One North December 2019

ONE° NORTH

Vol 17 December 2019

The Alumni Magazine of UWC South East Asia

Climate change

awareness through art

Conserving our rainforests

Protecting the Galápagos

Engineering for social impact

When our skills and interests

meet the world’s needs, that’s

where we can make a difference.”

Nathan Hunt

Former UWCSEA teacher and

Director of Sustainability

Read more on page 20

DIVERSITY:

DIFFERENT FOR

EVERYONE

Moving towards a

shared understanding

DZAEMAN

DZULKIFLI ’04

Conserving our

rainforests and our

planet

GRADUATION

2019

Dover Guest speaker

Pascale Moreau ’79,

UNHCR Director of

the Bureau for Europe

YEAR IN REVIEW

A sample of the huge

variety of events and

activities that take

place at the College

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.

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.

Editor: Brenda Whately; Design: Nandita Gupta

MESSAGE FROM

THE PRESIDENT

Carma Elliott speaks

of her first 3 months

as UWCSEA’s first

College President

FAREWELL FROM

BRENDA

Note from the

alumni office

SUSANNAH

SAYLER ’88

Bringing awareness

of climate change

through art

BEN HOWITT ’11

Veterinarian

protecting the

endemic wildlife of

the Galápagos

HANLI

HOEFER ’10

Pursuing one’s dream:

Model, actress, VJ, DJ

RIKHI ROY ’16

Pursuing one’s dream:

Women in Aerospace

KATHERINE

SHORT ’90

A phenomenal

love for the planet

NATHAN HUNT

Former UWCSEA

teacher and Director

of Sustainability,

promoting

sustainability at

UWCSEA

PRANAV

MOHAN ’15

Engineering for

social impact

ALUMNI GIVING

Celebrating UWCSEA

alumni generosity and

support

RECENT EVENTS

Photos from last

year’s alumni get-

togethers worldwide

REUNION 2019

Photos from the 12th

annual milestone

anniversary reunion

weekend, celebrating

the Classes of 1974,

’79, ’84,’89, ’94,

’99 and 2009 in

Singapore

Printed on recycled paper | MCI (P) 099/07/2019 | 005ALUMNI-1920

UPCOMING

EVENTS

Recap of Reunion

2019; Upcoming

Reunion 2020; and

the 2019/20 world-

wide event schedule

ALUMNI

SERVICES

Stay connected

COVER

Glacial, icecap and

permafrost melting

in Peru. From the

series A History

of the Future by

Susannah Sayler ’88

and Edward Morris.

Inside

December 2019 OneºNorth 1

to set up a student advocacy platform,

join the student council or, yes, still

being that kid in class who says actually,

I don’t agree. I think this links very

nicely to the core of our UWC values.

Through an education here at UWC,

we are inspired to be changemakers,

world leaders of the future, a force for

empathy and compassion. We aren’t lied

to and told that the world outside those

doors is a great one, that ‘war’ is a made

up word and that the climate crisis isn’t

real. Instead, we are taught exactly what

those issues are, what caused them,

and how we can fix them so that our

children or our children’s children don’t

have to. Because at the end of the day,

isn’t that the most important part of

an education? Learning how to right all

the wrongs?”

I look forward to connecting with you

on any issues you would like to raise

about this new role in the coming

weeks, months and years.

Warm regards,

Carma Elliot CMG OBE

Head of College

As UWCSEA’s inaugural College

President, I really appreciate this

opportunity to reach out to you—our

alumni—as one of the most important

groups in our large (and ever growing)

community. As you all well know, this is

a remarkable community; and there is no

doubt that the most remarkable part of

it is our student body, past and present.

With my tenure now into its fourth

month, I have been privileged to witness

a community shaped by a strong

commitment to mission, a community

which is purposeful and seeking positive

impact in all that it does. I have seen

so many examples of what the mission

means in practice: from hearing our

older students talk about the positive

impact their teachers have had on their

lives during Open Days; to watching

even our youngest students pledge to

take action on climate change during

UWC Day.

For my own part, I have in the last

three months been meeting individuals

and groups to build my understanding

of UWCSEA, the wider UWC mission

and our role over almost 50 years in

Singapore. I have also been more closely

defining my role and my potential

contribution to the College, and my

days have largely been designed to help

me do this. I have attended meetings

with government Ministers; spoken in

Message

from

the President

the Primary School about adoption,

and the adopted child in class; met

with some of my colleagues from other

UWCs, including visits to three of our

UWC family of schools; reviewed and

approved College policies; and delivered

a keynote speech at the Women in

Leadership in Education Conference in

Hong Kong. I have met with incredibly

generous donors and senior volunteers;

and spoken to individual students about

their interest in a diplomatic career. And

I enjoyed the riotous alumni reunion in

my first few weeks, which gave me the

opportunity to meet, and hear from,

a small number of you celebrating

“big” anniversaries this year. The

emotional connection felt to UWCSEA

was tangible (and visible, with some

teary eyes at times) throughout a long

weekend of celebration.

I am proud to be part of this warm and

embracing community and, while I am

still on a steep learning curve on some

facets of UWC life, I understand most

clearly now what it means to be part of

the UWC family.

I want to end with a quote from a

student who spoke during the recent

Open Days.

