Vol 15 December 2017
The Alumni Magazine of UWC South East Asia
Christina Chung,
illustrator and entrepreneur
Lizanne and Robert
Milton changing lives
Graduation 2017
More updates and profiles
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Our alumni community …
is located in the folllowing countries: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium,
Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China,
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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, Somaliland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
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, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe
1 OneºNorth December 2017
Our alumni community ............................................1
Alumni services ..........................................................1
Message from the Head .......................................... 3
Note from the Alumni Office ................................. 4
UWC movement – 17 schools and colleges ......... 4
The Miltons —Changing lives and
creating future leaders
The benefactors to date of alumni
Lizanne and Robert A Milton’s
endowed scholarships ......................... 5
Cover story
Illustrator and entrepreneur,
Christina Chung ’11
A successful and creative career in
illustration ...............................................7
Graduation 2017
576 graduates, 2 alumni guest speakers, 1
parent of alumni guest speaker and 2 graduate
speakers—Sumi Dhanarajan ’90, Kimheang
Chham ’16, Kishore Mahbubani, Kavya
Deshpande ’17 and Arjun Krishnan ’17 ................. 9
An interview with Pandit Mami ’10
“You never knew from one moment
to the next if you would be alive or
dead.” .....................................................11
Measuring the impact
of a UWC education
Is UWC accomplishing its mission?
A study by the Harvard Graduate
School of Education will try to answer
this question .........................................13
Year in review
A sample of the huge variety of events and
activities that take place at the College ..............15
From Biomedicine to F&B
Ralph Monthienvichienchai ’06
changes career direction ....................17
UWCSEA Alumni directing and
producing Hollywood films
Giri Sripathy ’06 Producer. Daniel
Grove ’03 Director ............................. 18
Recent alumni events
Worldwide alumni get-togethers and
Reunion 2017 ........................................19
Alumni giving
How alumni are enhancing the
experience for present and future
students at UWCSEA .........................21
The difference giving makes
Gifts to the UWCSEA Foundation
impact the continued growth and
development of the College .............23
My UWCSEA journey:
Re-imagining the possible
Ng’ang’a Muchiri ’04, Assistant
Professor of English in the US,
pursuing research in East Africa ......24
Outdoor education at UWCSEA
Outdoor Education continues to grow
across all grades at UWCSEA ...........25
Alumni Reef Defenders
Adrian Chan ’14 and Phil Woodhead ’06
working to prevent blast fishing and the
damage it causes .....................................27
Eight former Banda Aceh
scholars visit UWCSEA
Eight former scholars from Banda
Aceh reunite in Singapore .................29
Upcoming reunions
Don’t miss out! ........................................................30
One°North is published by UWC South East Asia anually for alumni, staff and friends of UWCSEA. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without written
consent. Send your address change to alumnimagazine@uwcsea.edu.sg and/or update your profile on the UWCSEA alumni website or through the alumni app. We
welcome your feedback; please send comments to alumnimagazine@uwcsea.edu.sg.
Please send your articles and/or suggestions for articles, for the next issue, to alumnimagazine@uwcsea.edu.sg.
Contents
Cover photo and credit: Christina Chung’s illustration, ‘The Celestial River’, created for a gallery exhibition entitled ‘Parallel’.
Editor
Brenda Whately
Design
Nandita Gupta
December 2017 OneºNorth 2
One of the most pat and ubiquitous phrases in everyday social interactions
must surely be: “It has been a pleasure.”
“What, honestly?” I feel compelled to ask. Thanking that woefully tedious
speaker, enduring the phony networker at a party or giving the same address
for the fifth time has been “a pleasure?” Exactly what kind of a life must one
have for this stuff to be so inordinately joyous? But, of course, it is merely a
convention: often the phrase really means: “I’m glad that’s over.”
Well I begin my fourth year in a state of humble delight and can say with
sincerity that it is, one hundred percent, a pleasure to introduce this
important publication. I know far more about the alumni body than I did
last year, and while that knowledge is but a tiny fraction of the whole, I have
met enough wonderful people to feel proud and excited about the UWCSEA
community in and beyond the College. From reunions to significant project
work to casual interactions, I have experienced a buzz and energy that
crackles away still. And great things are afoot …
Last year I began this introduction by recounting our experience looking to see
if Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education might continue to work
with us on an ambitious movement wide project. We were seeking to move
from anecdotal to research based evidence concerning the mission-aligned
impact of our alumni, and we were in the process of trying to persuade
Professor Howard Gardner and his team to engage. A one year exploratory
study instigated by and based at UWCSEA had proved a success, and so we
were pitching for a more extensive and detailed analysis.
Well, I am thrilled to say that we did it. A four year study not just of UWCSEA
but the UWC movement begins this year using both longitudinal and sectional
methodology. UWCSEA is effectively handing its baby over to the movement,
but we can be very proud of our part in the genesis of this exciting work.
I’ve always thought that one can be brimming with UWC values and the
attendant ethical dispositions in a thousand different walks of life: looking
at the jobs people do is only a small piece of the puzzle. We await Harvard’s
input with interest. Exciting times ahead.
Climbing down from academia’s tower, may I extend the warmest of
invitations to you all to engage with us and one another. It’s uplifting to see
UWC alumni coming together around the world, and I must confess that after
the UWC Congress in Trieste last year I was especially moved on discovering
just what the collective power of UWC alumni can do. All that Platonic
rhetoric about “peace” was suddenly made earthy and real and possible.
