Keeping an eye on the Mission

A Dover alum finds purpose in both local and international service

By Chan Ning ’09, UWCSEA Dover

Nordic) and Medic Assist International. The common thread amongst is a fundamental desire to serve people and make an impact in their lives. As a family we all support several charity projects focused on education and outreach, sustainable development, and healthcare. We firmly believe that our time at UWCSEA was the foundation for all the ways in which my family and I now serve. Though we are called to our own respective fields and talents, we share the same vision to make positive impacts the amazing teachers at UWCSEA who have been inspirations to us through their passion for teaching and dedication to the college ethos. on communities, and build towards a sustainable and equitable future.

As you may have been able to gather, I am most drawn to the UWC values of compassion and service, and I’ve always prioritised opportunities that best align with them. For example, my decision to pursue ophthalmology was founded on the principle that vision is so intimately linked to education and quality of life, that so much of blindness is avoidable, and that in treating physical blindness one might also impact on spiritual blindness.

Recently this shared vision led us to return to our roots, partnering with the UWCSEA music department (via Lisa and Adrian Hill) to foster a music education outreach initiative serving community schools in Indonesia. In this, we count it a blessing to be able to serve together as a family, and we aren’t alone. Along the way, we have found kindred spirits in the parents (shout out to the Gerber family!) and especially

My time at UWCSEA served as the foundation for all that has come after, most especially how being proactive in service and seeking to build bridges creates ripples of impact far beyond what you might imagine. It is my hope that by sharing these experiences I can encourage others to consider service, and in this way we can become a society that values serving others rather than a self-serving society.

Tumbling towards success

How theatre arts influenced one alum's success in business and politics

Nadiem Makarim ’02, Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology for Indonesia and founder of Zalora and Gojek, visited Dover Campus in August 2022 for his 20th anniversary reunion. After a campus tour down memory lane with his wife Franka, he stopped by the Main Hall to speak to Grade 11 and 12 students about the path he took since graduating from the College, and how the UWC Mission continues to play a role in his life.

With frank honesty and good humour, Nadiem fielded questions from the audience of curious students. When asked what class or subject was most influential on his professional life, students may have expected an answer like Maths or Economics. But his response, which was quick and unequivocal, may have surprised many in the room that day: drama.

“For me, doing IB Higher Theatre Arts and doing extracurricular theatre performances had the biggest impact on my future life and career,” said Nadiem. “Theatre taught me to be comfortable taking risks. As a teenager, there are few things scarier than making a fool of yourself in front of the entire school. Theatre forced me to overcome my insecurities and gave me the confidence to speak publicly. It was also the most intense form of collaboration I have ever experienced at that age, where any margin of error could be disastrous. If someone told me as an adolescent that most of my early leadership skills would be gained on stage, I would have laughed. But that’s exactly what happened.”

Nadiem said one experience in particular has stayed with him through the years. During a theatre production, he had to execute a jump with a sword during a choreographed stage fight. Unfortunately, his balance failed him at the crucial moment, and he awkwardly fell off the stage. As he was tumbling down towards the audience, his thoughts filled with fear and dread, “this is it, everyone is going to laugh, the audience is going to absolutely kill me.” Trying to recover as best he could, he fell, rolled, jumped up brandishing his sword and acted like it was planned all along. The audience erupted in applause.

It was just a small moment in Nadiem’s High School experience, but one that even now, 20 years later, he fondly recalls as a reminder that with the right attitude and the willingness to react quickly and improvise, there is a chance to turn a mistake or a challenge into an opportunity, and even a success.

Nadiem also spoke about how the UWC Mission has played a role in his life since graduation.

“UWC had this constant narrative that was part of every student experience,” he said. “Whether in class, extracurricular activities, or special events, we always celebrated being global citizens. And it wasn’t just a celebration of diversity. There was always a mission to make things better in the world. There was rarely any discourse about financial success that I remember, it was always about impact. Even as complicated teenagers, I remembered this narrative constantly reminding us that our true value in the world would be measured by how we improved it, not how we gamed it.”

Nadiem has worn several hats through the years, from startup entrepreneur to his current role as Indonesia’s Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. He said elements of his UWC experience now influence his approach to public education policy, with concepts that would be familiar to UWC alumni now part of the core curriculum—for instance, more choice for students and flexibility for teachers, and a move away from standardised testing.

“One of our 6 pillars of the Emancipated Learning Policy is ‘Global Citizenship’,” he said. “We have mandated Project Based Learning to be part of the core curriculum, with themes such as ‘Diversity’, ‘Climate Change’, and ‘Entrepreneurship’. Just like the IB system, our new curriculum gives high school students choice in their subjects for the very first time. Teachers are given a lot more freedom to co-design curriculum, and take charge of creative projects with students. We’ve also removed all national testing that focused exclusively on rote knowledge, and opted instead to assess logic and reasoning (numeracy and literacy). These are all global best practices that UWC has championed since its inception.”

It was fascinating hearing Nadiem talk about the influence his UWC education has had on his life, and we eagerly await more news from his adventures in being a changemaker.