We are always proud to see our alumni living the UWC mission after leaving RCN, but we are equally proud of our current students who are already making an impact. Meet Asta, a first-year student from Denmark who is passionate about global issues, music, outdoor activities, and, most of all, people. Asta’s interest in others drove her to start her own podcast, where she has the opportunity to hear people’s stories, learn about conflicts from around the world, and understand different perspectives. Recently she introduced first-year student Valeria from Ukraine, who fled with her family from the war and College guest Gato Catun, who used art to help him escape from violent street gangs in Guatemala. Keep an eye out for Asta and her podcast – we do not doubt that she will continue to make a positive impact in the world.

I applied to UWC to learn, not only academically but because UWC gathers people from all around the world with totally different backgrounds, cultures, religions, and opinions. I wanted to learn from people who are personally related to these conflicts, cultures, or stories that I would otherwise only have the chance to hear about in the news. Maybe some people would call us idealistic, naive young students who think we can change the world, but I truly believe that gathering young people from around the world to talk and educate each other as friends will help create change for a better future.

When I came to RCN, I found out that there wasn’t much time for tea, talks, and conversations because people were so busy with academics. It can be hard to create these conversations around a lunch table, so I wanted to create a space where difficult conversations could be the focus. First, we were a group of students that started a conversation club to establish a space for people to talk and share their opinions. I thought about creating a podcast for a long time. The whole process was a long journey as I had to find out about all the techniques behind it first. Luckily, Pablo Reyes has saved me all these times when I have yelled at the microphone for not working and taught me how to edit from scratch. Without this help and support from other students and teachers, I wouldn’t have been able to start my project. I appreciate this spirit, where people are supporting and helping each other. This spirit supports people in their projects, and I think this is especially special for the mission and spirit behind the UWC movement as a whole.

I am proud of my podcast and where it is today. I hear people’s stories, learn about conflicts from around the world and understand controversial opinions, which was my personal goal at UWC. Every episode takes a long time, but I feel honored that people want to share their stories. The idea behind my podcast, Point of View, is written in the description under each episode:
“The meaning behind Point of View is to hear and learn about different perspectives from all around the world that vary because of our country, religion, or culture. United World College is the perfect place to explore and learn face to face whilst listening to new perspectives.”

In the future, I want to keep on learning and hearing others’ stories. I want to keep on recording and developing the podcast. My goal is that not only people at RCN will listen to it, but hopefully, it will reach out to people from outside that don’t have the opportunity to speak with people from all around the world every day. I hope this podcast can be a small step closer to us listening and learning from each other and creating peaceful environments built on understanding, especially outside UWC.

Meet Kainat Ansari from Pakistan. After graduating from RCN, she studied Psychology at Whitman College, where she received the Ben Rabinowitz Awards for her community work. Now she continues her studies at the University of Oxford.

Reflecting on my UWC RCN journey brings nothing but tears of joy and gratitude. The place that polished me beyond what I could ever have expected. I grew up in a small slum area of Karachi and had always felt hopeless thinking that I could do nothing to change my life until I came to RCN. RCN brought a sense of optimism and idealism to me at once. Meeting people who shared the same experiences and endurances as I brought a sense of community I had longed for so long.

I remember coming to RCN and meeting my roommates; I was almost so shocked and in awe at the same time realizing that I am surrounded by such diverse people who come from very different backgrounds, and yet we find common grounds to come together. The people who believed in making this world a better and peaceful place. If I start to talk about my whole experience at RCN, it will take hundreds of pages to pen them down. However, I am grateful for the people who made me confident and believe that no matter where I grew up or what society I belonged to, I can be an independent and empathetic person regardless. I am grateful to my peers for giving me such unforgettable experiences. I am grateful for my teacher who once told me, “Kainat, learn to have fun, enjoy your journey; trust me you’re going to places.” Those words gave me the courage and directly and indirectly inspired me to achieve things that I never thought would be possible.

After graduating from RCN, I went to the USA to pursue my undergraduate degree at Whitman College. I am a rising senior, majoring in Psychology. Currently, I am completing my third year at the University of Oxford. I am looking forward to going back to the USA and completing my degree. This summer, I will work as a Psychology Teaching Assistant at Johns Hopkins University CTY program. This year brought me a lot of accomplishments in my life including the Rabinowitz Award. I am selected to do a project regarding the mental health of the BIPOC community at Whitman. I am passionate about raising mental health awareness among underprivileged communities, and I hope to do more work to make the lives of people better.

The purpose of sharing a little about myself was to tell people that I am proud of the work I am doing. I am proud to be called an alumna of UWC RCN. There are so many factors that have contributed to my confidence in dreaming big, and one of them is my experience at RCN. As I pen this article, I am almost tearing up thinking of my journey at RCN and how it has carved out my pathway. This place will always be a sacred place for me, and I hope to see this place again and reflect on my journey and those endless giggles and laughter.