submit a complete application. Applicants will undergo a panel interview process which includes a day for group activities.
January-March The National Committee informs candidates about their decisions.
April- July If you are selected, update your vaccinations and make travel arrangements. Obtain visas that may be needed. Keep an eye out for meetings and/or get-togethers with alumni and/or co-years. Reach out to them if you have any questions about what to pack, or any other information you may need.
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September Start your UWC experience! If you are selected to attend UWC Waterford Kamhlaba in Swaziland, school will begin in January due to a southern hemisphere school calendar.
FAQ for Prospective Students 1. What diploma will I receive at the end my UWC years? You will receive a diploma in International Baccalaureate. 2. How many years is the UWC experience? UWC comprises of 2 years equivalent to A levels/HSC. 3. Who can apply to UWC? Any student of grade 10 who will be sitting for the O level or SSC public exam in June and is planning to go to a UWC in the upcoming August, is eligible to apply. 4. What subjects can I take in UWC? You have to take a first language, a second language, a math at Standard/higher/studies level, a science subject, a humanities and a subject of your choice of field, which can either be arts or any of the fields mentioned above. Subjects will vary from campus to campus. Once selected you can visit the campus website of the respective school for more information. 5. Can I take Math HL (Higher Level) if I have done GCE O Level Pure/Advanced Math in Bangladesh? You definitely can. However Math HL is very challenging so it is suggested that you initially take 4 HL subjects (including Math HL) so that you can drop to SL (Standard Level) any time you find it necessary. Otherwise after a month of a semester when you are comfortable with Math HL, you can drop another subject to SL You are required to take at least 3 HL subjects and 3 standard level subjects.
6. How different are the studies in UWC from the studies in Bangladesh? Studies at the UWC will include things like individual/group presentations, short papers to write, oral exams, interactive activities/ simulations, detailed lab reports all of which you will be given instructions about before assigned. 7. What is CAS? CAS stands for Creativity, Action and Service. While at a UWC you must take at least 3 different types of extra-curricular activities that fall under either Creativity, Action or Service. For example, a sport like basketball can be considered Action, Latin American Dance can be considered Creativity, and teaching English at a primary school can be considered Service. 8. Does every selected student get a scholarship? No, every student is not given a scholarship. Since there are limited spaces for scholarship , when there are numerous students with good academic and standing, some of the students lower on the list are selected but they have to cover the whole cost. 9. What kind of food is provided at a UWC? UWC schools always provide with vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods, with supplement like drinks, bread, fruits etc. The foods vary great from campus to campus depending on their location. You can talk to your second year or any alumna/alumnus for further specific information. 10. How many nationalities are usually represented in a UWC? Almost about 70 – 90 depending on the campus.
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Updates from UWC International UWC Bangladesh is one of the 153 national committees in the world, all working with the common goal to find, select and support the students who attend the 17 schools. The various elements which make up the UWC movement unites under the UWC international Board. 2016 has been an eventful year for the International Office and here are some of the highlights. The largest UWC Congress was held this year in Trieste, Italy with 650 participants who came together to Connect, Challenge and Celebrate! After the conference, they returned to their parts of the globe to live the UWC mission with new energy, enthusiasm and a clear sense of purpose: "to make education a force" - a force for peace and sustainability and a force for freedom, for social justice and compassion without which we can attain neither lasting peace nor a sustainable future. This year's highlights also include a meeting between Jens Walterman, the Executive Director of UWC International, and Dalai Lama at a conference in Brussels which brought together Western science and Eastern philosophy to discuss challenges in the contemporary society.
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Additionally, three UWC alumni won the USD $1 million Hult Prize presented at the Clinton Global Initiative, the world’s largest student competition for social impact. UWC Hub launched this year; UWC Hub is a web platform and mobile app that is bringing together the UWC community to connect with each other and stay up to date with the many activities happening across the UWC movement. It is currently open to UWC alumni, staff and former staff affiliated with all UWC schools and colleges. The UWC Hub enables them to find and create social and professional connections with other members of the UWC community. It is also a platform for collaboration, for finding and posting initiatives, for finding job and volunteer opportunities, as well as events around the world. The aim is to strengthen the UWC community, encourage engagement and positive action, increase UWC’s collective impact and advance the UWC mission.