So, please do enjoy what follows and be assured of the warmest of welcomes
at UWCSEA. May you all enjoy a happy and successful year.
Chris Edwards
Head of College
Message from the Head
3 OneºNorth December 2017
This year I had the immense pleasure to attend for the tenth
year in a row, the annual alumni milestone reunion celebrations
that have taken place since I began working for UWCSEA
Alumni Relations. Reunion 2017 was organised by a wonderful
group of staff that many of you will know—Siti who has worked
in the alumni office for seven years thus far, Rae who joined
the alumni team as Communications Assistant Manager last
November and Lu who joined the wider Advancement team as
Events Executive in September. They are already starting on the
organisation of Reunion 2018.
Our very first milestone reunion was held in 2008 so we are
looking forward to seeing many of the groups who celebrated
five and ten years ago, reuniting for another celebration in
Singapore next August 2018. We also look forward to seeing
alumni at one of the many alumni events planned for the
upcoming year.
We have seen many new and exciting initiatives at the College
over the past year or so, including, just to name a few, a new
centre for entrepreneurship at Dover Campus called the IDEAS
Hub, a new networking platform for alumni of all UWCs called
the UWC Hub, and a refugee scholarship initiative which has
already provided the opportunity for Nancy and Mahmoud,
two students of refugee status, to start their UWC education
this academic year, funded by alumni and parents of UWCSEA.
We expect this coming year to be no different.
This 15th issue of the alumni magazine features a few of our
very interesting and talented alumni. Please read on for their
stories and enjoy.
All the best.
Warm regards,
Brenda Whately
Director of Alumni Relations
There are now 17 UWCs around the world, the most recent being Phuket, Thailand, Changshu, China and Karuizawa, Japan.
Note from the Alumni Office
UWC movement schools and colleges
Lu, Brenda, Siti and Rae
December 2017 OneºNorth 4
CHANGING LIVES
AND CREATING
FUTURE LEADERS
By Brenda Whately
Lizanne Milton ’83
Robert Milton ’78
UWCSEA alumni Robert Milton ’78
and Lizanne Milton ’83 are changing
the lives of young people and helping
to create future leaders through their
incredible generosity and passion for
providing transformational education
opportunities to deserving students.
In 2011 the Miltons put in place an
endowed scholarship at UWCSEA, two
endowed scholarships at Robert’s alma
mater Georgia Institute of Technology
(Georgia Tech) in the US, and a fourth
endowed scholarship to fund a UWCSEA
student to attend Georgia Tech. Since
then, they have established a further
endowed scholarship at the University
of Virginia.
There have been four students to
date who have earned the Lizanne ’83
and Robert A Milton ’78 Endowed
Scholarship to attend UWCSEA and two
UWCSEA graduates who have earned
the Miltons’ Georgia Tech scholarship.
The first to earn both scholarships, to
attend both UWCSEA and Georgia Tech,
was Chi, from Vietnam. Chi attended
UWCSEA from 2011 to 2013 and
Georgia Tech from 2013 to 2017.
As a university
student, Chi
continued to
involve herself in
myriad activities
just as she had
done at UWCSEA. She was a member
of the Women’s Chorus and the GT
Dance Company for three of the four
years of her undergraduate programme,
and worked as a teaching assistant for
the School of Maths. In the summer of
2015 she participated in a study abroad
trip to France with a focus on French
culture and language and in the summer
of 2016 she engaged in a summer
research programme for undergraduates
in Mathematics at Williams College in
Williamstown, Massachusetts.
In May 2017 Chi graduated with a
degree in Applied Mathematics from
Georgia Tech with highest honours and
in September 2017 she entered the first
year of her PhD in Math at the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
When asked what her time at UWCSEA
has meant to her, Chi says, “Looking
back on my time there, I think I was
very well prepared for college. I was
very quick to adjust to changes in
my surroundings thanks to my time
living among friends from all over the
world, and the IB prepared me well
for the workload and need for time
management. I still remember my time
at UWCSEA with a lot of fondness
and I am grateful for the scholarships
that the Miltons provided me for my
education at both UWCSEA and Georgia
Tech. The investment they made in my
education was the foundation for all
the achievements that I have made, and
gave me the access to opportunities
that I would not have gotten otherwise.”
We wish Chi all the best in her PhD
programme.
The second student
to earn the Miltons’
scholarship to
UWCSEA was Anh,
another young
woman from
Vietnam. Anh started her UWCSEA
education in 2013 and graduated in
2015, subsequently earning a Davis
scholarship to attend Wellesley College
in the US where she is currently pursuing
a double major in Economics and
Mathematics.
Remaining as busy and involved at
Wellesley as she was at UWCSEA, Anh
has been learning her third language,
Korean, and participated in a six-
week study-abroad program at Yonsei
University in Seoul. She says, “Through
my involvement with language classes
5 OneºNorth December 2017
and the Korean culture, I am progressing
toward my goal of understanding
East Asia, comparing and contrasting
development in East Asian countries
with that in Vietnam.” Anh is also
carrying out economic research with a
faculty member on Gender Differences
in Entrepreneurial Outcomes which she
hopes will benefit female entrepreneurs.
As she graduated from UWCSEA, Anh
said, “The most powerful takeaway from
UWCSEA for me, is that our race, our
skin colour and our nationality don’t
speak wholly for who we are.” She says
of the Miltons and their scholarship,
“UWCSEA has enabled many things
I have today, including my constant
intellectual growth and progress, and for
that no words can express my gratitude
to Robert and Lizanne for making my
two years there possible.”