“Without the empowerment I have

gained from this community as a young

person, I would never have been inspired

2 OneºNorth December 2019

As I prepare to leave UWCSEA and the

alumni team after 13 wonderful years,

I want to say what an absolute privilege

it has been to have had the opportunity

to be part of such a truly amazing

environment as UWCSEA, with so many

interesting, inspirational and passionate

students, staff and alumni who I am sure

are already, or will be in future, making

a much-needed positive difference in

this world.

It has been wonderful to get to meet

and know so many of you over the

years and hear your stories. It has been

great as well to see alumni supporting

UWCSEA in so many ways, whether

it’s volunteering help and involvement

in events, the IDEAS Hub, University

Advice Days, Careers Week, assemblies,

panels, screening your films to students

and staff, agreeing to be part of the

alumni-focused UWCSEA Ambassador

ad campaign, allowing us to profile you

in publications and online, visiting the

College when in Singapore, offering

internships, advertising jobs, enrolling

Farewell

from Brenda

your own children, and supporting the

Scholarship, Sustainability and Teaching

and Learning programmes through

your generous donations, to name

only some. Thank you for continuing

to stay connected with each other and

the College.

Unfortunately, we can profile only a

very small number of alumni and tell

only a very small number of stories

about the activities at UWCSEA in this

magazine, even though every one of

you has a story to tell. Another place to

see and submit profiles and articles is

the Perspectives/Community News and

Points of View sections of the UWCSEA

website which can be reached via the

home page.

This 17th issue of the alumni magazine

has turned out to have a definite

environmental sustainability theme,

although that wasn’t originally planned.

It’s very appropriate however, in these

days of climate change, environmental

issues and fears for the future of

our planet.

In addition, there are stories of young

people pursuing their passions and

alumni lending their time to improve the

lives of others, as well as an interesting

article on Diversity. Please enjoy.

As a parent of alumni and soon to be

an alumni staff member, I hope to stay

connected with the UWC community

and continue to hear the stories of its

alumni striving to make the world a

better place.

The amazing Siti and Rae, along with the

wider UWCSEA team look forward to

continuing to keep you connected!

Warm regards,

Brenda Whately

Director of Alumni Relations

December 2019 OneºNorth 3

Promoting awareness of

climate change through art

Susannah Sayler ’88

“Art opens a space for belief. And belief makes a space for change.”

Artist Susannah Sayler is an Associate Professor of Art Photography and Transmedia at Syracuse

University and the co-founder and co-director of the Canary Project. A collective for art and media

showcasing ecological issues such as climate change, extinction, food systems and water resources,

the Canary Project’s aim is to deepen awareness and understanding of these issues among the public.

Susannah says what initially sparked the inspiration for the Canary Project was reading a series

of articles by Pulitzer Prize winning author Elizabeth Kolbert on climate change. After reading the

articles, she and her husband were moved to try to convey the same message about the urgent issue

of climate change using images and media, rather than words.

The Canary Project was founded in 2006. Susannah says,

“We believe that cultural production is a crucial building

block in social movements. Art opens a space for belief. And

belief makes a space for change. We use diverse media and

participatory projects to investigate and contribute to the

development of ecological consciousness. Art opens thought”

Since its beginnings, the Canary Project has produced more than

20 projects involving hundreds of artists, designers, scientists,

writers and volunteers and these have been exhibited in a large

number of diverse and public venues in the US and internationally.

One of the foundations for the creation of the Canary Project

and the inspiration for its name was a series called A History of

the Future—a set of photographs of landscapes from around

the world where scientists are studying the present impacts

of climate change, vulnerability to future impacts and/or

attempts to mitigate and adapt. Susannah says, “When we

started the photographic project, we thought of the images as

canaries in a coalmine that warn miners of dangerous levels of

toxic gas. They are warnings of future danger.”

Another early initiative of the Canary Project involved the

Green Patriot Posters. These were launched as a series of

bus ads in 2008, and have continued to be created since, as

a focused messaging campaign centered on environmental

sustainability. Susannah says, “The overriding message is that

our individual actions do matter, that we can all be part of the

sustainability movement and this can become a defining value

of 21st Century patriotism.”

In 2016, The Canary Project acted as producers on a short

film titled, The Arctic is, by Mel Chin (L’Arctique est Paris) and

a planned website that deliver a message from Inuit hunter

and leader Jens Danielsen. “Danielsen tells us of the startling

changes he is witnessing in Greenland and lets us know these

changes are already making their way throughout the world.

Climate change is not some far away phenomenon”

Next of Kin: Seeing Extinction Through the Artist’s Lens,

created in 2017 in collaboration with artist Christina Seely

and displayed at Harvard’s Museum of Natural History, is an

exhibition described as “An immersive experience that evokes

4 OneºNorth December 2019

The photographs in A History

of the Future were taken in

locations where scientists

study the impacts of climate

change. The series begins

in Peru where disappearing

glaciers threaten the country’s

water supplies.

a profound sense of empathy with our ‘next of kin’, particularly

those that have already gone extinct or are threatened with

extinction right now.”

These are just a few of the many projects described on the

Canary Project website.

In addition to the Canary Project, Susannah is also the co-

founder and co-director of the Canary Lab, launched in 2015.