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Meet the Bangladesh UWC Alumni Association Team
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RAQUIB M. FAKHRUL
MS. TRIMITA CHAKMA
MR. TAMZEED AHMED
UWC SOUTH EAST ASIA (1988-1992)
UWC ATLANTIC COLLEGE (2000-2002)
UWC ATLANTIC COLLEGE (2000-2002)
MS. AYESHA DADA
SYED MAFIZ KAMAL (ONIK)
SALSABEEL KHAN
UWC SOUTH EAST ASIA (1989-1995)
LI PO CHUN UWC OF HONG KONG (2005-2007)
UWC ADRIATIC (2010-2012)
Meet the Bangladesh National Committee Mr. A.B.A. Siraj Uddowlah
Mr. Syed Nasim Manzur
Mr. K.Z. Islam
Ms. Safina Rahman
Ms. Khadija Afzal
Dr. Forrest E. Cookson
Mr. S.M. Abdul Mannan
Ms. Ayesha Dada
Professor Hafiz G.A. Siddiqi, Ph.D
Mr. Raquib M. Fakhrul
Ms. Lubna Choudhury
Eng. Md. Enamul Haque
Ms. Niloufer Mahmood
Ms. Trimita Chamka
Ms. Syeda Shabnam Huda
Maj Gen. (Retd) Mohammad Shamim Chowdhury
Ms. Farida Shahiedullah
Ms. Rubina Karim
Ms. Khaleda Mariam Sajjad
Ms. Mahera Khatun
Mr. Ashraf Hossain
Dr. ANM Meshquat Uddin
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Featuring UWC ISAK Japan ISAK (International School of Asia, Karuizawa) in Japan will officially become UWC’s 17th school, under the name of UWC ISAK Japan, effective 1 August 2017. This marks a very special milestone for the whole UWC community as we welcome the first UWC college in Japan and yet another UWC founded thanks to the initiative, vision and determination of a UWC alumna. From August 2017, UWC ISAK Japan will welcome its first 30 UWC students from 30 countries to the resort community in the town of Karuizawa, where the college is located. These students, selected by their countries’ UWC national committees, will join the international group of 45 ISAK students currently enrolled in Grade 10. ISAK’s self-stated initial mission is “to develop transformational leaders who explore new frontiers in service of the greater good of Asia and beyond.” From its inception, its vision has been to educate students who make change and are passionate about taking leadership and action in their own fields. ISAK emphasizes three overarching ideas that the school strives to develop
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in students: respect for diversity, skills to effectively identify and solve problems, and the strength to take risks. Therefore, ISAK is poised to smoothly transition to becoming a UWC. ISAK will be benefiting from, as well as contributing to the movement with the 16 other UWC colleges. The founding Head of School, Roderick Jemison highlighted that, moving forward as a UWC, ISAK will be including innovative community service projects, mindfulness and leadership programs, as well as an emphasis on design innovation which will allow the movement to continue a progressive approach to education. Students will have the opportunity to interact with entrepreneurs, business professionals, and influencers on a regular basis, and our design lab encourages students to transform their ideas into reality. UWC Bangladesh national Committee welcomes the latest addition to the UWC family.
Featuring UWC Thailand UWC Thailand, formerly Phuket International Academy has officially joined the UWC movement as of 1 August 2016 and has accepted the first batch of students selected by UWC national committees. Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, President of UWC was present at the opening ceremony and aptly stated the importance of expanding the movement; as she addressed the audience, HM said: “Today, young people of all nations must face the challenges of a phenomenally uncertain future. As this school welcomes its first students, it is perhaps appropriate to reflect on the countless young people fleeing deprivation, instability and conflict throughout the world. While the students at UWC Thailand are facing a new life away from home, this transition comes with an array of choices leading to a promising future. Standing up to intolerance and injustice are not the only pressing issues our young people must face. They will be the generation that must address environmental issues such as access to food, water and other vital resources and managing a
rapidly growing world population. Faced with these and other global concerns, we can see even more clearly that the world needs future leaders who know, understand and can collaborate with one another and who are inspired to make a positive difference. UWC Thailand has a unique role to play in addressing these challenges and demonstrating the power of education to bring people together�. The school will strive to be as integrated as possible into the local community, rather than standing aloof and viewing the country from afar. UWC Thailand hope to have a positive impact on the island of Phuket; projects concentrating on reef conservation and reforestation by the students are already underway. From its inception, the administration wants to be intentional about students making a difference in Thailand whilst developing a true love for and appreciation of the beauty of this country, its culture and its people. UWC Thailand, has a vital role to play in meeting the challenge for UWC to continue to be the pacesetters in making education a force to unite peoples, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.
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United World Friendships Syed Mafiz Kamal (Onik) Li Po Chun UWC of Hong Kong 2007
My childhood primary education was spent school-hopping in no less than five schools. In a small-city like Chittagong, as a boy spending his childhood in the 90s, I hardly imagined that I would spend two developmental years of my life in a multicultural educational institution in Hong Kong. Despite my lack of previous imagination, I ended up getting an opportunity to do so in United World College in 2005. With limited knowledge and a rigid mind, I stepped into a small campus of students from over 50 countries. I was immediately told by wishful peers that in order to have the best experience, I must choose two of the three “s”: socialize, study and sleep. I abided by the norm and made my choice: socialize and study. While I barely recall my memories of studying, my social interactions are still fresh in my memory. Perhaps, it is because I learnt more about life skills from my social interactions than from my academia. In a wave of diversity, I floated merrily. However, at-times I did drown. As an
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argumentative Bengali, I engaged in numerous debates and discussion with folks who I could learn so much from. One of the nights, a North African friend and I argued for six straight hours over where a comma in a sentence of a New York Times article, that we read, ought to be. The argument may have been trivial but I still value the time spent and the bond created with the friend. In the process of the “comma debate”, I learnt so much about
his culture and his outlook, that I couldn’t have learnt by reading or hearing about him or his homeland. I made best of friends with a Palestinian and an Israeli, about whom I had only known through biased stereotypes. I learnt that our biases are our constructs. I could be friends with anyone as long as we develop mutual respect, whereby we can help each other be better people. Judging and reacting to people solely based on their inherited labels such as nationality, sexual orientation, gender, religion or race, was not only meagre but also harmful. Friendship only strengthens when we look beyond inherited labels. In UWC, friendships flourished not
for lack of differences among peers but because of differences among peers. The biggest strength of the UWC formula is that students learn mutual respect and to understand each other’s differences. That’s how friendships are nurtured. My best memories are from my “Theory of Knowledge” class, which was subtly designed to have heated disagreements. If a class lasted for less than an hour, the discussion, interactions and friendshipbuilding lasted for days. While as a teenager I had a lot of mischievous fun with my South Korean room-neighbor in UWC. I knew very little how much our interactions meant. After we left UWC in 2007, we both constantly kept in touch throughout our college-time. We helped each other in times of need,
paid each other personal visits despite the distances and advised each other on difficulties of life. Little did we know that we will end up renting the same apartment in New York, after nearly a decade. Our careers look different turns, but our friendships didn’t. Such worldly friendship usually takes off where they were left. The father of the UWC movement, Kurt Hahn, knew the silver bullet is in the fusion of young minds. The hope for overcoming rigid mindsets and fierce differences is through understanding
each other and in forming lasting bonds. UWC is an experiment in progress. I am an imperfect product of that experiment. My roots are still from a small city. But my imaginations and experiences have grown beyond that. The friendships in UWC are major catalysts of my growth. Given a chance, I will choose to make those worldly bonds with friends who I have so much cultural differences and yet so much in common. I am humbled to be a small part of the UWC experiment.