The second
UWCSEA student
to enter Georgia
Tech on a Milton
scholarship is
Davit, a young man
from Armenia who has just begun his
university studies in September 2017,
majoring in Computer Science. We
wish Davit a wonderful and rewarding
journey ahead.
The third student to
receive the Miltons’
scholarship to
attend UWCSEA
was Sivhuo, a
young woman from
Cambodia who entered in 2015 and
graduated in May 2017, subsequently
earning a Davis scholarship to
Macalester College in the US where
she hopes to pursue studies leading to
a medical degree. As she left UWCSEA
she said, “The education system in this
school has taught me to be a student
who loves challenging myself, seeks
out opportunities and is always well
prepared for them. Moreover, we are
taught to put our values into action
through service and that is something
that is meaningful to me and will always
stay with me.”
The fourth and current UWCSEA scholar
to benefit from the Miltons’ generosity
and commitment to educating deserving
young people is
Aquib, a young
man from Guyana
South America
who arrived this
August. He says,
“When I heard that I had been offered a
scholarship to UWCSEA, it was probably
one of the most ecstatic days of my life
so far … the one thought that struck
was that this is the path to my future.”
Aquib will graduate from UWCSEA in
2019 and head off to university, Davit
will graduate from Georgia Tech in 2021
and both will be followed on a regular
basis by more outstanding students
benefiting from the Miltons’ life
changing endowed scholarships.
Given these opportunities, some of these
students will no doubt go on to become
future leaders in their field of study, career
or community, bring positive change to
their home countries or perhaps even
become world leaders. As Aquib says,
“[The Miltons] are giving the gift of
education, which as Nelson Mandela said,
‘is the most powerful weapon we can use
to change the world’.”
“Education is critical and
I’ve found there to be
few experiences in life
as fulfilling as enabling
a child who is really
capable, who would
not otherwise get the
chance at a world class
education, to benefit
from one.”
Robert Milton ’78
Photo: Robert Milton ’78, currently serves as the Chairman of United Airlines, and as a Director and Trustee of many other corporate and philanthropic boards. Robert
won the ‘Top 40 under 40’ award recognition for those who have achieved significant levels of success in leadership and innovation before age 40, founding his own
airline company in his twenties and becoming President and CEO of Air Canada by age 39.
December 2017 OneºNorth 6
By Brenda Whately
I spoke with Christina through email
to find out a little more about her, her
‘pirouetting’ and her work.
After coming to Singapore from
Seattle Washington with her family,
Christina attended UWCSEA for seven
years, graduating in 2011. Among the
numerous other subjects, service and
activities she was involved in, Christina
studied Art throughout her years at
UWCSEA. When asked if the College
has had an influence on her eventual
choice of career, she says, “Needless to
say Art was my favourite subject and IB
Art absolutely set me on the path that
I’m walking today. It was in IB Art that
I first came across illustration both as a
concept and as a viable career option.
My favourite art teacher from Grade 7
to 11, John Widder was fundamental in
my eventual decision to continue my
artistic studies through university. I also
think the unique and varied education
I received at UWCSEA helped me to
continue to think out of the box beyond
my years spent there.”
After graduation, Christina returned to
the US, this time to Brooklyn New York
where she earned a Bachelor of Fine
Arts (BFA) in Communications Design
with a concentration in Illustration, from
the Pratt Institute. She has remained
in New York City since, working as a
freelance illustrator. Starting out in
editorial illustration, creating work for
newspapers and magazines, both in print
and online, Christina has since branched
out into creating work for gallery shows
as well as illustrating book covers and
designing silk scarves featuring some of
Illustrator and entrepreneur
Christina Chung ’11
Christina’s website describes her thus:
“Christina Chung is an illustrator based in Brooklyn, New York. Through a line and
pattern-based style, she creates illustrations that are sensitive, delicate and infused
with symbolism.
She spent her childhood blackberry-picking and pirouetting in the Pacific Northwest
of the United States, her summers in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and her angst-filled
adolescent years in the hot and sweaty melting-pot known as Singapore.
She likes cats, coffee, Earl Grey tea, making to-do lists, devouring books and the smell
of lavender.”
‘Adam and Eve’ an illustration Christina created for TED, about the relationship between Adam and
Eve, examining their love for each other beyond the traditional story.
Photo credit: Micah Pegues
Cover photo: Christina Chung’s illustration, ‘The Celestial River’, created for a gallery exhibition entitled ‘Parallel’. Christina’s interpretation of the theme of parallel
worlds was to create this piece examining the question, ‘What if what we know as our reality was turned upside down and in a parallel universe we turn our heads upward
to see fish swim through a river in the sky?’
7 OneºNorth December 2017
her designs, in addition to her editorial
work. She has an impressive set of
clients for that work including The New
York Times, TED, Scientific American
and Amazon Publishing.
When asked why she has chosen to
remain in New York City, she says, “New
York is a wonderful and rewarding place
for an illustrator. Brooklyn specifically
is home to a huge number of young
creatives like myself, but of course the
entirety of New York City is historically
an epicenter of art. I love living in a city
surrounded by creatives from all walks
of life that I can identify with, learn
from and be inspired by. I also love the
fast-paced lifestyle of New York City;
the constant buzz of energy keeps me
productive and inspired.”