The lab is housed within the College of Visual and Performing

Arts / Transmedia Department at Syracuse University where

Susannah and her husband work and teach. According to

the website, ”It hosts a variety of programming, works

collaboratively on projects, and offers courses open to students

across the university. Each semester, the course focuses on

a particular topic (food, shelter, animals, climate change,

etc.). Students read, research and make projects in response

to that research, often in collaboration with each other. The

cross-pollination of ideas results in publications, exhibitions,

events, or public interventions designed by the class. The Lab

also creates and supports additional workshops, sponsored

speakers, symposia, visiting artists and events.”

Susannah’s work as a photographic artist and her collection of

powerful images of landscapes around the world dramatically

altered by global climate change, won her a Loeb Fellowship

at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2009. There she

studied the current ecological crisis and the science, policy

and ethics of climate change. In 2014, she was awarded a

Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship and was also an Artist

Fellow at The Nevada Museum of Art’s Center for Art and

Environment. In 2016, she received a NYFA Artist Fellowship

and the 8th Annual David Brower Center ART/ACT Award.

Extreme Weather Events: Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, 2005

Extreme Weather Events: Manhattan, NY, 2012

Drought and Fires: Niger, 2007

Rising Sea Level: Venice, Italy, 2007

Glacial, Icecap and Permafrost Melting: Cordillera Blanca, Peru,

2008

Extreme Weather Events: Coney Island, NY, 2012

Johan Huibers’ Ark, The Netherlands, 2010

Drought and Fires: Umatilla National Forest,

Washington State, 2006

To view the work of Susannah and her husband and their Canary Project, please visit the website at: canary-project.org

December 2019 OneºNorth 5

“The Galápagos Islands are as beautiful

as they have always been described.

Along with many different volunteers

working on different projects here from

different parts of the world, the majority

within the National Park or the Charles

Darwin Foundation, working with the

locals, within their community, and

away from tourism has been the most

enjoyable aspect of my time here.”

This is how Ben Howitt describes his

last six months as Veterinary Practice

Manager of the clinic for the NGO

Darwin Animal Doctors located in Puerto

Ayora in the Galápagos Islands. With his

role ending soon in tandem with Darwin

Animal Doctors having to withdraw their

support to the veterinary clinic, Ben has

recently joined the Board of Directors

of Nova Galapagos, an NGO looking to

restructure and renew the project in the

same location.

When asked why he took on the

volunteer veterinary position in the

Galápagos, Ben said, “I wanted to

pursue a career progression that would

satisfy my growing desire to both travel

and work in small communities that

may not have the access to veterinary

healthcare that many of us take for

granted. It also gave me an opportunity

to expose myself to the challenges of a

different world of veterinary medicine;

those in the NGO sector.” Language

was an additional challenge for Ben to

take on, as the vast majority of the local

community who use the clinic speak

only Spanish. “Developing confidence

in the language from the base I already

had, is a skill that I have not taken for

granted,” he says.

Describing his work there, Ben says,

“Overpopulation of cats and dogs has

brought huge challenges to the serenity

of the Galápagos islands. Not only do

these animals start to interfere and

challenge the local endemic wildlife but

they unfortunately are not all clear of

infectious diseases such as Distemper,

Parvovirus, and Ehrlichia (Tick Fever),

which can also pose great risks to

the wildlife.”

Every four to six weeks, Ben says the

team would pack the veterinary clinic up

and move to another of the inhabited

islands to conduct a sterilization

campaign of dogs and cats over an

intense three-day period. “As a clinic,

we would also treat a huge range

of cases from infectious diseases to

emergency cases such as broken limbs

and open trauma from car accidents. Of

course, we are limited in the diagnostics

available and at our disposal, which

means that clinical decision-making in

many of our ill patients is much more

based on intuition and experience.

Having worked in a full emergency

mixed-discipline clinic previously for

almost three years, with a huge team

and access to diagnostic equipment

that many other clinics do not have

the luxury of having access to such as

a CT machine, I was able to build the

confidence and competence in my

veterinary emergency medicine and

advanced surgical skills. Nonetheless you

never stop learning in this profession and

I have certainly had plenty of situations

and cases that I had never been exposed

to before, nor that I thought I would ever

be, and these have been invaluable.”

Any contact with the endemic wildlife

is strictly illegal, in an effort to reduce

Veterinarian protecting

the endemic wildlife of

the Galápagos

Ben Howitt ’11

Ben in his surgery at Darwin Animals Doctors, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos

6 OneºNorth December 2019

human interference in nature. However,

Ben has had the fortunate opportunity to

be called to help the National Park when

they have needed extra vets. He says, “I

have had the chance to treat sea lions,

Giant Galápagos tortoises and pelicans at

various times during my stay here; a very

memorable opportunity that I treasure.”

Developing management skills in a

fast-paced clinic with an ever-changing

team of volunteers has also been very

valuable exposure in terms of leadership,

he says. “We have had many students

and veterinary volunteers with us on a

short-term basis, meaning our team was

transient in both individuals and their

skillset. This has been one of the most

challenging, yet rewarding parts of my

experience. I have met such a vast range

of people from all different corners of

the globe, coming to one location for

the same reason—to give back.”

After 11 years spent at UWCSEA,

arriving in Grade 2 and leaving after

graduating from Grade 12, Ben

completed five years of veterinary

studies at Bristol University. When asked

what inspired his interest in this field, he

said “I felt that the career would provide

me with the opportunity to work

practically within science and would

combine a love for working with animals

and pursuing my interest in the medical

field, leaving many doors open to me.”