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A Parent's Address She sat their with her legs crossed, fumbling with her fingers, evidently nervous. Her interview would be in a few minutes- and for the first part I would have to let her go on her own. If she was selected, I would have to let her go on her own for at least two years. The thought of life without her in the house was daunting. Who would grab the remote from the bedside table when I was too lazy to do so? Who would play music a little too loud for my taste? Who would hug me every time I came home from work? The thoughts made me tear up- my little girl was growing up too fast. Thanks to her abilities, morals and capabilities, she was selected to spend the next two years of her life in a UWC. I was proud beyond belief. If anyone could do it, I know she could. She started packing and forgot to take any socks. My sixteen year old was still a baby in my eyes and when she said ‘Ammu, what will I do without you?’ I wanted to keep her in my arms forever. The dreaded day finally came and I drove her to the airport. She insisted that I don’t skip work to drop her off and that
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she would have to get used to flying alone. Her reasoning was admirable and mature but a part of me wanted to cling on to her as long as possible.
noticed the discrepancies in our country and swore she would come back to change things. She had a wider perspective and a bigger heart.
Off she went- and I couldn’t sleep until she messaged me that she had landed safely. That someone from her new home had come to pick her up. That she liked the campus. That she was having fun already. That she missed me and my cooking.
Days turned to months which turned to years and we flew out for her graduation. She walked across the stage to a hundred cheers and a gigawatt smile on her face. I tried not to cry but I did and was indeed quite grateful for the waterproof makeup.
On came a plethora of pictures featuring a plethora of people. She came back home during winter and pointed to countries in the world map, saying, ‘When we travel, we’ll never need a hotel!’
If you ever want your children to realize their true potential, to grow in ways they can’t achieve anywhere else- send them. The separation is hard but your children deserve the best. And I can tell you that UWC is the best that they can have.
I noticed so many differences. She insisted on doing her own laundry, cleaning her own room. She had a growing sense of humility and maturity. She grew more kind, more patient and more motivated to achieve her goals. She
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The Essence of a UWC Education Inara Sunan Tareque Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong 2012
I distinctly remember the day I received the much anticipated phone call from Mr. A.B.A. Siraj Uddowlah. He joyously informed me “Congratulations! You have been accepted to Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong on a full scholarship.” Immediately, I knew my life was going to change forever, and I couldn’t wait to immerse myself into the UWC experience. I got to the Hong Kong airport early September of 2010, where senior students from Bangladesh, Yemen, Nepal, and Italy greeted me with a warm welcome. As I became friends with my peers from all around the world, I felt more
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and more at home. We bonded over various sleepless nights of preparing for exams, service trips to Cambodia and China, rehearsing for cultural evenings where groups of students from various parts of the world had the opportunity to uphold their culture to the school through an evening of performances, food, and celebration. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every moment of my two years in Hong Kong. The best part of living in such a multicultural community, with friends representing over 60 countries, was being able to learn about different cultures and beliefs, and to discuss and debate various current world affairs with passionate individuals from multifarious backgrounds. Such open exchange of ideas, that every UWC
promotes, makes them a place where students are constantly motivated to think independently, and to actively reflect upon the moral implications of their own beliefs or actions. We explored what makes us think differently, and learnt to accept and appreciate such differences. This free flow of ideas made us wellinformed global citizens. In short, we served the UWC mission of “making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.� My years in Hong Kong enabled me to understand the complex issues in today’s world that multitudes of people are undergoing. When my friend from Afghanistan recounted his struggles from when he was a destitute refugee, or during my service trip to Cambodia, as I bonded and laughed with young girls who were rescued from the cruel life of human trafficking, or as I discussed with my roommate from Lesotho the unfairness of thousands of children dying in Africa from easily treatable diseases, it motivated me to develop myself into an individual who can help the lesser privileged in the world. I still aspire to serve the less fortunate. Living with peers from all over the globe, in a closeknit, accepting, multicultural community is possibly one of the best things that can happen to a teenager. I am thankful every day for being lucky enough to have the opportunity to call myself a UWC-er. My UWC experience made me the open-minded, tolerant, and informed individual that I am today. I am currently working as a Research Analyst in one of the leading organizations in the world for Entrepreneurship, the Kauffman Foundation, and get to make a difference by conducting research for various entrepreneurship promoting policies and projects. Personally, I am very interested in social entrepreneurship, and I believe that innovative entrepreneurial ideas have the capacity to solve the most pressing issues of the day, such as pollution, climate change, disease outbreaks, food and water shortage, just to name a few. Without a doubt, if I had not spent two formative years of my life in the vibrant UWC community, I would not be who I am today. I am immensely grateful to my wonderful Li Po Chun teachers and friends for motivating me to leave the world a little better than I found it.