John Widder, Head of Art at UWCSEA
met up with Christina and a few other
former UWCSEA art students in New
York City last year. He has this to say
about Christina, “While some students
seek notoriety by grand works of art
on a massive scale, Christina earned
accolades for putting in exceptionally
strong research in “the book”; the IB
Sketchbook that contains all of the
research and practice that serious
practitioners will perform to be sure
their work is both conceptually and
technically grounded. The Studio Work
that resulted is still clear in my mind,
now many years later. In her major
work dealing with her place with Asia,
she dealt with journeys and the effects
of Chairman Mao. Through her near-
flawless research and development
process, she discovered a personal
style and approach to her art-making,
elements of which can still be seen
in her current professional work. An
accomplished thinker and writer in
addition to being a top visual artist, it
comes as no surprise but with great
pride, to see Christina as a successful
illustrator within the highly competitive
New York City market.”
When referring to UWC values, Christina
mentioned that, “From time to time I
like to donate my work to non-profit
organisations or publications that write
about or work on issues that I care
about.” It appears that the UWC values
are alive and well in her. And I am very
glad that this is one of the ways in which
she expresses those values since she has
donated to us the use of her illustrations
for this publication. Thanks Christina!
Oh, and her pirouetting? A childhood of
ballet.
For more information and to view more
of Christina’s amazing work, please visit:
http://www.christina-chung.com/
Christina with teacher John Widder and four other
UWCSEA alumni.
‘Pulsenet’ an illustration for Eater, about technology that the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention in the United States uses in order to prevent the spread of food borne illnesses.
‘Nuwa’ a portrait of the Chinese
mythological figure, Nuwa,
created as a personal piece by
Christina. Nuwa’s tale describes
the origin of humankind and
how she saves her children from
certain death.
December 2017 OneºNorth 8
GRADUATION 2017
“The important thing is that we never let
ourselves as a community and movement become
indifferent or apathetic. We cannot become
accepting of nor apologists for structures, or
institutions or systems when they are clearly
broken. You may—from time to time—wonder
whether your efforts are making any difference.
The problems are big and they are complex. At
those moments, it may be helpful to you to reflect
upon the thoughts of one freedom fighter, Vaclav
Havel—a playwright—who became the first
president of the Czech Republic. He wrote:
‘Anyone who claims that I am a dreamer who expects to
transform hell into heaven is wrong. I have few illusions,
but I feel a responsibility to work towards the things I
consider good and right. I don’t know whether I’ll be
able to change certain things for the better, or not at all.
Both outcomes are possible. But there is only one thing I
will not concede: that is, that it’s meaningless to strive in
a good cause.’”
Sumi Dhanarajan ’90, Dover Graduation guest
speaker. An alumna of UWCSEA, international
development practitioner and lawyer, Sumi has
dedicated her career to social justice causes.
Arjun Krishnan ’17
Dover graduation speaker
9 OneºNorth December 2017
“ … [Through my time at UWCSEA] I learned
that there is so much that every individual can
do to help make the world a better place and
every single person has the power to do that
and I am one of them. I got to learn so much
about myself and the world … through IfP
[Initiative for Peace], Round Square and even
just taking care of each other as a family in the
boarding house … And this is why I took a gap
year. I returned back to Cambodia to initiate an
IfP conference to empower youth in Cambodia
to bring about change to our country through
service. I want every single one of you to know
that you can make a change. But don’t do it
because you’re told to, do it because an issue
is concerning you or because your heart just
wants to help those in need …
Class of 2017, I have learned two important
lessons that I hope resonate with you:
First, you’re never too young to start making
a difference that your heart desires … Do it
while the fuel is burning in your heart to make
that change! Because if you don’t, it will fade.
And second, we often glamorise global service,
but you can make a difference in your home
communities as well … It won’t be easy, but all
obstacles can be overcome if you keep working
hard, keep being hopeful and remember why it
is so important to make that local impact.”
Kimheang Chham ’16, East Graduation
alumna speaker
576 Graduates
42 Scholars
64 Nationalities
“… We have so many global crises, from climate
change to global financial crisis, from pandemics
to global terrorism, all these are happening … And
this is why it’s very important for graduates of the
United World College to try, to strive to achieve
global leadership positions. Because while you
are in college, as you look around this room, you
accept the different nationalities, you accept the
different costumes—effortlessly—and you know
that at the end of the day we live on one small
planet, planet Earth. And if we screw up planet
Earth, we don’t have planet ‘B’ to go to. So I hope
that after you leave the school and as you progress
in your life, you will always remember the values of
the United World College. Take them with you and
when you achieve positions of power, please take
care of planet Earth. And with that, let me offer
you my warmest congratulations.”
Kishore Mahbubani, East Graduation guest speaker
Dean of Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy,
Former Chair of the UWCSEA Board of Governors,
Parent of two UWCSEA alumni
Kavya Deshpande ’17
East graduation speaker
December 2017 OneºNorth 10
These were the first words I heard Pandit Mami say, back in 2009. He was addressing a
group of UWCSEA students and teachers at a forum on Sierra Leone, and it was not only
his story, told so matter-of-factly, that kept the room spellbound, but also his energy
and spirit. Like other Sierra Leonean scholars back in the early 2000s, Pandit had been
trapped in the middle of a long and brutal civil war fought over control of the diamond
industry. It affected his childhood, changed his future, and seemed at various points to
rob him of all his hopes. But his innate capacity for joy remained strong.
Years later Pandit is still one of the most exuberant and compassionate individuals I
know. He has a special way of dealing with a difficult past and transforming it into a
positive source of activism. Here is his story.
Tell us about your life before you
came to UWCSEA.
