We are proud of the impact Anna is making in her home country, Senegal and the world, and we believe her project is a testament to the power of a RCN education. Anna Diagne Sene, who graduated from RCN in 2020 and is currently a Junior at Macalester College. Anna’s project, “xam sa bopp xa sa adduna” (Wolof for “Know Yourself, Know the World“), aimed to empower 20 Senegalese middle school students to become more open-minded and empathetic towards the world beyond Senegal, as well as equip them with strategies to cultivate well-being in their education journey.

My name is Anna Diagne Sene and I graduated from RCN in 2020. I am a Junior at Macalester  College, studying Political Science and Arabic (my 2 majors) with some Economics on the side. Macalester was in my top 2 choices and I applied through the regular decision round (Shoutout to Mark for seeing right away that Mac was the place for me). My time there so far has been exceptional. I have carried out multiple projects, including the most recent one in my home country, Senegal.

My project, “xam sa bopp xa sa adduna” (Wolof), which translates to “Know Yourself, Know the World” sought to encourage and empower 20 Senegalese completing middle school to become more open-minded and empathetic towards the world beyond Senegal, as well as equip them with strategies to cultivate well-being in their education journey through a series of workshops over three full days. It was funded by the Macalester Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

The idea of introducing the participants to the world beyond Senegal mainly came from my realization that the Senegalese education system does not critically explore the world beyond our borders. Such realization mostly sparked from my time at UWC. RCN broadened my horizons as I lived, shared meals, went to class, and discussed and learned about diverse cultures with young people from all around the world. It’s in Flekke that I started to think more critically about the world and how I fit in it. I wanted other Senegalese to also start their journey of knowing the world even if they don’t attend a UWC, because that opportunity is not given to everyone.

Parallelly, the well-being portion stemmed from my desire to help younger Senegalese students realize that they should take care of themselves even under intense pressure. Back in Senegal, I was never introduced to the idea that I should think of my well-being when I study. I wanted this narrative to change, even for a small group of students, because if I had to pick one thing I learned at RCN, it’s that change starts with one person. Finally, this project helped me start my journey of making the Senegalese education system more grounded in the country’s history and open to the ever-changing world.

RCN literally changed my life! Graduating with a bilingual international diploma enhanced my self-confidence. It’s also RCN that instilled in me the responsibility to make a difference with what I have. Going there as a 17-year-old, without my family, in a country miles away from Senegal also taught me to be self-reliant, responsible, and adaptable, qualities that made me quickly settle in college. RCN gave me a lovely host family, mentors who pushed me to excel (shoutout to Daniel and Barbara and the entire staff back then), friendships, and sisterhoods that I hope will last for a lifetime. I owe much to the Flekke bubble and can’t wait for the day I return by the grace of Allah!