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Social Engagement and the UWC Experience Nawar Sattar UWC Mahindra College 2011
A little over seven years ago, I left Bangladesh to finish my last two years of High School at the Mahindra United World College of India. The gravity of the move didn’t register at the time, but the two years I spent there were incredibly formative, helping me develop intellectually and opening new avenues of opportunity. My time at MUWCI taught me to engage in dialogue and afforded me the privilege of engaging in such dialogue with students from over sixty different countries. It gave me the opportunity to travel around India, a beautiful and diverse country that, in spite of living in neighboring Bangladesh, I did not know much about. And it taught me to learn from my surroundings and try to give back to my community. My UWC experience instilled in me an ethic of social engagement. While a student at UWC, I volunteered every week at Sadhana Village, an NGO that sought to help those with intellectual disabilities, and empower rural women and youth. I also spent two weeks volunteering at a Seed Keeper’s Collective deep in the Western Ghats in South India, learning about creative efforts to empower the local community and tackle food insecurity. This value of community engagement has stuck with me since, through
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my volunteer work as well as my academic and professional pursuits. As a UWC Davis Scholar, I was able to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in the United States, where I remained involved in the community. I was a member of my College Student Government Association and volunteered at food banks, soup kitchens and food rescue operations. Through my University, I was also able to study in London and Serbia, where I volunteered with a political group that utilised non-violent tactics to bring about social change. During this time, I learned the importance of grassroots initiatives and after graduating, I spent a year in the United States working on elections access and advocacy work. All of these experiences strengthened my commitment to community engagement and social change, values that I developed while at UWC. Attending a UWC Davis partner University also presented me the opportunity to give back to my home community. In the summer of 2014, I won a Davis Projects for Peace award to coordinate a programme addressing mental health in Bangladesh. My project, titled “The Shaanti Project,” aimed to bring attention to the social and
psychological repercussions of the various disasters that have afflicted Bangladesh. Partnering with the University of Dhaka and the Bangladesh Clinical Social Workers Association, we held a day-long seminar that was attended by 200 people, including the Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. We also organized a training workshop with 30 participants for a future psychosocial support team. Working with multiple organizations and navigating bureaucratic difficulties taught me a great deal about the challenges inherent in putting together such programmes, and I feel confident of undertaking similar initiatives in the future. UWC opened the doors of travel for me and I have been fortunate enough to have lived in five cities across four different countries since leaving Bangladesh. While I continue to explore and learn from my surroundings, I also continue to be driven by values fostered while at UWC and remain committed to Bangladesh’s social development. Currently, I am working on migration and displacement related issues in Asia and the Pacific region, covering situations such as the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh. I hope to pursue a career in development, remain involved in issues pertaining to Bangladesh and give back however I can.
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Reflections Amit Bhowmik UWC Mahindra College 2012
I am alumni of Mahindra United World College and I have recently graduated with honors from Lehigh University and just took my first full time job a few months ago. I would attribute a lot of my accomplishments in life and personal development to UWC. Living away from home at such a young age taught me how to be adaptable. I have moved quite a few times since graduating from MUWCI and I have been able to make connections much easier and faster which in turn helped me to get more visibility, may it be in school or at work. The boarding aspect of UWC forced me to make connections and build my personal support system but also to be more self-sufficient. I was lucky to find a mentor during my time at MUWCI; I give credit to my Physics professor Hritik Sampat for helping me align my interests in UWC
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to further education and my career. He helped me discover my strengths and weaknesses and encouraged me to be more inquisitive in Physics classes. He challenged me outside of class with a project to build a go kart out of mostly junkyard parts; although, I did not have enough time to create a functional prototype in MUWCI I was inspired to pursue my new-found interest in automotive engineering further in college. I went on to build and compete in Baja SAE, an international off-road racing competition, with my team.
retain 90% of the information and I wholeheartedly agree with that notion, a 100%. I took up hip-hop dancing and salsa in MUWCI and now I’m in a hiphop dance crew that we started at Lehigh called Bad Company. At its core UWC has provided me with a world class education but the value addition does not stop there—it has given me a global network of friends, a diverse perspective on global matters and a thriving environment to cultivate my personal growth.
Travel weeks and project weeks contributed to building my passion for travelling in my teenage years. I got the confidence to navigate an unknown place where I might not necessary speak the language. Now I explore a new country every summer and take photos for my blog and sell them online, which also partially covers my travel expenses—if it weren’t for UWC I would have never gotten the confidence I needed early on to believe that I could navigate the world. The extracurricular programs in MUWCI, and as I’ve heard from my peers across the network, is unmatched. You find people who are passionate about a certain art, skill or hobby and teach each other. They say that teaching ensures that you
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Corporate Office: 74 Bir U am A.K. Khandaker Sarak Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh. Tel: +88 02 9842888, Fax: +88 02 9843888 Web: www.partex.net
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Not your average International School Nandita Madhubonti UWC Mahindra College, 2017
I am currently a student at UWC Mahindra College in India, but my first boarding school, even though it was in India, was not a UWC. As a matter of fact, it happened to be one of the top private residential schools in India, Kodaikanal International School (KIS), fondly referred to as Kodi by its residents. It is situated in an obscure hill station in Southern India, much like MUWCI in some ways, yet different in so many others. I first came to Kodi as a fresh-faced, albeit naive 9th grader. I had just moved from Kenya and since it was my first time in India I was looking forward to it immensely. Kodi had a lot to offer over the course of the 2 years, especially in terms of independence, maturity, both academic and extracurricular opportunities, and of course friends that I know I will keep for the rest of my life. However, even though I was comfortable at Kodi and could have easily finished my IB there I wasn't content. The idea of hands on, experimental education that whole-heartedly prepared me or allowed to me to bring about the so-called social change that we all crave for, occurred to me constantly.