Before UWC, I was mired in a world
of uncertainty. My dad had suffered
a stroke and lost his speech in 1998.
From that time on, I became his walking
stick and his mouth piece. Our family
depleted all our savings to nurse him
back to health, but that never happened
and he eventually died in 2004.
I can still recall seeing my older siblings
dropping out of school as the financial
constraint began to kick in. We were
forced to move to the slums and lived
under deplorable conditions—no
electricity or indoor plumbing, and our
roof leaked when it rained. I studied
under candlelight and kerosene lamps.
I became accustomed to walking miles
to school on an empty stomach. I
remained in school solely through the
goodwill of some of my dad’s friends.
Then you came to UWCSEA. What
was that transition like?
I couldn’t possible have fathomed what
to expect. And quite frankly, I don’t
think I could have prepared adequately,
either. The problem was never about
academics. I was ill-equipped for the
technological savviness required for IB.
I didn’t know how to use a computer
and I had no clue how the internet
worked. I can still remember my first
Theory of Knowledge assignment: we
were asked to write a six-page essay and
I remember staying up all night typing
one letter at a time.
With sheer determination I was able to
face the challenges that I met through
my UWC journey with the right attitude.
They gifted me with the burning passion
to invest in my nation’s human capital
through the vehicle of education and
technological awareness.
UWC dovetailed critical thinking
and technological savviness in an
international and multicultural
environment and gave me the tools to
connect with all people regardless of
gender, culture, religion, socio-economic
status, sexual orientation, or political
affiliation.
After UWCSEA, you went on to study
on a scholarship at a US college.
Which were the pivotal experiences
there that led you to where you are
now?
At Colby College, I studied Political
Science, minoring in Religious and
Jewish Studies. I’ve encouraged other
Sierra Leonean National Committee
scholars to explore new areas of studies,
not just the natural sciences. UWCers
won’t make a significant impact in their
native countries if they’re not calling
the shots in every major field of study.
We can only be change makers if we’re
at the vanguard of policy reforms in our
home countries. If not, we’ll spend our
days as spectators, criticising everything
from the sidelines—something I would
never opt for and no one should.
Tell us more about the scholarship
program, Ngoyeaa Back to School
Foundation.
I started the Ngoyeaa scholarship
initiative in November 2016. The word
“Ngoyeaa” is from the Mende language,
“You never knew from one moment to the next if you would
be alive or dead. Any second you could be the one shot. I still
wonder why I was the lucky one when so many of my friends
were killed.”
By Linda de Flavis
UWCSEA University Advisor
An interview with Pandit Mami ’10
11 OneºNorth December 2017
a Sierra Leonean dialect, and means
the same as “Ubuntu”. It captures
the essence of our humanity and
compassion to others. It’s evocative of
what we want to accomplish in Sierra
Leone: bringing hope through education.
It’s a pilot program focused on students
within the Aberdeen community in
Freetown. Over time we hope to expand
it into a nationwide initiative.
The program began after my trip to
Sierra Leone in October of 2016 when I
saw first-hand how shaken and tattered
my nation had been by the Ebola virus.
I knew something had to be done to
mitigate the suffering of Ebola orphans
and underprivileged children. These
kids were becoming susceptible to gang
recruitment, drug addiction, sexual
harassment, assault, and petty crime.
Their plight resonated with me because
during my dad’s illness I owed my own
education to the largesse of certain
individuals who invested in me to ensure
that I became a constructive member
of society. They inspired me to become
an advocate of investing in the lives
of others. So, before returning to the
US, I met up with some of these kids,
listened to their plight, and made a pact
with them that if they were willing and
ready to go back to school and work
hard, I would raise the funds to see them
through school and college.
At Ngoyeaa, we believe that education
should be a right for every child
regardless of race, gender, ethnicity,
socioeconomic status, and religion. In
the past six months, we’ve sponsored
24 beneficiaries, selected based on
their potential and the severity of their
circumstances. We use funds raised
to pay school fees and buy uniforms
and books for the students. We also
assign mentors to motivate them to
work hard in school. The mentors help
the students with their homework, pay
regular visits to their schools and attend
PTAs and other school functions. We
want our beneficiaries to succeed.
We also have non-Sierra Leonean
mentors abroad who contact these
children once or twice a month to
facilitate cross-cultural learning and
multiculturalism. Inspired by the
UWC model, we believe that cultural
interaction and internationalism should
be at the epicentre of any educational
model in the 21st century.
What was the impact of your
UWCSEA education on the life you
lead now?
UWCSEA has forever changed the
way I see the world and make sense
of contemporary events. It made me
realise that we’re participants in history,
not bystanders—and we should never
believe that it’s the responsibility of
others to right the wrongs of society. All
of us should make it our point of duty to
mitigate the suffering of others and heal
our world.
For more information about Pandit’s
Ngoyeaa Foundation, please visit:
https://www.crowdrise.com/back-to-
school-foundation
Left to right: Pandit speaking at UWCSEA Graduation 2010; Pandit with, and giving a motivational speech to a group of High School students in Sierra Leone.
December 2017 OneºNorth 12
In 2015, UWCSEA formed a partnership
with researchers from the Harvard
Graduate School of Education to
investigate the impact of the UWC
educational experience on students
and society. The study was exploratory,
intended to build a general understanding
of impact and lead to the design of a
more in-depth longitudinal study.