Referring to his current experience, Ben

says, “The work has been incredibly

rewarding and I have loved every minute of

it. I feel there is a need now and arguably

a responsibility to reach out to the larger

community to bring awareness not only of

the fantastic work that has been achieved

thus far and the work that we want to

achieve, but also about the challenges that

the Galápagos animals face.”

In answer to what his near-future

plans are, Ben replied that currently

his plans all involve the Galápagos.

“The importance of this project being

restarted is paramount to the islands

and the need for veterinary healthcare.”

Ben will be the Managing Director of

the new veterinary NGO clinic in the

Galápagos under the name Galapagos

Animal Doctors (GAD), with, he says, “a

host of support from those who have been

part of the previous project and those who

recognise the importance of veterinary

healthcare and sterilization programs.”

Part of his immediate plans include

launching news of their veterinary work

online and on social media. “These NGOs

and their projects around the world

are incredibly important, and I would

love to give the people involved more

recognition and support for their work.”

“You never stop learning … and I have

certainly had plenty of situations and

cases that I had never been exposed to

before, nor that I thought I would ever

be, and these have been invaluable.”

If you would like to reach out to Ben about their exciting plans for the Galápagos, be involved, or support in any way, he is

contactable at benh@novaGalapagos.org. Alternatively, he will be keeping us all updated via his Instagram page @bovhowitt.

Ben outside the Darwin Animal Doctors clinic, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos

December 2019 OneºNorth 7

By Elizabeth Bray, Head of Dover Campus and

Erin Robinson, Middle School Principal, East Campus

Martin Luther King Jr’s quote sits very comfortably within our

community-wide conversation about why we value diversity

at UWCSEA and we would be foolhardy to ignore important

lessons from the past. The diversity of our community is most

definitely one of our greatest sources of strength. Around the

world, it is not difficult to find communities struggling with the

fear and uncertainty of embracing difference versus the illusion

of security found by closing the door and protecting the known.

Kurt Hahn’s vision for UWC recognised the power of an

educational system that deliberately brought different people

together for a shared purpose. At UWCSEA we welcome and

embrace the beauty of our differences because we know that

peace and sustainability will only be achieved through the

combined strengths and differences of many. Recently, we have

asked ourselves hard questions about the ‘look, sound and feel’

of diversity and inclusion on our campuses.

UWCSEA is unique in the world of international school

education because we consciously cultivate a diverse student

body through our K–12 day students, residential boarders and

scholars. In an international school setting, many students will

learn how to navigate cultural differences as their social skills

develop. However, it is not enough to leave the development

of intercultural competency to chance. Supporting students

to better understand their identity and the role that

cultural differences play in relationships and building strong

communities are key themes in our Personal and Social

Education (PSE) curriculum. You also see intercultural learning

in our Service learning and programmes such as the Initiative

for Peace (IfP). A core standard of our membership within

the Council for International Schools (CIS) requires us to

ensure that our Guiding Statements “endorse the school’s

commitment to developing intercultural learning” and from

the perspective of the CIS accreditation process, UWCSEA is in

many ways a model for embracing diversity.

And yet we know that there is more to do.

Our mission compels us to strive for intentional and deep

intercultural skill building. In turn, this drives our aspiration

to have inclusive and equitable organisational learning

environments and operational systems. It is because of this,

the UWCSEA Strategy highlights diversity and inclusion as a

strategic area of focus. As we began to explore how we might

support diversity to flourish throughout UWCSEA in the

future, our starting point was to engage with the members of

our community to learn more about what aspects of diversity

matter to them. The ‘world café’ process at the end of Term

2 this year created an opportunity for students, staff, school

leaders, parents, governors and alumni to share ideas and

contribute to outcomes of an Action for Diversity strategic

plan. Structured dialogue provides the means to elicit deep

conversation that is important at both an individual level and a

collective level. It also allows the participants to deepen their

understanding of one another’s perspectives.

Diversity:

different

for

everyone

“An individual has not started living until they

can rise above the narrow confines of their

individualistic concerns to the broader concerns

of all humanity.”

Martin Luther King Jr

8 OneºNorth December 2019

What emerged from the two world café’s was fascinating,

demonstrating first and foremost that diversity is valued by

our community. Through dialogue, it was clear that diversity is

complex. While one might initially think that an international

school would focus on visual diversity such as nationality, race

and gender, our community extends the thinking to embrace

notions of cognitive, ability, language, political diversity and

so on. Several of our boarding students also pointed to the

differences in experience between day students who may have

grown up as ‘Third Culture Kids’ (TCKs) and scholars whose

childhoods are firmly rooted in their family’s culture. Our

scholars are selected in part because of their ability to contribute

to cultural diversity but their cultural identity is different from

our TCKs in ways that may not be immediately obvious. This

adds to the intricate tapestry of student diversity at UWCSEA.

More than once we heard the comment “it’s not about ticking

a box” made with reference to the concept of diversity. It is

clear that the community values these conversations and the

opportunity to explore these ideas through dialogue, with

a view to addressing bias and uncovering unconscious bias.

There have been numerous requests to hold more world cafés

and to further explore and develop opportunities in which our

entire community can learn together. Conversation and making

meaning together is also a powerful vehicle to raise awareness

and push towards a greater understanding of one another.

