Kimi Jackson ‘92 recently began her tenure as UWC-USA’s Associate Head for Finance and Operations. In her new role Kimi will oversee the school’s operations, including the business office, HR, IT, security, facilities, and our food service contract. She will also lead key elements of the school’s strategic plan, including major sustainability initiatives around energy, food, water, and campus infrastructure–all while keeping the financial foundation of the school sound and sustainable.
For the past eight years Kimi has been the director of the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) in Harlingen, Texas. Supervising a staff of nearly 200 attorneys and other staff, ProBar works with minors and adults who have been detained on the southern border to help them access the U.S. immigration system.
“For me, UWC-USA is where my desire to be a force for good in the world was sparked,” Kimi said, “and that desire to live the UWC mission has continued to this day. I am looking forward to applying my skills and experience to the challenges that currently face the school, and to be part of its journey into the coming decades. I am looking forward to returning to a community that was pivotal in my life and which I hold very dear.”
After thirteen years serving as a member of UWC-USA’s board of trustees, Steve Dichter of Santa Fe, NM will retire from his service on the UWC-USA board. A business consultant with clients around the world, he has served as chair of UWC-USA’s board since 2014. Dichter earned the respect of the entire UWC-USA community as he led the school through leadership transitions and numerous external challenges. His leadership was marked by clear strategic thinking, cheerfulness to match a sharp wit, and dedication to the mission and students that drive the school.
He is also known for a variety of aphorisms that helped shape conversations throughout his tenure as board chair. “No work wasted” and “We make our own luck” are two of “Dichter’s Dictums” that he routinely shared with new board members and the school’s leadership during meetings and trainings. Steve helped UWC-USA “make our own luck” through deep analysis, aligned strategy, and the ability to pivot quickly as opportunities and challenges arose. He led through challenging leadership transitions, a global pandemic, and fires that threatened the school. Through it all he kept his eye on what is possible for UWC-USA, recognizing the importance of the only U.S. campus of the United World College (with 18 campuses worldwide) being located right here in Northern New Mexico.
UWC-USA President Victoria J. Mora will miss his leadership, though the friendship will continue: “I can’t speak highly enough of Steve’s leadership. He saw the Board and the school through multiple challenges for more years than we should have asked of him. Through it all, he was a steady presence, gracious and tireless in his work on behalf of UWC-USA. For me, he has been a wonderful thought partner and support, reminding me always that by putting people and excellence first we ‘make our own luck.’
Steve’s generosity to the school–time, talent, and treasure–has been exemplary and I onced asked him why he did it. After all, he’s not an alum. He doesn’t live in Montezuma or Las Vegas. And he had a full time job that took him all over the globe while he was chair. Like the man and his leadership, his answer was understated and inspiring: ‘These kids give me hope for the world.’ Steve’s leadership demonstrated this hope at every turn. We are grateful to count him among our greatest contributors, and our most stalwart friends.”
Aly Kassam-Remtulla ‘94 follows Steve in the role of board chair. He is the first alumnus of UWC-USA to serve in the role. A Rhodes Scholar, Aly earned his PhD from the University of Oxford. He is currently the vice provost for international affairs and operations at Princeton University.
Jonathan Zhang ‘19, who is currently completing his undergraduate degree at Harvard in Computer Science and Social Studies, has received a prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship to study at Tsinghua University in China next year. Similar to recipients of Rhodes Scholarships, Schwarzman Scholars receive a fully funded experience abroad that leads to a master’s in global affairs.
Jonathan will be a member of a cohort of 150 other fellows next year. While at Tsinghua he hopes to continue his study of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative on Saudi Arabian geopolitical and socio economic development in relation to Vision 2030. However he also has personal reasons to continue his studies in China.
“I have not been back to China in almost 10 years after studying abroad at my mother’s middle school in Beijing when I was 12 years old,” Jonathan said. “During that time, I was able to better connect with my roots and deepen my relationship with my extended family abroad. I also felt really connected to my Chinese peers at UWC-USA and keep in touch with them to this day.”
