2008 Graduating Class

This section provides brief profiles and photos of the Davis United World College Scholars Program’s graduating Class of 2008.

During the preparation of this yearbook, each senior scholar responded to several questions from the Davis UWC Scholars Program. They wrote about the impact of their college experience on their lives, learning, and goals. Many also briefly described their plans and hopes for the future. The profiles that follow quote from their responses.

A B C D E-F G H I-J K L M N O-Q R S T U-V W-Z

	Aman S. Dang India UWC of South East Asia, Singapore Colby College Having spent my last four years here seeking my calling, I finally found it — teaching. Graduating with a degree in English and education is so different from how I’d envisioned myself as a freshman that I am almost intimidated by the change. As I stand tall, hoisted up by my professors, friends, and family, I realize my defining college experience has been the people I’ve met, learned from, and come to respect. I thank Davis and hope one day to help the program that led me here.

	Janey Daniels Graham South Africa UWC of the Atlantic, Wales Dickinson College Dickinson College was the perfect continuation of my UWC education. I got exactly what I was promised — a liberal arts education. Sincere thanks to the UWC Davis scholarship for the support and to David Leslie, chairman of UWC South Africa, and his wonderful wife, Yve, without whom I could not have done this. Also, a huge thank you to Giulia Rinaldis, my admissions counselor at Dickinson, for all her support and encouragement throughout the years.

	Maria da Silva USA UWC-USA Brown University At Brown I concentrated in political science and have been particularly focused on issues of persistent gender discrimination in the public sphere. In 2006, I co-founded Brown’s first female mentoring program to facilitate inter-generational dialogue between alumni and senior women. This year, I explored the multitude of niches within the vast field of law with my mentor, a U.S. DOJ civil rights attorney. After Brown, I plan to attend law school and eventually practice in the field of social justice law.

	Zinaida Dedeic Montenegro UWC-USA College of the Atlantic COA has given me the opportunity to discover my academic passion — biomedical science — and science courses reinforced my desire to pursue developmental biology in graduate school. Non-science courses provided a broad, balanced, academic foundation. COA’s collaboration with the Jackson Laboratory and Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory gave me the opportunity to spend two years in an environment where cutting-edge projects are performed. This opportunity enabled me to apply what I have learned and experienced at COA to explore further the scope of biological research science.

	Innocent Sibusiso Dlamini Swaziland Mahindra UWC, India Macalester College At UWC I had a chance to view the world as it is, not as it seems to be, so my values were not swayed by the affluent life that is found in many American colleges. Macalester College is very supportive of service to the wider community, and it also offers courses that demand open-mindedness and critical thinking. My plan after graduation is to become a biomedical engineer. I hope to one day return to Swaziland and contribute to the health care system.

	Nikolay Domashev Russia Pearson UWC, Canada Westminster College My two most important accomplishments at Westminster were founding the UWC Club and working as a resident advisor, activities requiring persistence, courage, and creativity. Thanks to them, I fulfilled two ambitious goals — exemplifying UWC ideals and contributing to the college that has supported me so much emotionally, mentally, and physically. Yet, it would have been impossible for me to achieve these heights without mentors and close friends, particularly, Bob Hansen and Jennifer Johnson, who supported and inspired me. Thank you.

	Emmanuel Fulgence Drabo Burkina Faso UWC-USA Bates College I have an apple and you have an apple. If I give you my apple and you give me your apple, we both have one apple. I have an idea and you have an idea. If I tell you my idea and you tell me your idea, we both have two ideas.

	Natasha D’Souza India Mahindra UWC, India Bates College At Bates, I have made lifelong friendships, found classmates who share my passions, and interacted with professors who have encouraged me to think critically and challenge myself. I have pursued a concentration in economics and religion, and my senior thesis focuses on developmental economics. I’ve also studied a foreign language and traveled to Trinidad and Tobago to conduct research. I intend to work in the financial industry and later go to business school. I aspire to return to India and help effect socio-economic change.

	Varun Dutt India UWC of South East Asia, Singapore Macalester College I am extremely grateful to Mr. Davis for his support of the educational opportunities I have received. My overall experience at Macalester has been an enriching one, and, beyond receiving a rigorous education, I have learned more about generosity and humility than I might ever have expected. Going forward, I want to help people in a meaningful way.