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

	Elias Gebrehiwot Ethiopia UWC of South East Asia, Singapore College of the Atlantic At COA, I discovered my passion for filmmaking. In my sophomore year, I went to Yucatan, Mexico, where I learned a new language and met wonderful people who shaped my worldview. In my junior year, I had a fellowship, funded by the Davis family, at the Monterey Institute, where I learned more about international politics, trade law, and the United Nations. After graduate school, I want to specialize in filmmaking and entrepreneurship and contribute to the development of my country.

	Nyambura Gichohi Kenya Waterford KaMhlaba UWC, Swaziland Wesleyan University My most valuable college experience was the journalism course I took in summer 2007; it changed the way I viewed people and the stories they shared. While interviewing a former escort about her eight months on the job, I realized that life is not just about the great things one accomplishes but also about the stories one has to share at the end of the road. I hope to first work, attend graduate school, and then travel the world, building my own repertoire of stories.

	Mauricio Gomez Diaz Colombia Li Po Chun UWC, Hong Kong Macalester College Almost six years ago, I was told: “This experience will split your life into two parts — before UWC and after.” I remember thinking I was too young to be splitting my life, but now I know I was wrong. UWC changed so much in my life that I can’t imagine being who I am without it. I was fortunate to follow my UWC experience at Macalester, a place where I continued cultivating my ideas and values in the fulfilling and socially purposeful way UWC taught us.

	Dorothy Gondwe Tanzania Waterford KaMhlaba UWC, Swaziland Macalester College As a volunteer at Open Arms of Minnesota, I designed holiday gift cards, painted pedestals for events, and sent out mail to people living with HIV/AIDS. This has been an important influence in my life, because it taught me to appreciate the little things in life and celebrate life every day. Apart from the personal elements of my experience at Open Arms, I discovered my vocational interest in community health. My future plans are to travel and pursue a career in public health.

	Sergey Grechukhin Russia UWC-USA Earlham College The time spent at Earlham has been challenging and rewarding. I’ve had many opportunities to try new things, find new friends, visit different places, and study exciting new subjects. Over the past three years, my interests have shifted several times, finally sharpening in the area of legal studies and international relations and development. I am looking forward to continuing my studies in the near future and hoping to apply the acquired knowledge back in my country.

	Ricardo Armando Guzman Erazo Honduras Li Po Chun UWC, Hong Kong Macalester College Attending Li Po Chun UWC and Macalester College has given me the opportunity to make friends from around the world who have helped me mature intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally. My art courses have taught me how to express my concerns about the queer community and its struggles. Through my psychology and science courses, I now have the opportunity to pursue my plans to become a psychiatrist and help those who are underprivileged and suffering from mental illness in Honduras.