2012 Student Reflections

A daring adventure is barely the term adequate enough to describe my indescribable first year experience at United World College of the Atlantic.

there are countless more activities that I join spontaneously. UWC is an opportunity to be involved, the spirit and buzzing atmosphere is something that I will now always carry with me. There of course have been tough moments, mostly due to the greatly dreaded, IB! Juggling academics and everything else is tricky, to say the least. My subjects this year are higher level English, Design Technology and Art and standard level maths studies, peace and conflict studies and French ab initio. The classes, or codes as we call them, all ingrain a further sense of the ideals of UWC. Discussions are always lively in codes; even on the many cold welsh mornings.

...this strange and beautiful year has been gratefully enjoyed alongside many special friendships made from 85 different countries.
Since being at Atlantic College, I have travelled much. I have been to Norway, Rome, Turkey, Paris and Amsterdam. I went on a cultural tour of Rome for project week, while Norway, Paris and Amsterdam were trips travelling with friends from college. Recently, I have been on a summer project in Turkey. A group of ten students from three different UWCs gathered together to help the area and people of Van. Van is in an area in the east of turkey that was severely damaged by an earthquake six months ago. Our goal was to contribute in some way to the people of Van and we did this by educating children, but subsequently adults about different cultures and also about the environment. The project was chaotic to organize and execute because of the government authorities and also often due to the generous but overbearing hospitality of the people. We visited schools, teaching English and also educating and introducing people to other cultures. Often, the sight of the ten students walking along the street was enough. People approached us eagerly and were fascinated about where we were from. The accommodation was in housing containers, it was rough but it gave me further insight into the reality of how people are living in Van at the moment. This is only a short insight into what this year has given me, or rather what I have taken from this significant year. However, nothing is over yet, the escapades will go on.

Helena Tan
UWC Atlantic College of Wales Melbourne, Victoria
A daring adventure is barely the term adequate enough to describe my indescribable first year experience at United World College of the Atlantic. The year began with youthful enthusiasm and open eyes; ready to discover the world and accept a challenge, a change. The journey of this challenge has been valued and appreciated only by completely devoting, trying and putting effort into my time at AC. However, alongside all the intense seriousness at Atlantic College, this strange and beautiful year has been gratefully enjoyed alongside many special friendships made from 85 different countries. Atlantic College has not been purely about the things I have done; rather it has been about the people I have done them with. The CAS program is very important and much of

what I have gained from these two terms is due to service. I commit to four/six hours a week of social service. During first term I volunteered at Jenner Park primary school helping children from ages 5-10 who have learning difficulties. I assisted reading and writing with the younger children and also worked with an older group of children with art and science. Also during first term I was an active member of STAR (Student Action for Refugees). Each week for four hours a group of eight students visited Cardiff and met and taught English to refugees and asylum seekers. In term two I continued volunteering at the primary school and additionally I visit a home of a lady who has multiple sclerosis and is blind. Service constantly teaches and reminds me of the need to help deliberately and empathetically. Honestly, service is one of the most enjoyable aspects of United World College. I have participated in numerous activities this year including Amnesty International, Model United Nations, Felt and Fashion making, beekeeping, photography activity, poetry activity, a Jamaican cultural activity and Kurt Hahn experiential core activity. These are merely my official activities; beyond this

A daring adventure is barely the term adequate enough to describe my indescribable first year experience at United World College of the Atlantic.

UWC is a place that attaches a familiar and friendly face to every country...

career. Coming into this institution I was set upon scientific and mathematical research taking me to outer space, to becoming an astronaut. When our campus hosted the Annual Conference, I was inspired by a certain story told by one of the guest speakers. It was a story, a true story, which told of a group of young architects who decided not to reap ridiculous profits from designing expensive houses, but design a hospital in Africa Pro Bono. I immediately wanted to become involved in something like this, and after a while I began to realise my current talents and interests: mathematics, physics, economics, construction, and design. All these things I realised fit perfectly into leading a career in civil engineering. Having had my life changed by UWC, I now wish to become a civil engineer and do Pro Bono work in developing countries like Africa, all the while being a UWC advocate, living and promoting the mission. The lifestyle of living in the institution hardened and conditioned me into living and coping with a stressful environment. Not only was I able to keep up really good grades, but I was also able to give back to the school community and the Las Vegas community at the same time. As a lover of physical activity, throughout the year I have developed the fitness facilities into tip-top condition, with numerous re-arrangements, and the ordering of new equipment. Along with this, I have organised and lead a fitness group, promoting a healthier way of living on campus. As for my involvement in the Las Vegas community, I dedicated many more hours than the IB required of me to the building and construction of homes for low income families. These two lots of services are just a sample of the services I have been doing. All in all, my first year at UWC was fantastic, and this was mainly due to the fact that I learnt so much; learning that was not just in the classroom. Being among these people and undertaking these activities has shaped me so much in just these 9 months, and I love to think about what another 9 months will do. I will never ever be able to thank the Australian National Committee and the people who made it possible enough for giving me the opportunity to attend a UWC. So, as one of many more to come, I say Thank You with all my heart.

All in all, my first year at UWC was fantastic, and this was mainly due to the fact that I learnt so much; learning that was not just in the classroom.

Corey Kirkham
UWC USA Mildura, Victoria
The moment I found that I was going to the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West, I knew that my life was about to undergo so many changes. What I didnt know, however, was how it was going to change. I first began to notice changes in myself even before I arrived at the UWC. I put further more passion into my community services, I was able to contribute more time into my hobbies, and I generally worked harder in everything I did. But this was only the beginning. I had never travelled overseas before; never having had the opportunity or money to do so, I had so many emotions running through my head. Emotions of happiness, fear and excitement of the unknown, and hunger for what land mass lay beyond the Pacific Ocean. This experience, along with the return flight in May, has really conditioned me to travelling internationally and via air.

The greatest change in me was from the 9 months at UWC. There were so many elements it came with that shaped me. Coming from a rural environment, I was never around people as much as I was here. With people knocking on your door all time, despite it being distraction to getting homework done, I learnt to be on top of my social game all the time. Having never had the chance to properly learn the social dynamics of other people than those from a country area, I developed so many social skills, learning how to cooperate and interact with any person from any background. As a result of being around these other international students, I began to learn a lot about what background they grew up in, and the issues they faced. Just one example was when I was there from my roommate from Afghanistan as he heard news from home that Kabul was bombed, where numerous people were killed. This developed a kind of empathy which made me feel, REALLY feel, what sort of troubles he was going through and how he was feeling. UWC is a place that attaches a familiar and friendly face to every country, and not a stereotype. As a result of the fore-mentioned experience, UWC has greatly changed the direction of my future