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I knew about the UWC movement since middle school and its mission statement— , "A force to unite people's, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future," had always appealed to me. So, in the summer of 2013 when one of my best friends was accepted to UWC Mahindra in India, I finally had the opportunity to understand the dynamics of one of these unique schools from an insider's perspective. For the next year and a half, the more I learnt about MUWCI from my friend the more I became convinced that I had found my dream school. Thus, in the February of 2015 I began the application process for UWC and flew home to Dhaka in March for my interview with the Bangladeshi national committee. Finally, in the May of the same year I was offered a place at both UWC Mahindra in India as well as the brand new Changshu in China, and I finally decided to go to India.
Flash-forward a year and I am now a 2nd year, not so fresh-faced yet as motivated as ever. I can say that I had the privilege of attending 2 very diverse international schools in 2 different continents before attending a UWC, yet neither of them pushed me past my comfort zone as much as MUWCI continues to do. I have learnt to not only acknowledge the variety of issues that plague this world, but now have the courage and confidence to think and attempt to do something about them. MUWCI has taught me to respect individuals and their opinions like I have never done before and I can say that I have definitely learnt to evaluate and defend my own when needed. Thus, even though, I openly admit that tackling both the stress of the IB, its endless requirements as well as being in a rigorous and constantly stimulating environment, at the same time is not an easy feat, I can confidently say to any teenager who is up for a mind-opening, life-changing, amazingly challenging experience: applying to an UWC should definitely be on the top of your lists.
I first arrived on campus, an hour’s drive away from Pune, Maharashtra on an entirely isolated hill, save for neighboring villages a few kilometers away. It was the middle of monsoon and the showers were in full swing. Even though, the campus was dangerously muddy and CAUTION signs were posted all over, I was excited for this new extremely important chapter of my life. I once again found myself back in the role of freshfaced, eager new kid along with 150 others from all across the world, all with the common goal of making a difference in this complex world all of us called home.
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The View from the Hill Samirah Jaigirdar Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Swaziland, 2017
In January 2012, my cousin left on a journey that undoubtedly changed his life (his words). 4 years down the line, I followed in his footsteps and made my way to a tiny monarchy enclosed by South Africa and Mozambique known as Swaziland. It has been 9 months since I joined Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa (WK) and not a moment has come when I have regretted making that decision to accept the offer from the Bangladeshi National Committee and pursue my education on the top of a steep hill.
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“You’re going to Africa?!” is the parrot cry heard from everyone I met in the subsequent weeks. The vision of Africa a person gets is of one devastated with disease, civil wars and droughts. But, talk to any of the 10 Bangladeshi WK Alumni and the picture you will get is starkly different. I cannot boast of knowing the whole African continent, but I
do know WK and by extension, bits of Swaziland. The WK I know is a place of acceptance and support; the Swaziland I encounter is a place of laughter and optimism in the face of a natural calamity and nationalism. However, WK is not like any of its counterparts in one particular aspect. The academic year starts in January which translated into me waiting six months and which will result in me joining university a year later. Although I was a bit apprehensive about this whilst my mother disagreed completely, I opted to wait. The six months were arduous, painful, boring and relaxing (sleeping for 9 hours a day really is nice). Furthermore, besides offering the IB, WK offers IGCSEs for which the age range of the school is from around 12 to 20. This means that seeing a couple of scrawny 13 year olds laughing with a bulky 19-year-old isn’t out of the blue. The first three hours on campus was the scariest I’ve had to face. Did I make the correct decision? Was the finishing of my secondary education supposed to be in the place I travelled thousands of kilometres away from? Soon, I met my co-years and IB2s (second years) and orientation week started and finished in the blink of an eye. One factor that separates WK from every school I’ve encountered and heard about is its dedication to community service. There are 43 weekly community service projects that students from Form 5(grade 10 students), IB1 and IB2 engage in. Besides these, we also have weekend day long projects which is open to the whole school to join. These take us to far-flung corners of Swaziland where we sometimes play with children, cook for the elderly or even paint walls of pre-schools and
paediatric wards. Taking part in these projects have given me a glimpse of a world which had I not been at WK, I never would have seen. However, life at WK doesn’t revolve around community service and challenging academics solely. There’s also the midnight birthday surprises where you get thrown under a cold shower followed by a birthday breakfast in the morning, the corridor mates that become family, the midnight girls’ nights in the residence kitchens spent making pasta and burning eggs, the people who become brothers and sisters because you basically know their shower routines and spend countless hours crying and laughing simultaneously in their rooms. I have gathered experiences which range from how to set up a tent to how to organise a TEDx conference to how to run a weekly forum. I cannot use a mere one or two pages to describe to you what my ‘UWC experience’ has been because I believe that mine will greatly differ from yours. I also cannot express, using words from any of the three languages I practice, how much I have come to love WK and how much I appreciate the support I’ve gotten from my mother, my cousin and the Bangladeshi NC to attend WK because it really has been an eye opening and life-changing experience. Each UWC is different in its own unique way and making the decision to attend WK is a testimony to anyone’s UWC spirit as leaving everything behind and moving to Swaziland represents open-mindedness, courage and a strong thirst for adventure. WK has introduced me to 126 wonderful people from 67 different countries all rolled into one batch, it has taught me to appreciate the little things, it has made me appreciate the simple act of giving and most importantly, WK has helped me love and appreciate myself and my culture more.
