“It changed me one hundred percent and I'm very happy with the change,” Eugenia Machado '10 enthusiastically says of her time at a United World College. She was one of nine students from her native Venezuela selected to attend one of the prestigious International Baccalaureate schools. The program counts Nelson Mandela and Queen Noor of Jordan among its presidents and spokespersons. Citing an interest in what happens outside of Caracas and a strong desire to learn from and about other cultures, Machado attended the school from 2004 to 2006 after she completed her secondary studies. (Some UWC students attend in lieu of high school, some after.)“Most people think the same,” she says of her native country.“No one challenges you.”

That's definitely not the case at a UWC. Open-mindedness is the backbone of the program. Founded in 1962 and based on the philosophy of German educationalist Kurt Hahn, the UWC's mission is to unite students from all over the globe with the goal of fostering peace and understanding. The program encourages personal responsibility, compassion, activism, environmentalism and mutual respect. It“makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future,” according to its Web site. A belief in the power of that mission statement propelled Machado to attend and still influences her outlook today.

Machado was placed in Hong Kong. The UWC national committee in Venezuela assigns placements. She never found out why she went to Hong Kong, but feels it was the perfect match.“Alive” is the word she uses to describe the islands that were her home for two years. They were an ideal mix of natural beauty and cosmopolitan wonder. The UWC gives its students the opportunity to travel and in addition to her time in Hong Kong, Machado saw eight other Asian countries.

At the 12 UWCs around the world, members echo Machado's sentiment that“young people without prejudgment will change the world.” Students achieve this by fully immersing themselves in the world of their UWC. There are four components: service, creativity, campus support and sports.“Every day you learn something.” All activities are run by fellow students, giving them chances to learn from each other. Machado taught AIDS awareness and prevention at local Hong Kong schools, learned Chinese calligraphy, gave salsa dancing lessons and kayaked and rock climbed in China.

Her favorite experience though, were cultural evenings. Each region takes a turn decorating the dining hall, cooking cultural cuisine and performing native music and dances. Guests dress in the host region's garb, so students from Spain would be clad in traditional African dress. On those nights, with the celebration of differences and national pride, Machado was struck by the fact that“we're all young people having fun.”

These pursuits came on top of the rigorous IB course of study. Students in Hong Kong consistently have the highest grades of the UWC, a standard that smoothed the way for her transition to Haverford. (Currently, she is one of three UWC alums at the College.) Besides the academic parallel, Machado sees other connections between the institutions. Representatives from colleges and universities came to speak to the UWC students. She was intrigued by the notion of Haverford's honor code, calling it“another way to make myself more holistic.” This ambitious student also recognizes that a Haverford education will give her even more knowledge she can take back and share in Venezuela.

She wishes more people would apply to a UWC because despite its benefits, the program remains relatively unknown.“People seem intimidated when you have a high ideal.” Students like Machado believe they can change the world and the UWC encourages them to pursue that dream. Machado, who wants to study biology, plans to continue her international studies with a junior year abroad in Africa. She says,“There's always another point of view.” Her time in Hong Kong certainly proved her right.

— Danielle Bullen