We know that diversity and inclusion are intertwined in the

minds and hearts of our community, and we hope to explore

this further in the next steps of our project. In Term 3 of last

year, parents were invited to complete a community survey

that included diversity-focused questions. A similar survey

will go to staff and students early in this academic year. We

expect that this will be followed by focus groups and additional

community outreach. We are also engaging with experts in the

field, both in education and non-educational sectors. Based on

this work, we will develop an action plan.

The peace and sustainability of our planet has always needed

communities operating with a high degree of intercultural

competence. With hindsight, all educational organisations

should have been prioritising these skills and understandings

at least as much as—if not more than—other educational

priorities. Intentionally infusing intercultural competence

throughout our school culture as well as into the individual

actions of our students, staff and wider community is well

within our grasp—one action at a time. Diversity has always

been a part of the UWC journey and we’re thrilled that through

a strategic focus our community will have the opportunity

to deepen our individual and collective understanding of the

power of differences.

We would love to have input from our alumni

community. If you are willing to participate, please

visit http://bit.ly/alumnidiversitysurvey or scan

the QR code to fill out the brief survey.

“The peace and sustainability of our planet has always needed communities operating with a high

degree of intercultural competence.”

December 2019 OneºNorth 9

CONSERVING

OUR

RAINFORESTS

AND OUR

PLANET

Dr Dzaeman B. Dzulkifli ’04

Dr Dzaeman Dzulkifli is the Executive

Director of the Tropical Rainforest

Conservation and Research Centre

(TRCRC) in Malaysia, a non-

governmental organization whose

mission is to safeguard and halt the loss

of plant species in Malaysia.

“At TRCRC, we do this through our

conservation sites called Tropical

Rainforest Living Collections, which

are located in the Malaysian states of

Sabah and Perak. We safeguard our

forests’ most endangered tree species

and develop both off-site and on-site

conservation strategies within the

landscapes where they occur. We align

ourselves with emerging restoration

needs in the region, ranging from

national plans such as the Central

Forest Spine (CFS) and Heart of Borneo

initiatives, to working with corporates

with large land banks where some of

these species occur, as well as private

landowners and townships,” he says.

TRCRC’s expertise is in forest

restoration, where they work on

different landscapes with partner

organisations. The NGO is currently the

secretariat of the MYCFS consortium,

which consists of various NGOs working

on issues related to forest fragmentation

and connectivity in peninsular Malaysia.

Dr Dzulkifli is also a committee

member of Malaysian Environmental

NGOs (MENGO), an association of

various NGOs tackling a wide range

of environmental issues. Within the

region, TRCRC is part of the South

East Asian Botanical Garden network,

a programme managed by Botanical

Gardens Conservation International

(BGCI). “We play an active role in

capacity building throughout South

East Asia’s botanical gardens in terms of

their conservation efforts. We are also

about to embark on a partnership with

the World Resources Institute Indonesia

10 OneºNorth December 2019

and IDH Indonesia, the sustainable

trade initiative, to develop a mechanism

to better manage peatlands in order

to reduce trans-boundary haze issues

throughout the region,” he added.

A typical day for him can include the

development of new conservation

initiatives with various State

governments, to being out in the field

searching for and collecting endangered

tree species. He does this in addition

to dealing with the usual email

management and administrative duties

of running an organisation of 50 staff.

When asked if he feels that he and

TRCRC are making a difference, he

says, “Our collections hold a wealth

of endangered species of trees that

we have painstakingly cultivated from

their ever-diminishing populations.

We are safeguarding and increasing

these populations every year along

with developing ways of reintroducing

them back into the wild. Each and every

programme will benefit our forested

landscapes and we constantly look for

mechanisms to expand them. All of our

time spent at TRCRC takes us one step

closer to achieving our goals. I have a

great team that is very committed to

the tasks ahead and this is what drives

our organisation and the successes we

have achieved together.”

Arriving at UWCSEA as a Boarder,

Dzaeman lived first in Mahindra House

and then Senior House. In Grade 11

he moved to the Jakarta International

School where he completed his final

two years. He says, “Struggling with

dyslexia, my parents decided to move

me to Indonesia where they were based,

so that I could get the support I needed

from my family. This move worked

wonders, as it helped me focus better

on my preferred learning style, which is

more visual and tactile.” Dzaeman then

went on to complete an undergraduate

degree in 2007 and a PhD in 2014.

Maintaining his relationship with

UWCSEA over the years since, he has

met with its Director of Sustainability to

discuss possible joint projects, and has

given groups of Grade 11 students the

opportunity to become involved in the

work that the TRCRC does in Sabah, for

their Project Week.

“We are ever so grateful to have

UWCSEA students come and experience

directly what it takes to restore forests,”

he says. “Schools play a major role in

a person’s life, and the things we learn

from school will determine how we live

life. UWC can and should be an example

of how we can live and learn sustainably

in each and every way possible from the

carbon footprint of the campus all the

way to sourcing the most sustainable

food, to even being a zero-waste facility.

One of the most direct ways it can work

towards being a carbon neutral school

can be offsetting its emissions with

initiatives that sequester carbon, such as

forest restoration initiatives.”

