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

	Sana Sabri India Mahindra UWC, India Methodist University My experiences at UWC, combined with those at Methodist, have changed me into a person I never imagined myself becoming. I am majoring in financial economics and looking into microfinance as a part of my career. I have had the great opportunity to participate in the Peace Project in my home country, where we trained more than 160 women who now can support themselves. This project has grown me in uncountable ways.
	Edgars Safronovs Latvia Li Po Chun UWC, Hong Kong University of Richmond In the past years, I have lost the linear relationship with time. Mostly because every now and then I encounter moments that stay with me, inspire me, encourage me, and give me perspectives that let me see the world more three-dimensionally. These moments embody all that shapes me — my family, my friends, the revelations encountered in the academic world and in my travels, leaving and arriving, meeting, and meeting again. These moments have taught me to smile.
	Godsway Yao Sappor Ghana Simón Bolívar UWC of Agriculture, Venezuela Westminster College My college years allowed me to get involved and undertake several leadership roles in campus organizations, such as Westminster College International Club (’06 president), African Union Organization at Westminster (vice-president), and Spanish Club; I also tutored and mentored students in Spanish. I spent spring 2007 in Spain, where I analyzed the EU-developing countries’ agricultural relationships and made recommendations. Currently, I am collecting computers to be sent to Ghana. I intend to pursue my graduate studies in IT and public policy management.
	Meike Schallert Germany UWC-USA Harvard College Airports, libraries, and the Internet are strange places to call home. Yet years of studying abroad, first at the UWC, later in France, then at Harvard, have infused these places with personality and meaning. Here I belong, here I connect, here I feel displaced. Is this my future? Will I settle down? When? Where? With whom? I do not know. One day I want to be a historian, to make sense of it all, and to keep exploring the world.
	Flemming Schneider Rhode Denmark Red Cross Nordic UWC, Norway University of Richmond When I entered college, I was unsure of what I wanted to do outside my major in business administration, but soon after joining the debate team, I changed my major to rhetoric and communication studies. Engaging the community about pertinent issues in today’s society, informing not just myself but others of policy implications of government decisions has changed my perspective on my role in the globalized local community I live in.
	Julia Shalnova Russia UWC of the Adriatic, Italy Wellesley College After UWC, I never kept still, and I stayed true to my interests. Wellesley encouraged me to challenge myself and go beyond what I thought were my limitations. Working with diverse groups of people — the Wellesley community, international citizens, asylum-seekers, and patients — fostered invaluable people and managerial skills. Upon graduation, I plan to pursue my passion for social facilitation in the financial sphere, aiming to contribute to positive changes in my community. The sky is the limit.
	Jyotsna Shivanandan India Mahindra UWC, India Whitman College At Whitman, I have been continuously challenged to push my limits as a conscious thinker, writer, and activist. Whether it was working with Sudanese refugees while studying in Egypt, planning a diversity symposium for the college, or coordinating with MUWCI to facilitate a conference for NGOs in India, Whitman has allowed me to follow my passions and ambitions. The idealism sparked during my years at UWC continues to burn four years later and hopefully will do so for the rest of my life.
	Saed Shonnar Palestine UWC-USA Princeton University At Princeton, I’ve consistently applied the UWC principles of cross-cultural understanding and global peace. My extracurricular engagements, including the International Relations Council, the Global Issues Forum, and the Religious Life Council, are direct examples of how the UWC shaped my university experience. One exceptional experience I had at Princeton was bringing together a group of Middle Eastern students from different religious and political beliefs to organize an annual cultural celebration that is currently one of the most successful campus-wide events.
	Deepak Shrestha Nepal Red Cross Nordic UWC, Norway Methodist University My extraordinary and rewarding UWC experience became the defining object of my identity. Friends from different parts of the world helped me analyze myself, and the Davis family provided me a ground to objectify my ambitions. I have learned about different cultures and people, and above all, I have learned that there are always good people on this earth who will help you in ways you least expect. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to become who I am today.
	Sujit Shrestha Nepal Mahindra UWC, India Colby College “Whoever communicates to his brothers in suffering the secret splendor of his dreams acts upon the surrounding society like a solvent and makes all who understand him, often without their realization, outlaws and rebels.” (Pierre Quillard)
	Amit K. Shrivastava India Mahindra UWC, India Westminster College I still remember walking in the streets of Lahore, Pakistan, and, later, talking about it at the University of North Carolina, Asheville. The last four years have added an unmatched valor and depth to my life. Alas! The grandeur of experience(s) cannot be summoned. It is, perhaps, appropriate that I confine myself to exploring more inter-cultural relationships, because, other than adventure, they give me a precision with which to look at the correctness of deeds.
	Amer Shurrab Palestine UWC of the Adriatic, Italy Middlebury College As an economics major, I studied fiscal policy and options-pricing theory with people from four continents, while having time to read Boccaccio’s Decameron and learn about the last Russian Tsar. I managed language tables where people spoke everything from Swahili to American Sign Language, and I organized the Eid dinner for the Islamic Society. I also met my soul mate in a summer language school. For all this, and much more, I will be forever grateful to have been a Davis Scholar.
