Alumni

At the heart of the College’s alumni engagement programme is the opportunity for the UWCSEA community to remain connected—with each other, with the UWC movement and with the ideals of the mission—by encouraging life-long connections and mutually beneficial relationships. UWCSEA alumni are invited to get involved and give back in many ways. The Alumni Relations team continued to offer opportunities for our network of alumni around the world to stay connected with the College through events and communication services including e-newsletters, the website and the publication of the 17th edition of One°North magazine. The challenges of the 2019/2020 year, which started with a well attended alumni reunion in Singapore and a full schedule of reunion events across the world, saw our alumni community rise to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic while making a huge contribution to their communities. Thank you to the alumni who so generously gave their time to participate in UWCSEA’s Virtual Alumni Fair, with over 49 online sessions, and to those who participated in our early Zoom Reunions, which are now the new norm. Our newest alumni, the Class of 2020, graduated from UWCSEA in a virtual ceremony after the cancellation of their longanticipated IB examinations and countless other ‘end of school’ celebrations and milestones. The messages of support and encouragement received for our newest alumni from those who had graduated before were greatly appreciated. Pandemic or not, there are countless examples of alumni giving their time and expertise; whether working overtime in health services, using technology to support vulnerable groups, or creating a lifeline for local businesses and retailers. In responding to the challenges presented by COVID-19, stories of resilience and demonstrations of commitment to creating a better world for all, despite personal disappointments, have continued to tell of the impact that a UWC education has on our alumni. A small number of examples of our alumni stories are included in this report.

Engagement

14,196

Contactable alumni

64%

of total alumni

Careers and University Mentoring

216

Alumni participants in University and Careers Week events

992

University mentors

281

Universities represented by alumni mentors

135

Countries in which alumni are located

Albania; Argentina; Armenia; Aruba; Australia; Austria; Bahamas; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belarus; Belgium; Belize; Benin; Bermuda; Bhutan; Bolivia; Botswana; Brazil; Brunei; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Cayman Islands; Chile; China; Columbia; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Dutch Caribbean; Egypt; El Salvador; Estonia; Ethiopia; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); Faroe Islands; Fiji; Finland; France; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Guam; Guatemala; Guyana; Honduras; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Jersey; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kuwait; Laos; Lebanon; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macao; Madagascar; Malaysia; Maldives; Malta; Marshall Islands; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova; Mongolia; Morocco; Myanmar; Namibia; Nepal; Netherlands; New Zealand; Nigeria; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Romania; Russia; Rwanda; Samoa; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Slovakia; Slovenia; South Africa; South Korea; South Sudan; Spain; Sri Lanka; Swaziland; SWEDEN; Switzerland; Taiwan; Tanzania; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Trinidad and Tobago; Turkey; Turks and Caicos Islands; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uruguay; Venezuela; Vietnam; Virgin Islands; Zimbabwe

Reunion events

10

Alumni reunion events worldwide

1,070

Attendees at alumni events worldwide

37

Countries that alumni travelled from to attend milestone reunion 2019 in Singapore

UWCSEA ALUMNI: COMBATTING COVID WITH CARE, CONNECTION AND CREATIVITY

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, UWCSEA alumni continue to demonstrate our mission and holistic education in so many ways. Here we share with you a small selection of the remarkable contributions some of our recent alumni, who are working in healthcare, have made in support of their current communities across the world.

Nia Mairead Haswell ’09 Mairead is a physiotherapist at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where non-essential medical care services were cancelled to manage the virus. While this may be necessary, she knows there are a lot of people at home with various other conditions and illnesses who may be struggling. Her message to those who are unwell in any way or worried about any symptoms, is

Susan Henkel ’81 Susan is a Clinical Nurse Specialist (an Advanced Practice Nurse) in the Intensive Care Unit at the Clinical Center for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. She sends us a photo of her in full PPE as that is how she prepares to take care of patients with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in the Intensive Care Unit.

to make sure that they contact their GP, “Keep looking after yourselves and each other. The sense of community at the moment, locally and globally, is so strong and I hope it’s something that will continue long after Covid-19.”

Sanjana Kattera ’11 Sanjana is a paediatrician at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, UK, and a member of the team conducting phase 3 clinical trials of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, where she is an Honorary Clinical Fellow. Sanjana describes her time focusing on COVID-19 infected children as “challenging yet satisfying.”

Sargam Vohra ’12 Sargam is a junior doctor with the National Health Service in Manchester, England where she is currently posted in the elderly care and A&E departments. Here she serves and treats patients in COVID-19 wards with commitment and respect while spreading cheer and positivity among the patients and the medical team.

Shweta Hota ’13 Shweta was a junior doctor working in Respiratory Medicine at King’s College Hospital, London when the COVID-19 outbreak began. As London became the epicentre of the outbreak and her hospital became one of the most affected in the country, her ward was the first to convert to a “COVID-positive” ward. She is now working on the COVID High Dependency Unit treating patients who have been released from the Intensive Care Unit.

Siya Dayal ’14 Siya, who is working as a junior doctor in London, says, “We have faced a suspension of our training program, a change in our daily working rotas, redeployment to different clinical areas, and in some cases having to work without adequate protective equipment. Despite the heart-breaking and overwhelming circumstances, I am lucky to be part of a Trust that has excellent team spirit.”

Sophie Diong ’14 Sophie is a junior doctor working on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19 at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Ireland.

Aditya Krishnan ’15 Aditya is a newly qualified doctor working in Respiratory Medicine at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital. He says, “It has been humbling to observe our remarkable essential workers stepping up to support one another. Look out for those around you - together, we are getting through this!”

Eric Wallner ’19 Eric is currently in the last stretch of his National Service for Austria, where he is working in the Civil Defence sector for the Austrian Red Cross Emergency Medical Services, as an Emergency Medical Technician.