Our Scholarship Programme

BRINGING TOGETHER YOUNG PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT NATIONS AND CULTURES

With every gift to the UWCSEA Scholarship Programme, donors are helping deserving young students access a UWC education, providing them opportunities to extend their potential impact and to create positive change in their communities throughout the world.

A UWC education provides a remarkable chance for students to gain the qualifications that will set them on a lifelong path as a changemaker, by providing them with skills and knowledge that equip them as individuals with a bias towards action. Scholars return to their communities empowered and guided by the UWC mission to build a more peaceful and sustainable future. Despite the current challenges worldwide, it is heartening that the UWCSEA Scholarship Programme continues to receive tremendous support. Like all of our graduating students, the 41 graduating scholars in the Class of 2020 are exceptional and resilient and will not be deterred from their plans to change their world. In the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic, which impacts vulnerable communities the most, they are even more determined to be of service and make a difference.

THE POWER OF COMMUNITY GIVING

COVID-19 not only closed UWCSEA’s doors but also cancelled many of our national and international fundraising events that were planned to raise funds to extend our scholarship programme at UWCSEA. Contributions from school fees support many scholars, but not all, and the impact on hopeful incoming scholars was significant. In March 2020, the College identified a gap in funding for a number of scholars due to be arriving for the 2020/2021 school year. Carma Elliot, College President, issued a rallying cry to the community and the response was tremendous. In just a few days, over $480,000 was raised to support three incoming scholars from Malaysia, Namibia and Tajikistan as well as funding an additional scholar for 2020/2021. With the College commitment and community support, 46 new scholars were funded to join the College in August 2020. Through the global crisis, the community’s response was nothing short of extraordinary. From our boarding students who could not return home over the summer and were welcomed with open arms by families, to our graduating Grade 12 students who dealt with so many disappointments, and our incredible staff, who took the learning programme online during April, May and June. The UWCSEA community is above all a mission-driven one, a diverse group of people united in common purpose and with a shared set of values. Thank you for your generosity, which helps to give educational opportunities to young people of incredible potential.

SCHOLARS IN FOCUS

UWCSEA has welcomed scholars since 1977 and these enthusiastic champions of the UWC mission greatly enrich our classrooms, boarding houses and life across the campus. We were delighted to catch up with some of our current scholars and recent graduates, who continue to live the UWC mission to the fullest. The impact of the Scholarship Programme goes well beyond these individuals alone, for they are committed to creating deep, meaningful and lasting change in their networks and communities for a peaceful and sustainable future.

Kengthsagn Louis ’13, Scholar from Haiti “UWCSEA made me aware how much my own cultural perspectives matter. This realisation has become the backbone of my research–I’m currently doing a PhD in Psychology at Stanford, exploring the intersections of culture and health in social psychology. Much of the research in Psychology has been done by white, middle-class thinkers, yet we also need to understand and research how different people experience the world–how other cultures and mindsets impact health outcomes. My goal is to lead more community-based research; to create an academic centre in Haiti, that will train and fund scientists to investigate and solve problems in the different cultural contexts of low and middle income countries.”

Raquel Marquez ’15, Scholar from Bolivia “I recently returned to Bolivia, after completing my undergraduate studies on a Davis-UWC Scholarship at Bennington College in the United States. My time at UWCSEA was the beginning of the road of a personal transformation. I never imagined that I would study human rights in college and much less that I would choose to dedicate my life to advocating for gender equality and sexual minorities’ rights. Now that I look back, I understand the need to share the UWC mission, values and experiences. Without a doubt, I can say that the experiences I had at UWC and the relationships that I created at such a young age have made me a better person and inspired both my education and work.”

Matheus de Lima Silva ’20, Scholar from Brazil “I was accepted to Tufts College in Boston with a full scholarship. I will study Computer Engineering with a minor in Education, as I feel strongly about learning how to pass on the knowledge and lessons I learnt at UWCSEA. I will continue to make an impact in my local communities in Boston and Brazil by mentoring a low-income Brazilian student long distance over the next year, to help him access education and scholarships in the US.”

Wangdrak Dorji ’20, Scholar from Bhutan “At UWCSEA, I learned the value of being a compassionate community member; serving others and ‘paying back’ what I have received. I joined IfP and it helped to develop my public speaking skills and confidence. It also restored my faith that when we are tackling this generation’s problems, we are not alone and victory is possible. I was accepted into my dream college, Brown University (USA), where I will study Molecular Biology and Biomedical Engineering. One day, I hope to return to Bhutan with a Ph.D. in Genetics and start a scientific research centre, providing opportunities for local youth.”

Tuan ’21, Scholar from Vietnam “Without this experience, I would still be a student in a remote village in Vietnam who knows nothing else about the world other than studying and studying. At UWCSEA, I have become a ‘global citizen,’ a person better than yesterday, not only in academics but also in cultural understanding and personal values. I now want to make a difference in other people’s lives–just as this community has done for me.”

Liza ’21, Scholar from Ukraine “The COVID-19 pandemic has been really challenging and I am lucky to live in such a supportive community. I am grateful for the true friends I have met at UWCSEA who never let me down; we always find ways to have fun and live life to the fullest. It is true that life at UWCSEA is sometimes challenging but every obstacle, every hard day and every success afterwards are incredibly valuable lessons for me. I have experienced huge personal growth–my image of the world is changing and a whole new world has opened up.”