The initial research questions were
defined in terms of ethical values, with
particular focus on: commitment to care
(for self, others and the environment);
moral principles, ethical judgement
and decision-making; and perceptions,
representations and concern for (social)
justice. After surveying nearly 1,000
alumni and just under 2,000 students,
interviewing more than 50 students
and working with UWC-USA, UWC
Red Cross Nordic and UWC Waterford
Kamhlaba, the researchers have
published an exploratory study report.
Here are some of the key insights.
Respondents overwhelmingly believe
that their experience at UWC had a
significant impact on their ethical values
and that they incorporate these values
into their daily lives.
The vast majority (more than 80%) of
UWCSEA respondents feel that they
are developing—or have developed—
important ethical values, both as
defined by respondents themselves
in their open-ended responses and as
defined through the questions on the
survey. In addition, approximately 75%
of respondents indicated that UWCSEA
either ‘quite a bit’ or ‘very much’ helped
to develop their ethical values.
The development of ethical values,
even the specific ones that the research
questions were concerned with, is only
part of the purpose of the UWC mission,
which depends on the community
transforming these values into action.
However, though not sufficient, it is
necessary, and can be seen as the first
step in the process of developing ethical
individuals with a bias for action who
can fulfil the UWC mission.
The majority of respondents do believe
that their values play out in their daily
lives (though this finding particularly
suffers from the issue of self-reporting).
There is remarkable consistency
between students and alumni across all
schools in terms of their belief that their
ethical values were developed at UWC,
which kind of values were developed
and their definitions of what constitutes
a ‘better world.’
The correlation between the guided
questions (where respondents were
selecting from a limited list) and
the open-ended questions (where
respondents, either in survey or in
interview, were inputting their own
ideas) showed consistency both within
and between responses. In other words,
UWC students and alumni have similar
views on how UWC impacts on them
and similar definitions of that impact.
Perhaps most tellingly, the open-ended
question “what would a better world
look like to you?” stimulated consistent
responses across all schools, regardless
of other factors. While there are some
methodological flaws that may have
resulted in ‘priming’ of respondents, the
level of consistency of response points
to a very real, unified point of view,
which can be directly related to the
UWC mission and values.
Measuring the impact of a
13 OneºNorth December 2017
The commonality of shared ethical values
appears to override differences in gender,
selection process, scholarship status,
educational model or country of origin.
This finding is potentially hugely
significant and needs further analysis
through a more long-term study to
be proven.
It appears that length of time at the
school might be a factor influencing
impact on students and alumni, with
those spending a longer time at the
school reporting a more significant
impact. It also appears that the number
of countries respondents lived in prior
to joining a UWC is a factor influencing
impact, with students who have lived
in more countries reporting a smaller
impact of the UWC experience than
those who are living in another country
for the first time. These two findings
make intuitive sense: that both degree
of immersion in a programme and
experience prior to a programme would
make a difference is sensible.
What was more surprising is that gender,
how a student is selected, whether or
not they receive financial support, which
educational model (K–12 or 11–12) they
experience or where they are from, all
appear to be negligible in terms of their
influence on the impact. There is further
exploration to be done here, but at this
initial stage, it appears that the power of
the UWC experience transcends other
factors in terms of lasting impact on the
ethical values of students and alumni.
Key experiences contributing to the
impact include service experiences,
specific conversations that emerge
during the academic programme and
the experience of being in a multi-
cultural and multi-lingual environment
with people from diverse backgrounds
and experiences.
When asked which specific experiences
contributed to the impact, respondents
repeatedly referred to the service
programme, conversations that
particular topics stimulate in class (as
opposed to academic content per se)
and the diversity of the student body.
Those who experience boarding talk
about the impact of learning to live with
people with different backgrounds and
expectations from their own. While a
causal relationship is far from proven,
these areas are worth exploring further
to see if it is possible to connect specific
experiences with specific impacts.
It is also interesting to consider the
UWC-specific nature of some of these
experiences: are they being replicated in
other educational environments?
Impact on society is as yet unclear.
While it appears that UWC students
and alumni do have a positive impact
on society (the service activities of
students alone would suggest a not
insignificant contribution), the problems
of self-reporting and a lack of control
group make it difficult to draw any real
conclusions in this area. For example,
when asked whether or not they
volunteer, 50% of respondents said they
do and 50% said they do not; there is
no pattern between respondents who
volunteer and those who do not and it
is therefore impossible to understand
whether or not the UWC experience
contributes to this urge to ‘give back’
(and indeed, volunteering is not
necessarily the best way to measure
‘giving back’). Equally, the patterns in
the sector respondents work in can be
more easily traced to their individual
background than to their UWC
experience. And, of course, there is no
necessary relationship between the type
of work an individual is engaged in and
their impact on society.
The problem of measuring impact on
society will need to be carefully considered
during the next phase of the study.
UWC education
What happens next?
The exploratory study provided
some key learnings that will feed
into study design for a more
long-term assessment. UWC now
has an ongoing partnership with
the Harvard Graduate School of
Education and the Good Project to
develop the next stage, a four-year
study with two strands:
• Follow a single cohort, before
entry into Grade 11 and again
on exit from Grade 12 to assess
changes in, or development of,
particular ethical attitudes and
behaviours.
• A limited sectional study focused
on students 5, 15 and 25 years
after their UWC experience to
assess how behaviours and choices
they have made in their working
and personal lives relate to our
understanding of how society can
be impacted by the behaviour of
individuals or groups.
This project, as well as measuring
the impact of a UWC education
on students and society, will also
contribute to knowledge in this key
area of education and ethics.