UWCSEA is constantly looking at the

role it can play in sustainability. Some

of the initiatives it has introduced

include energy efficient air conditioning

systems, rainwater collection and re-use

for irrigation and toilet flushing, solar

panels, vertical wall gardens, automatic

lighting, the banning of tetra-packs

and disposable plastics on campus,

zero-waste through converting food

waste and used cooking oil to biofuel,

the planting and nurturing of rainforest

trees on campus, and more.

Dzaeman’s interest in rainforest

conservation comes from many

different places. “I had a family that

always exposed me to the great

outdoors from a young age. As I

was growing up in the east coast of

Peninsular Malaysia, I was always

exposed to the wilderness. Biology and

Geography were two of my favourite

classes at UWCSEA, not just because

of the subject, but also the enthusiasm

of the teachers. Going out and learning

practical application during field trips

was one of the best experiences I’ve

had. From then I decided I wanted to

pursue a career that would safeguard

our natural environment. In addition,

my peers came from many different

backgrounds and were interested in

many global topics. Seeing them pursue

their dreams gave me the push to do it

myself. The whole experience of being

in an environment such as UWCSEA

gave me the confidence to follow my

dreams,” he said.

His message to young people now is

straightforward. “It has often been

difficult to find a career that has a

positive impact in the world and that

you are able to sustain yourself in, but

there are social enterprises out there

and corporations with positive social

impact that are gaining momentum

around the world. You just have to look

for them. If you can’t find one that

supports your cause, you might want

to consider starting one up yourself.

We will have a better world when

humans and the environment we live

in can better coexist; when we ensure

that our activities on this planet are as

sustainable as possible. We have only

this planet, and its resources are finite.

We need to save ourselves—the planet

will carry on, and it will do so without us

if we don’t adapt to changing times.”

“We will have a better world when humans and the environment we live in can better co-exist.”

December 2019 OneºNorth 11

Societies can only be truly prosperous, stable

and peaceful if they include everyone. As

citizens, we have rights, but we also have

obligations, and you know this because you

have had the privilege of learning and living

in a multicultural diversity that promotes

understanding and tolerance. Please keep

this alive. It is one of UWC’s most precious

gifts, and each of you can make a difference."

Pascale Moreau '79

Director of the Bureau for Europe of

United Nations High Commissioner

for Refugees (UNHCR) and

Dover Graduation guest speaker

GRADUATION 2019

The world beyond UWC isn’t

something to fear, because we must

remember that it is our actions that

shaped our atmosphere. We worked

to create this reality, which means

we have the ability to do it again,

to extend this bubble beyond 1207

Dover Road. So as you go forward in

your life, even if you are scared, even

if you’re not sure, because none of us

truly are, do not let the expectations

you set for yourself hinder you from

taking risks. I hope we remember that

each of us have something to offer."

Teddy Diallo '19 and Ritika Purbey '19

Class speakers, Dover Campus

Whether you are a novelist, a filmmaker,

a baker, or a data scientist, it’s all about

creative problem-solving. It is a common

mission. In all this, what I’ve realised is that

to believe, to care, to pursue with conviction

together, is what strings together meaningful

moments in one’s life. I’m really excited for

your future today. I’m excited for my future

because you are going to be the leaders in it."

Ayesha Khanna

CEO, ADDO AI, Founder of 21C Girls,

East Campus parent and

East Graduation guest speaker

569

students

scholars

countries

When I think of our legacy, I can’t

think of a better way to set an

example for future grades than the

way we did: together. It highlighted

how far we've come and showed our

exemplary levels of cohesion. The

journeys we take and the memories

we forge are immeasurably better

when we have others to share it

with. I would urge you all to carry on

the spirit of cohesion that we have

cultivated."

Adhwaith Neralla '19

Class speaker, East Campus

Uniting Nations Day

The primary school infants of the college

came together in December to showcase

the diversity of the music programme.

A day to celebrate cultural integration

in the community brought students,

teachers and parents together. Through

this experience, Junior School students

gained a sense of appreciation for foreign

languages as well as open-mindedness

towards pursuing new things.

AIDA

Once in two years, Drama and Music

departments collaborate to create an arts

production at East Campus. This year’s

production, AIDA, was staged in four sold-

out performances and made up of 78

students. AIDA tells a gripping story and

sits against the backdrop of a raging war.

The students brought AIDA’s characters

to life through embarking on a journey

for several months, embracing new

challenges and exploring their capabilities.

Year in review

Solar for East

Earlier this year, a dedicated team of

Grade 10 students installed solar panels

at UWCSEA East. The students went

through rigorous planning for two-years

that led to the installation of these

panels. They emphasised elements of

the UWCSEA profile through showing

resilience and creativity, leading to the

success of the project. The learning that

came through the project was incredibly

meaningful to the students, as was the

impact it had on campus!

Diving in to Boarding

Start to Swim Is a learn-to-swim

programme comprising of students from

the Dover Boarding House. This initiative

was started by a Senior Houseparent

at the Boarding House and several

peer coaches. It gave new boarders

the opportunity to be immersed in the

joy of swimming and to build stronger

relationships between peers.

A sample of life on our campuses during the 2018/2019 academic year.