	Zheniya Sidarchuk Belarus UWC of the Adriatic, Italy Colby College During my UWC years, my passion for economics evolved into fervent desire to learn this subject with a view to enhancing the economy back home. Studying economics under the supervision of extraordinary professors was a formative experience that included a trip to China, a year at LSE, and a research project, all enriching academically and personally. My long-term objective is to help develop financial markets in Belarus. I am deeply grateful for all these amazing opportunities.
	Carlos Siekavizza Robles Guatemala Red Cross Nordic UWC, Norway University of Richmond Each place you go has an adventure reserved for you. At least that is what my experience at Richmond has taught me. I decided to follow the path of natural sciences, but I remained involved in the university community by becoming a resident assistant. GLBT activism has been my passion as well, and I think that will continue. My UWC experience has definitely made a great difference in my college experience.
	Ishan Singh India UWC of South East Asia, Singapore Colby College The past four years have been nothing short of incredible. My cultural, academic, and social experiences have been immensely varied, and I have matured in a way I never expected. Majoring in economics has allowed me to grasp part of the workings of our complex world, and I look to pursue a career related to this field. I am thankful to those who have made my time at Colby possible, and for the inspiration they have provided.
	Simran Singh India UWC of South East Asia, Singapore Lewis and Clark College Human rights and the plight of AIDS victims have always interested me, and interactions with peers from different cultures grew my understanding of these issues. As an international affairs major, I’ve had diverse and challenging studies. I plan to continue my studies at graduate school with a focus on human rights and international law, but I am unsure where I will work eventually. Thanks to these opportunities, I know I have the ability, passion, discipline, and a solid background to make a difference.
	Joachim Skyaasen Norway UWC of the Atlantic, Wales Middlebury College Arriving at Middlebury College, I found that students from the UWC constituted the largest group of international students on the campus. This cushioned my first few weeks in the United States, but it had the consequence that other students often felt alienated and thought of the UWC students as an elitist group. Though eternally grateful to the UWC and the UWC Davis Scholar Program, I have found that like-mindedness and excellence spur from a variety of different sources.
	Himali Singh Soin India Mahindra UWC, India Middlebury College Working with Spirit in Nature, the Sunday Night Environmental Group, and WRMC radio station, I’ve interacted with people of diverse thoughts and ideas, ultimately nourishing my work as an English and theater major. Middlebury has allowed me to explore an array of interests and the potential in this world. The myriad dimensions of my education have urged me to look inwards and cure my own idiosyncrasies, as the final aim of meditating on the world is to change it.
	Kathrin Kip Strothe USA Li Po Chun UWC, Hong Kong Wellesley College Representing Wellesley College at the World Model United Nations Conference in Edinburgh during my first year, being on the varsity golf team, participating in Society Zeta Alpha (the literary society), and spending my junior year studying and working in Paris are all examples of important influences from my college years. I hope to continue having such varied and international experiences throughout my future.
	Shruti Subramanian India UWC of South East Asia, Singapore Skidmore College I have had an enriching time at Skidmore, being president of the International Student Union, part of residential life, working for the annual alumni fund, being involved with the Management Business Department, and engaging in community service (Habitat for Humanity and Big Brother Big Sister Program). I attribute much of my desire to be well rounded to the IB CAS program at UWC, and I’ve made every effort to apply what I learned there to my time at Skidmore.
	Anastasia V.\ Sulzhenko Russia Red Cross Nordic UWC, Norway College of the Atlantic At COA, I’ve taken a number of art courses and gradually shifted my interest to the technology-based arts. I became involved in video and sound-related projects and I am attempting to take it further. I have received a lot of help and support from teachers and work-study supervisors, from my advisers and the larger college community. I believe I know what path to take next.
	Chun-Yi (Joey) Sum Hong Kong Li Po Chun UWC, Hong Kong Washington and Lee University While my UWC education has introduced me to friendship across all continents, my four years at Washington and Lee continued to cultivate my cultural perspectives, enabling me to explore different parts of the world. I was blessed with opportunities to experience various lifestyles and alternative worldviews that were beyond my immediate experience. Inspired by renewed appreciation for the amazing plurality in the world, I hope to further my study in cultural anthropology to facilitate intercultural dialogue and international understanding.
	Erisha Singh Suwal Nepal UWC-USA Wellesley College The UWC opened me to new ideas and opportunities and changed my life. My UWC experiences have been an inspiration that I’ve carried further at Wellesley. My summer internships building houses in Sri Lanka for tsunami victims, initiating a youth network among the slum communities of Kathmandu, and working with a research team investigating the role of social networks in spreading microfinance in Karnataka have, in particular, strengthened my commitment to working for development in South Asia.