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Things We Wish We Knew Before Starting UWC Aniba Rahman UWC Maastricht, the Netherlands, 2016
Maisha Khan Li Po Chun UWC of Hong Kong, 2016
Academic Aspects: UWC is a great opportunity to meet all sorts of people with diverse backgrounds and have experiences that you may not have elsewhere. You learn so much outside the classroom, but what you learn in the classroom is equally important. All the UWCs follow the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (You’ll feel fancy just saying it). So here’s the breakdown: You will have six subjects from six groups: • Studies in Language and Literature: your first language (you can take English or Self Taught Bangla) • Language acquisition: this may be a new language (a/b initio) or a language you have knowledge in but are not fully proficient (B) • Individuals and Societies: subjects ranging from philosophy to geography • Sciences: natural sciences such as Physics, Chemistry, etc.
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• Mathematics: different levels- explained in the next point • The Arts: Visual Arts, Theatre, Dance, etc- based on what your school offers • Among your six subjects, you should take 3 at Higher Level (HL) and 3 at Standard Level (SL). Some people may even take 4 at HL, but make that decision based on your interests and capabilities • Each subject is out of 7 points, and the total IB score is out of 45. The subjects make up 42- but the other 3 come from CAS, EE and ToK • CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service)- your extracurricular activities. Each UWC has their own way of doing it • EE (Extended Essay)- a research paper of 4000 words on any of your subjects (If you pick wisely, this is actually quite enjoyable) • ToK (Theory of Knowledge)- How do we know what we know? A class where you question knowledge and different aspects of it. Assessments include a presentation and an essay. That’s the brief breakdown. To learn more, visit www.ibo.org I know that it looks daunting and you may be wondering how you’ll manage to do everything. Let us assure youit is definitely doable. People before you have done it, and done it well. It can be very stressful, but if you prioritize and manage your time well, you will get the most out of it. It’s not that stressful, unless you let it be. If you have a certain career you want to pursue, pick subjects that would aid you to pursue it. Even then, keep an open mind while selecting subjects, and be
open to the idea that you may change your mind as well. UWC gives you the option to try new things and challenge yourself, but please take subjects you’re comfortable with and know are your strong suits.
A few pointers: Plagiarism- copy-pasting from online sources and/or friends is absolutely not allowed. Doing so counts as plagiarising and can have severe consequences. You will get enough help with this and academic writing once you’re there! Proficiency in English- we have people in Bangladesh from very diverse backgrounds and we may not feel comfortable with always conversing and writing in English. Though there is help at UWC for people whose native language isn’t English, we would recommend reading any books in English this summer before you go. Good luck with the IB! You’ll get used to all the acronyms and getting 7 points instead of the more conventional letter grades. During your two years, you may feel smarter or dumber, but you will always feel like you’re on your toes. Don’t worry though, you’ll surely get the hang of it. You’ll hopefully come out the other side being more skilled in time management, research and having a general growth in interest for all your subjects.
Cultural Aspects: Your Culture YOU are the Ambassador of Bangladesh, meaning any and every proper image your homies over there will have of Bangladesh will be
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of YOU. To the residents of your new community, i.e your new family, questions regarding Bangladesh will be expected best answered by you. SO, to prepare you before hand to ensure you represent this beautiful country of amazing jhalmuri and Fakruddin Biryani well, we hope you do the following, things we wish we’d done before going: • Brushing up on the facts and figures, with a personal opinion backing it: you already know this but just a really generalised small gist, of course your research/knowledge should be more extensive than this: • History: 1971 separation from East Pakistan, how it happened, why it happened, personal stories if you have any, what preceded afterwards, how the different generations respond to the division, is everyone in favor of it, etc. Go deeper into it so you can form an opinion of your own. • Culture and Social: events and aspects that make our country distinct. For example: Pohela Boishakh, Eid, Durga-Puja, the different kinds of biryani we eat, chanachur, the cricket culture, extravagant weddings, food and monuments like Shaheed Minar, Lalbagh Fort, etc • Political and Economical: Sheikh Hasina is the current PM- who was in charge before her? Know how the government works, how we are the world’s 2nd largest textile exporter, how the businesses are, that BRAC is the world’s largest NGO, Professor Yunus and his works, Grameenphone’s Iqbal Quadir being a prestigious entrepreneur in the world- try to know the business side as well. • Environmental: We are bearing the worst consequences of global warming, research
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about Rampal power plant, how we deal with floods/ how frequently they impact us, pollution and how that is dealt with, our energy-saving resources, (examplesolar panels) etc. • Current Events and Conflicts: Shahbag, Rana Plaza, Gulshan Attack, BDR, rise of extremism (examplekilling of the bloggers) and all the other conflicts that have been trying to tear our country apart- they will definitely arise in conversations and undoubtedly you will be put on the spot to answer them. So make sure you know exactly what is happening and keep following up on it. Advice: while researching, check various media websites/papers, not just the usual Daily Star or Dhaka Tribune but also bdnews24, Ekushey TV, etc- you can get more info • You are representing Bangladesh, not just your district: Although most of you are from Dhaka, keep in mind that you’re representing your country so your knowledge should ideally extend to regions within your residence, like Sylhet, Chittagong, etc and vice versa for those from outside Dhaka.