December 2017 OneºNorth 14
IDEAS Hub
The IDEAS Hub, funded by gifts from
the UWCSEA community opened in
late 2016. It is a unique space at Dover
Campus that inspires and supports
creators from the College and the
community. The Hub provides a
variety of facilities and specialist areas
including collaboration and fabrication
zones, a coding and robotics area,
two green screen film studios and a
presentation space.
The Community of Theatre
The East High School Drama and Music
departments staged two impressive
theatre productions in December and
February—Macbeth and Jesus Christ
Superstar. The common theme that
emerged from the students involved
was ‘community’. The experience of
coming together as cast, crew and
musicians, sometimes with little else in
common, can forge a unique bond and
community among those involved.
Pulau Ubin, conserve or develop?
Grade 10 students from Dover Campus
investigated this question as part of
their Geography course. Collecting both
qualitative and quantitative data, they
agreed that this was a valuable natural
ecosystem which should be conserved.
Community Fair
The Parents’ Association Dover placed
sustainability centre stage in planning
its biggest event of the year. The focus
of the Fair revolved around the 5Ps
of the UN Sustainable Development
Goals—partnership, planet, people,
peace and prosperity.
Changing the Game
John O’Sullivan spoke at UWCSEA
to share his inspiring messages on
children and sports through a series
of presentations and workshops. The
qualities of resilience and self-awareness,
as well as the skills of collaboration and
self-management are at the forefront of
UWCSEA’s sports programme.
A few interesting stats
5,525 students across both campuses
| 3,725 families | 99 nationalities | 69
languages spoken | 341 boarders | 102
scholars | 769,000+ student hours
spent overseas in outdoor education
expeditions | 1,872 activities | 111 local
Service partners | 100 College Services |
166 Global Concerns | Average IB score
May 2017 is 37 compared to worldwide
average of 30.
Building bridges with boarders
More than 40 UWC National
Committee (NC) students in East
Campus have been ‘adopted’ by a
Primary School class, strengthening
community bonds between students
of different ages and celebrating the
diversity of the College. The K1 group
has been learning about the life of a
boarder and what life is like in that
student’s home country.
A sample of life on our campuses during the 2016/2017 academic year.
Year in review
15 OneºNorth December 2017
New Grade 7 unit of study,
‘Sustainability and Systems
Thinking’
This Humanities unit establishes strong
links between the subject and the UWC
mission and values. It builds on the
wealth of experience, understanding,
and opinions already held by our
students by this age as well as the
beliefs and values already being put
into action. It is just one of the stepping
stones in the K1 to Grade 12 curriculum
standard.
OPUS
Once again, the choral and instrumental
performances at the annual OPUS
concert showcased the amazing talent
of our students and staff.
UN Night
UN Night continues to be an annual
spectacle of food and dance from
around the world.
Family Festival
The Parents’ Association East hosted
3,000 attendees at their anniual
Festival in March. Global Concerns and
Focus groups showcased their work and
that of their partner organisations and
several sustainability-focused College
Service groups were on hand to share
the work they do in composting and
gardening as well as to support the
event’s minimal waste objectives.
Service visit to Daraja School
UWCSEA East has been working
with Daraja as a Global Concern
(GC) for four years. Daraja Academy
is a secondary school in Kenya that
provides education, opportunity
and independence to girls who may
otherwise not be able to attend school.
During the Lunar New Year 2017 service
trip to Daraja, UWCSEA students
further strengthened their bond with
the students there and gained insights
into their joy, determination and belief
that education is a gift.
To read more community news, see
UWCSEA Perspectives at https://
perspectives.uwcsea.edu.sg
December 2017 OneºNorth 16
By Brenda Whately
Ralph Monthienvichienchai ’06
How must it feel to join a new school at the age of 11
without being able to understand or speak a word of the
language? Ralph Monthienvichienchai knows the answer
to this. He arrived at UWCSEA from Bangkok Thailand in
1999 at the age of 11, speaking only Thai, without a word
of English. He says, “I was told to reply “I don’t know” to
everything, and that was my response when I was first asked
‘What is your name?’ Something I can never take back!”
Ralph soon learned to speak and understand English and
remained at UWCSEA until 2006 when he graduated
with his IB diploma. He began his further education at
University College London where he earned a BA (Hons)
in Biomedical Science in 2009, followed by a MSc with
Distinction in International Health Management from
Imperial College London.
I got in touch with Ralph when I heard that he was working
in the food and beverage (F&B) industry, to find out a bit
more about his switch from Biomedical Science to F&B.
Do you feel that UWCSEA influenced your choice of study at
university?
My biology teacher, Cathy Elliott sparked an interest in the
sciences, particularly biochemistry. Coupled with my work for
Underprivileged Children of Vietnam (UCoV), a Global Concern
(GC) that I co-founded, Biomedicine was something that really
spoke to me. Visiting the children that our GC supported,
post-donation and operation and experiencing the gratefulness
and tears from their parents/guardians, is a memory that has
imprinted on me immensely. The school and its philosophy
definitely came together to play a major part in the decision to
pursue this area of study.
How did you get into the F&B industry?
My mother started a small café as a passion project after
quitting a dreaded banking job during my time at UWCSEA and
steadily grew it from there. This inspired me to pitch a health
food-related enterprise for a business plan competition during
my MSc programme at Imperial College London. After having
won the competition, I decided to look into this area seriously.
The win was very unexpected as our competitors were proposing
cutting edge science innovation. But as they say, food speaks to
everybody and is something that everyone can relate to.