SHEHACKS 1.0

SheHacks, a platform for female

students to embrace opportunities in

technology, was founded by a Dover

High School student. She hoped to

change the negativity surrounding

female success in the field and worked

alongside IDEAS Hub and four other

students to design an all-female

hackathon. Over 90 students island-

wide participated in the event, making it

a success. The students found the most

exciting outcome was the creation of

a strong female coding community at

UWCSEA. This unique team hopes to

work on bigger projects in the future!

Supporting the migrant worker

community

In December, the youngsters of the

college had the opportunity to focus

on the heart of the UWC values,

encouraging compassion, by giving back.

Prompted through the social initiative

‘It’s Raining Raincoats’, the UWC

community donated Christmas gifts

to migrant workers. What the students

learned through the experience was best

summed up by what one student said: “It

was only a small thing that we did, but I

think it made a big difference”.

14 OneºNorth December 2019

UN Night – Dover Campus,

CultuRama – East Campus

Every year, both campuses celebrate the

diversity of their community through

a day-long showcase of cultural dress,

food and dance. Students embrace their

national costume during the day and in

the evening, showcase their international

culture at a lively dance show featuring

dances from around the world and a

number of international food stalls for

the whole UWCSEA community to enjoy.

A Cambodian Journey

At the end of Term 2 in 2018/2019, 80

Grade 8 students travelled to Cambodia

to build 40 houses in the Prey Veng and

Svay Rieng Province for Tabitha, a Global

Concern. This trip has taken place annually

for 13 years! 2020 will be it’s 14th year.

Guests from HCA Hospice get

UWCSEA experience

On 10 May, 18 guests from HCA Hospice

Care were taken on a customised

wheelchair-friendly Sustainability Tour

of Dover Campus organised by UWCSEA

parent volunteer group PACE (Parents’

Action for Community and Education).

The guests were serenaded by the Junior

School student singers and soloists,

participated in a string-art activity,

learned about UWCSEA’s sustainability

mission and actions and exchanged

stories with students.

OECD Education 2030 Project

With an interest in both the UWC

movement and our work with Sky

School (a global high school for refugee

and displaced youth and a UWCx

initiative), the UWCSEA Head of

Curriculum Development and Research

and the Director of Teaching and

Learning East Campus were invited by

the OECD (Organisation for Economic

Cooperation and Development), an

intergovernmental organisation with

36 member countries that seeks to

promote global progress, to share its

perspectives across a number of project

areas. Working groups were made up

of educational leaders from across the

globe and a variety of contexts. We

found several parallels between OECD

aims and those of UWCSEA including

the relevance of the UWC mission, our

development of student agency and

creation of a curriculum that enables

transfer of learning.

To read more visit UWCSEA Perspectives

at perspectives.uwcsea.edu.sg

East Campus celebrates

10 Year Anniversary

The East Campus of UWCSEA was

established just 10 years ago and

now lies in the heart of one of the

fastest growing hubs in Singapore.

This milestone anniversary invited

students and faculty to celebrate

the achievements of the past 10

years through a series of events and

decorations around campus.

December 2019 OneºNorth 15

Following 10 years at UWCSEA, from Grade 2 ‘til she graduated in 2010, Hanli Hoefer

has gone on to become a model, actress, interviewer and live event MC, MTV Asia host

and Singapore Radio DJ.

Hanli is of German and Peranakan descent. Her entrepreneurial spirit comes in large part

from her parents and older brother—her well-traveled father having founded the travel

books Insight Guides, her mother encompassing the roles of fashion editor, stylist, writer

and purveyor of organic foods from a farm she owns and manages in Nepal and her

brother Hans-sen ’09, also a UWCSEA alum and freelance photographer.

At the age of 20, Hanli was chosen for the magazine cover of Her World and has since

appeared on the cover of Nylon, Shape and Seventeen as well. Besides modeling for a

number of brands and appearing in a number of YouTube videos including a cooking

series called Ktchn Up, Hanli has also repeatedly co-hosted huge live Southeast Asian

music nights including MTV World Stage Malaysia and MTV Music Evolution Manila,

which have been recorded and played to international audiences world-wide. She has

done this as the main presenter and host for MTV Asia, which she joined in 2013. In this

role she has also spent much time traveling around the region to interview high profile

people including FI drivers, DJ’s and musicians like the Foo Fighters.

Traveling for her job has suited Hanli very well as she has a keen sense of adventure, a

love of travel and a joy in trying restaurants and foods that she makes a habit of seeking

out wherever she goes. Her travel posts are so popular that her Instagram account

currently has over 42,800 followers. Meeting and interviewing people also suits Hanli

well. She says, “Attending UWCSEA with its vast culturally and ethnically diverse

student body helped to give me the ability to feel comfortable working just about

anywhere, with any team and speaking to just about anyone.” She says, “I experience no

stress about working or traveling in and between different environments, and as a host

and media personality, interviewing and working with other people, there are no cultural

barriers—I feel able to talk to anyone.”

Without dropping any of her other roles, Hanli in 2017 joined the Singapore radio station

Power98, starting first with a shared night spot, and then moving on to host her own

show, ‘Hanging out with Hanli’. And on top of everything else she does, Hanli debuted

in 2018 in her first acting role as a cop in pursuit of a serial killer in the Toggle thriller,

Intercept, and is following that up with her second acting role in a programme scheduled

to hit television screens in mid-2020. She has also recently begun a new podcast.