Social Aspects: How To Prepare For The Unexpected This booklet does not aim to give you spoilers, rather it hopes to put you all on the same platform, with the same set of knowledge, so you can all represent our country well and hopefully cast a wonderful impression so that we keep getting more and more scholarships next year, so more people like you can have this opportunity. First off, UWC is an amazing platform, but it is a high school nonetheless. You may find people drinking and smoking around you- but there isn’t much of a peer pressure element. Feel free to try things safely and in moderation, but you are not compelled to either.
Nobody will care if you don’t smoke or drink, and you shouldn’t judge anyone for doing so either. We have to stress the points on limitation and moderation- because it can get you in trouble. Being drunk on campus can lead to suspensions and that’s really not something you’d want to have on your record. Letters are sent to both the National Committee and your families. You’re getting a slice of freedom and independenceplease treat it responsibly. Each UWC has different ways to address Sex Ed and Alcohol Awareness. For example, in LPC, an entire day is devoted to each topic and it includes hilarious and informative talks by teachers, groups with second years and honest discussion. You need to understand that when we say people come from varying backgrounds, we really mean extremely varying backgrounds. You may meet someone who lived in a rural area and shared one room with their entire family and you may meet someone who can spend a lot of money and treat it as if it is nothing. Please be sensitive in this case, and don’t partake in EDW- Excessive Display of Wealth. Some people will be more or less privileged than you but all of you will be given the exact same facilities. Along with diverse backgrounds, the people have diverse opinions. Learn to be culturally sensitive, and accept and acknowledge people’s opinions despite disagreeing with them. Debates are far more interesting if you have polar opposite opinions, and you learn more from people that differ from you. Your ideas will be challenged along with your religion and culture, which will broaden your mind and make you think from different perspectives, to say the least. You will have roommates and you have to respect
the shared space, be clean and not be inconsiderate. Basically treat them how you would want to be treated! Realistically, you’ll form close bonds with people from different ethnicities and you may joke with each other on that topic but make sure your intention is known and it doesn’t offend anyone.
And Lastly… We wish you the best of luck for the incredible journey you are about to embark on. These two years will definitely have a huge impact on your life and we can’t wait to hear back from you once you’re done. However, your journey does not end after you leave the country that has almost become your second home. Our National Committee stands because of all the alumni that always volunteer to help. This booklet sparked the idea of something called ‘The Candidate Weekend’ where all the accepted students spend a weekend with alumni and get details on all the information provided and more. From next year, we are hoping to implement this and we need you to help us out by giving presentations and speeches or assisting us in the organizing part. A special thank you to Nasiha Salwati (MUWCI ‘16), Jerisa Haque (MUWCI ‘16) and Saroshah Islam (UWCAC ‘16) for their opinions and pointers which should be discussed.
We really hope you find this helpful!
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A First Hand Experience of a First Year Rameen M Rashid UWC Changshu China 2017
Leaving behind home, a set lifestyle, old school and friends is never easy especially if you are not used to changes. But coming to a place like UWC, where everybody is new and going through the same thing as you, makes it easier to deal with these challenges. UWC is as though different pieces of a jigsaw puzzle preciously collected from all over the world were meant to fit so perfectly together in the end. The CSC campus is so incredibly vast and expansive that I still remember how I would get lost for the entire duration of my first week here. I thought I would never be able to get used to it but as my second years told me, “It is not that hard. You’ll get used to it.” It was so bad that I wouldn’t even be able to navigate my way from the theatre to the canteen to my own dorm, all of which were located in separate buildings (a ploy to confuse me further, I was sure). However, after having spent 5 months on this campus sitting on a lake, it does not really seem like rocket science anymore. I figured out that the campus is shaped in a circle, which means you could initially end up going round and around, but you will figure it all out in the end. CSC is a multicultural global community, where we celebrate our cultural diversity and difference
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daily. As you go through each school day, you would have met and interacted with at least 10 different nationalities just from your floor and 90 others on campus itself. Through such mundane or meaningful conversations in the common room, cab rides, walks to the canteen for meals or in classroom discussions, we are often given the opportunity to know and encounter so much about other countries’ cultures and traditions that it could even get overwhelming at some point. However, I am sure I won’t find another place like this so easily, where I can celebrate Eid, Diwali and Culture Weeks from the Americas and Caribbean region one after another with equal joy and excitement; each second and memory a reflection of my enhanced international and internal cultural understanding. I have only spent a quarter of my 2 years at UWC CSC and I have made so many moments out of memories that it is near impossible to decide which my favorite ones are. Is it the time when we all painted a giant peace sign canvas onto our garage entrance in the shape of the UWC logo and lit candles during Peace Week or should it be all the times I laughed my heart out till tears came streaming down over a casual dinner during Project Week? I am certain, though, that some of my definite highlights include dancing down a
mountain after a long hike up and the joy of managing to teach a class of 60 kids after having to overcome several personal challenges. Moreover, there were several days when I had to venture out of my comfort zone and ended up participating in some of the best moments of my life so far- be it acting in a campuswide 24-hour film project, dancing in the school play or the mere task of physical exertion during hiking. The UWC experience has already managed to change me in plenty of ways, both huge and small. Whether it be boosting my self-confidence, raising my selfawareness of all the little privileges I hold or reminding and grounding me in the responsibility I have towards my country and the UWC Movement. I am incredibly glad I chose to come to UWC-CSC where we have often been presented with a staggering number of opportunities and where we can choose to create those moments ourselves. I hope for the next one and a half years to be as fulfilling as this beginning chapter has been.