What has your path been?
Straight out of university, I set up a healthy desert café MADD
in the heart of London’s Soho district. After three years in Soho
and paying an extortionate amount of rising rent (currently it
is triple what it was when I started), I relocated the café into a
boutique theatre, The Arts Theatre, in Leicester Square. With the
experience I gained from this, I felt that I had enough confidence
and knowledge in the industry to open the food business that I
have always dreamed of.
Do you believe that your studies helped you on this path?
I believe that the BSc actually provided me the skill set required
for running a business. The degree was extensive in its content,
hence time management and multitasking became routine,
as well as thinking on my feet to resolve issues and find new
solutions to the problem at hand. Experimenting with our chefs
in the kitchen is comparable to working in a lab, plus the results
more often than not, are delectably rewarding.
Can you describe what you do and where, in terms of your
current work?
Currently, the latest venture in London’s Victoria district is On
Canteen, an eatery serving healthy modern Asian/Chinese food
and French patisserie. The philosophy behind the brand is to
focus on sourcing local seasonal ingredients, using no artificial
flavouring or additives. All our products are made in small
batches to ensure the freshness and quality of every dish.
In addition, I travel back and forth to Singapore to help grow my
mother’s restaurants, Folks Collective. It now has four outlets, all
based in the CBD. Folks Collective is a modern Thai food concept
where each restaurant is inspired by a period in time. We are
aiming to pioneer a contemporary image of Thai cuisine and to
challenge the limited scope of what a Thai restaurant has to be.
What are your future plans?
On Canteen is looking to grow in London and I am keen to bring
the business concept back to Singapore.
Folks Collective is in the process of securing further outlets to
bring our food outside the financial district. It has now become a
full-time family business with my brother Akira, UWCSEA Class
of ’08, and father joining in to help grow the brand.
Have you done any service work and/or interesting travel
since UWCSEA?
Honestly, heading back to the UWCSEA campus has been the
most interesting travel I have done in years! I wish I had been
born later so I could attend the College now!
Folks Collective is currently working to set up ties with a charity
assisting children in need in northern Thailand. Watch this space!
More information about Ralph’s and his family’s restaurants can be
found at www.oncanteen.com and www.folkscollective.com
From
biomedicine to F&B
17 OneºNorth December 2017
Hollywood
producers and directors
Giritharan Sripathy ’06, Producer
After graduating from UWCSEA in 2006, Giri completed his Singapore
National Service commitment before entering New York University’s
(NYU) Tisch School of Arts in 2009, taking minors in business and politics
and focusing mainly on the pursuit of his dream of acting. There, Giri found
success in several performances, and forged many lasting relationships
that would pivot his career when he moved to Los Angeles after graduating
in 2013.
During the production of a pilot television program in which he was not only
a supporting actor but also served as an executive producer, he found that
he had a talent for producing films. From there, he began his own production
company Ball and Chain Productions. He first produced The Good Neighbor,
starring James Caan (The Godfather, Misery), which had its world premier at
the South by Southwest Film festival in 2015 and was subsequently released
theatrically in the US later in the year, and has gone on to produce Permission
starring Rebecca Hall (Vicky, Christina Barcelona, The Town) and Dan Stevens
(Downton Abbey, Beauty and The Beast), and Tilt starring Joseph Cross
(Lincoln, Milk), both of which premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival and
are slated for release in early 2018. He recently wrapped his latest project, JT
Leroy, starring Kristen Stewart (Twilight, Cafe Society), Laura Dern (Big Little
Lies, Jurassic Park), Diane Kruger (Troy, Inglourious Basterds, In the Fade) and
Jim Sturgess (Across The Universe, Cloud Atlas).
We were delighted to welcome Giri back to UWCSEA in 2017 to speak to a
Grade 11 IB Film class as part of our alumni mentor programme.
Daniel Grove ’03, Director
Daniel says he has always been a theatre kid, participating in Art, Music and
Drama at UWCSEA. “My first real cameo was singing the Ken part to I’m a
Barbie Girl in a UWCSEA production of The Bridge to Terabitha.”
He did not choose to study performing arts at Sydney University, instead
reading Philosophy and Media, but his interest remained and eventually led
him to LA and to film directing. He quips, “Directing felt like a good way to
combine my otherwise useless skills!”
In July 2017, Daniel released his feature directorial debut, The Persian
Connection in US theatres. He made the film in Los Angeles because “The
film was very much inspired by the geo-politics of LA. I was influenced by
the great neo-noirs like Taxi Driver and Chinatown and I wanted to make an
LA noir influenced also by my own experience of LA.”
Daniel has recently moved to Berlin after more than eight years in LA, to
work in the German TV industry. He says, “Germany has an incredibly
rich culture and a society willing to learn from the past and there’s an
opportunity for American trained foreign voices like myself to have a say,
particularly in these daunting times.”
December 2017 OneºNorth 18
RECENT ALUMNI EVENTS
Alumni Awareness Week (March–April ’17)
Melbourne (September ’17)
London (March ’17)
Jakarta (May ’17)
University Alumni Week
(June ’17)
London (November ’16)
University Alumni Week (January ’17)
Seoul (February ’17)
Bangkok (June ’17)
Kuala Lumpur (April ’17)
East Alumni Careers Week
(February–March ’17)
Dover Alumni Careers Week
(February–March ’17)
Tokyo (February ’17)
Singapore (December ’16)
around the globe
19 OneºNorth December 2017