In the years since leaving UWCSEA, Hanli has developed friendships with three other

UWCSEA alumni who work in the same industry in the same region—Paul Foster ’99, actor,

model and host for both live events and tv, and Anita Kapoor ’89, multi disciplinary presenter

and speaker, both of whom attended the College in years prior to hers, and Fiona Fussi ’14,

a model who attended after her. Hanli says, “Paul and Anita are role models for me in this

industry, with the added bonus of having had a similar UWC and TCK (Third Culture Kid)

background. I have worked with them on programs around body positivity, empowerment

and positive living. Those are the types of values that I too prefer to promote.”

On MTV’s VJ profile of Hanli, her Life Philosophy is listed as: “Always be kind, do what

makes you happy, just smile!”

Model, actress, VJ, DJ

Hanli Hoefer ’10

For more information about Hanli and her activities, you can find her @hanlihoefer

on Instagram, or visit https://hanlihoefer.com

PURSUING O

16 OneºNorth December 2019

Rikhi Roy attended UWCSEA for four years, graduating in 2016, having developed a

love for Math and Science and a great interest in aerospace.

In 2014, a couple of international events took place that had a profound impact on

Rikhi. She says, “While I was in Grade 10, there was a surge in global terrorism and

Malaysian Airlines plane MH370 went missing on a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur

to Beijing and was never found. Although I could do nothing about the acts of terror

that had occurred, I could direct my education toward trying to make a difference in

the aerospace industry.”

So Rikhi chose an IB package that included Higher Physics and Math and procured

an internship between Grade 11 and 12 with a company that does non-destructive

testing on faulty plane parts, using x-ray technology. Having cemented her interest

in the aerospace field, Rikhi then applied to, and was accepted by Georgia Institute of

Technology (Georgia Tech) in the Aerospace Engineering program. Interestingly, one of

the other features of Georgia Tech that drew her to it, was that they had a nationally

competitive Indian classical dance team.

Managing a busy schedule was not new to Rikhi. At UWCSEA she had started and led

for two years a dance group named ‘Kahaani’ which means ‘story’, showcasing dances

from across India. She led CultuRama (East Campus’ version of Dover’s UN Night)

also for two years. She was a member of the MUN (Model United Nations) team in

9th grade and the IfP (Initiative for Peace) team in 11th grade, along with a number of

other clubs and activities along the way. Again, at Georgia Tech Rikhi immersed herself

in everything she could, becoming captain of the competitive dance team, a member

of the Design Build Fly Club and the Aerospace Student Advisory Council, managing

a wellness blog and carrying out research at the Experimental Aerodynamics and

Concepts Lab. In addition, Rikhi continued to volunteer for UN Women Singapore

as well.

During her third year at Georgia Tech, Rikhi became a Brooke Owens Fellowship

recipient. The fellowship is designed, according to their website ‘to serve both as an

inspiration and a career boost to capable young women and other gender minorities

who aspire to explore our sky and stars, …’ and it provided Rikhi with an internship at

Bryce Space and Technology, working on Aerospace Analytics this past summer.

As part of her application for the fellowship, Rikhi had discussed the need to inspire

girls interested in STEM subjects and aerospace, and encourage them to challenge

these male-dominated industries. To turn words into action she decided to organise

a conference to do just that. Ignoring the voices that told her it was too much to take

on by herself, she went ahead and single-handedly organised a very successful event

that took place in May 2019 in Singapore, attracting an audience of 70 young students

from around the island, and featuring a number of high level female speakers from the

aerospace industry including NASA, who skyped in one after the other from the US,

as well as female UWCSEA alumni who had recently entered the industry and spoke

about their experience, and local speakers from Microsoft and Women in Aviation.

Rikhi is currently in her final year of university studies. We look forward to hearing

what she does next.

Women in Aerospace

Rukmini (Rikhi) Roy ’16

Photo top to bottom: Rikhi at Lockheed Martin in D.C in front of their Orion capsule mock-up; Rikhi at a Future

Space Leaders event; Rikhi meeting the previous NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan and current Director of the Air

and Space Museum; Women in Aerospace Conference that Rikhi organised in Singapore, held at UWCSEA East.

NE’S DREAM

December 2019 OneºNorth 17

A PHENOMENAL LOVE FOR THE PLANET

Katherine Short ’90

A lifelong nature lover, I am now a passionate marine

conservationist. I was one of the few lucky students in my

graduating class to go through the whole seven incredible years

at UWCSEA. Since completing the IB Diploma, I have done a

Bachelor of Ecology at Victoria University of Wellington and

Master of Conservation Science at Imperial College London.

I worked with WWF, the conservation organisation for nearly

17 years globally to grow healthy and well-managed fisheries.

Returning home to New Zealand in 2011, I created and now

own F.L.O.W. Collaborative (Fisheries.Livelihoods.Oceans.Well-

being) Ltd as well as co-own Terra Moana Ltd.

My key inspiration for being a professional conservationist is

my inherent love of nature. Ecology was a legitimate ‘in’ to that

in career terms. Growing up, nature was a big part of my life as

in my garden in Singapore, there were big rhinoceros beetles

amongst other wondrous tropical wildlife; I dove into tropical

waters on the east coast of Malaysia at Pulau Aur, when I was

only six years old; David Attenborough was big of course, and my

“We’re beginning to creep our way back to those wise roots of how to live more lightly on our Earth.”

18 OneºNorth December 2019