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A New Chapter Fahmid Rashid UWC Changshu China 2017
Being given the opportunity to go to a UWC anywhere in the world is a blessing; however, nothing quite comes close to UWC Changshu China. I had no idea what to expect as I set foot into Changshu, a small countylevel city in the Jiangsu province of China,. It was definitely unlike Shanghai or Beijing—two of the larger cities that people usually think about when one mentions China. Right from the beginning, one of the things that surprised me was the impression of foreigners here in China. Chinese people cherish foreigners and love us as if we were celebrities; although, in reality, we are merely a group with 16-18 year old students. You’d be surprised by the number of people who took pictures of us while we were out in the public, but it’s safe to say that we are (mostly) used to it. Language barriers also proved to be a challenge; during the start of the academic year we would often find ourselves unable to go out of campus or navigate around the city without a Chinese speaker. This shortly changed as we learned to speak basic Mandarin, which we picked up quickly thanks to being surrounded by the language and the culture. Soon after, the small city of Changshu went from a strange, foreign land which we knew nothing about to a place where we felt comfortable going out for lunch or exploring on a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon (or rather, bright and sunny prior to the transition to winter). I was initially quite nervous as to how life at UWC Changshu would go. So, it was reassuring to find so many other people who felt the same way. Soon enough, we got to know each other and learn about the stories, the cultures, and the experiences of the 450-odd students currently residing in the school. Even though we expected what we were in store for, many people felt surprised by the differences in opinions and ideas. Although we initially (often, unconsciously) highlighted our differences, we also learned to appreciate them. We learned to celebrate them, and those differences helped bring us together. Whether it be the method
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of eating food at the table or the difference in opinions on various world events, in the past few months we have grown together and learned to be global citizens who respect the community and the different beliefs and values shared within it. You would see an Italian student at a Chilean memorial celebration just as much as you’d see a Chinese, Kenyan or Indian student. You would find everybody dancing together to catchy Caribbean songs, watching a Bollywood movie and laughing together, or counting numbers from 1-10 in Bangla. We have and are continuing to grow as a family, and we support one another in various activities taking place in our community. It feels amazing to be a representative of Bangladesh in an institute with over 99 different nationalities and be able to share some aspects of our culture. As it would turn out, teenagers also share many similar interests irrespective of where they are from—these include anything from taste in music to favorite foods, to our preference in chocolate ice cream over vanilla. Inside these four walls, one can find students of multiple nationalities all sitting in front of a TV on a weekend watching a football match, and you would hear the same screams of joy when Lionel Messi scores a goal in the 90th minute. We all feel the same distress when we have 3 deadlines due the following day, and we feel the same feeling of joy when we get our work done. We all look forward to the weekend together and we all despise classes on Monday mornings. We all laugh at the dry humor of our beloved School Nurse, and we all silently fear the wrath of our Math teacher.
If I could put my experience so far in China into 3 words, it would be transformation, joy, and compassion. I have come to be a more open-minded person than when I first landed, and I only hope that I further develop and learn more about myself. Among the countless memories and adventures, one I will always remember is being given a Chinese name. During our Project Week (November 5 - 12) a student of a middle school in the Henan province asked me, “Ge ge (big brother), why do you write with your left hand? Do all foreigners write with their left hand?” I laughed, and proceeded to tell him that I just learned to write with my left hand from an early age. The language barrier proved to be a difficulty, but I tried my best to explain through acting out. Another student proceeded to ask me, “Ge Ge, do you have a Chinese name?” I told him that I do not, and that he could give me one. After their class, the boy came to me and he gave me the name (Wang Yuanjie). Although I am not entirely sure about the meaning (sadly his explanation was lost in translation), this memory means a lot to me because the boy told me that he too was left handed and cannot write with his right hand due to an accident. China has been tough and unforgivable to its UWC students at certain times, and at other times, it has been the most amazing gift and a blessing. Sure, the pollution and air quality may reach overwhelming levels on most days, but in the 5 months spent here so far Changshu has transformed into a home for all of us. The different experiences, the people met, the cultures shared, and everything in between have left me excited for the future and what it holds.
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Glimpses of Students from Bangladesh in UWC
UWC Costa Rica
Ayat enjoying a pipa on Costa Rica
Exploring the nature around the school
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Playing football in the town club team
Glimpses of Students from Bangladesh in UWC
UWC Red Cross Nordic
From the first inter-house tournament we had during intro week on campus, photo from the denmark house
PBL week 2016, Intercultural Learning and Sharing
Norway This is from Asian Day on 22nd of November
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Glimpses of Students from Bangladesh in UWC
UWC Diljan
Celebrating UWC Dilijan's Birthday
Decorating the Christmas tree
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Backstage to UWC Dilijan's winter's tale Induction Week
Glimpses of Students from Bangladesh in UWC
UWC Adriatic
Performing dances from other cultures
With Co-years
Celebrating peace one day
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