Jonathan feels that his UWC-USA experience helped prepare him for Harvard and he hopes that his year as a Schwarzman Fellow will capture some of the magic of a UWC experience. “The Schwarzman scholarship’s 8th cohort has students from over 36 countries,” he continued. “With the international residential experience from UWC-USA, as well as having done the Constructive Engagement of Conflict (CEC) series and becoming a leader during my time at UWC, I’m looking forward to being part of a close-knit international community of people working together again.”
The entire UWC-USA community was saddened this fall with news of the passing of Virginia Dwan whose vision and philanthropy have had a lasting impact on the school and the Las Vegas community. Former UWC-USA President Phil Geier, who first met Virginia Dwan and introduced her to the UWC-USA community, reflected on the ways she changed the school. Virginia, he recently shared, was a visionary whose own worldview resonated deeply with the UWC mission which led to the creation of “a space that elevates us to embrace a sacred wholeness to our otherwise splintered and chaotic world.”
While thousands of local visitors enjoy the Dwan Light Sanctuary each year, people also come from around the country and the world to experience the dancing prisms and light. Susan Dulaney, head coach of the Westminster College volleyball team brought her athletes to the Dwan Light Sanctuary earlier this year while in Las Vegas competing against the NMHU team from their home in Utah. “I always try to find something interesting and cultural for my athletes to do wherever we go. It was a quick visit but a great opportunity to see an amazing building and learn a little about a remarkable school.”
Greg Konsor, an art gallery owner and parent of a recent alumnus, reflected recently on his first impressions of the Dwan Light Sanctuary. “When you first walk in you feel a warm and inviting light. I’m amazed how the experience in the Dwan Light Sanctuary changes throughout the day even as the sun moves a little bit.” And beyond the first impressions, visitors who come to the Dwan Light Sanctuary repeatedly share that they find it more compelling upon each visit.
A gallery owner, philanthropist, and supporter of artistic innovation, Virginia Dwan’s career spanned nearly seven decades. She was a champion of “Land Art,” an artistic movement that made use of land – sometimes on a very large scale. One of the artists she supported is Charles Ross, whose Star Axis is still being built in remote New Mexico. Ross notably was also a collaborator on the Dwan Light Sanctuary that features his Prism / Solar Spectrum Artwork. Her family and friends have indicated that she was most proud of two singular accomplishments in her life: donating much of her art collection to the National Gallery of Art and the building of the Dwan Light Sanctuary.
According to Geier, the building provides countless opportunities for visitors to reflect, grow, and build community. “The Dwan Light Sanctuary provides a quiet refuge from the bewildering challenges of our time, a place where each of us can listen to our inner voices, and a space where our rational minds and imaginative hearts can flow together.” But it is in the resonance with the UWC mission that Geier feels the Dwan Light Sanctuary most supports the school and local community. An experience at the Dwan Light Sanctuary creates “a space where we can gain a glimpse of other ways of knowing and which invites communities of difference to come together seeking some common vision — a perfect synergy with the UWC mission.”
It was Virginia Dwan’s express wish that the Dwan Light Sanctuary remain open to the public. Visitors can access the building by stopping at the Welcome Center on the UWC-USA campus to get a fob for entry. It is open from dawn until dusk every day of the year.
The UWC Day theme for 2022, Peace Begins with Us, challenged the UWC community to explore how we can promote peace in our own communities and around the world. But when conflict inevitably erupts, as a UWC movement and as individuals, we sometimes become unsure how to respond.
Our next UWC-USA Alumni Speaker Series event will explore the causes of conflict as well as ways the UWC movement and mission call us to respond. The panel includes alumni who have explored conflict from a variety of perspectives and who will participate in a wide-ranging discussion moderated by UWC-USA’s president, Victoria Mora. There will be an opportunity for questions after the discussion.
In addition to Victoria Mora, the panelists include
Emilia Ramírez Valenzuela ‘02 has studied violence, youth, and transnational migration in academic settings and has gone on to work for a number of NGOs serving the needs of youth in Mexico.
Arianne (Ari) Zwartjes ‘97 was the director of the Wilderness program at UWC-USA for several years. She is a teacher of writing at Sierra Nevada College and has recently published a book, These Dark Skies (Univ of Iowa Press), about the nature of conflict.
Gert Skoczowsky-Danielsen ‘96 has worked for the UN for ten years in four continents, in aid effectiveness, democratic governance and in managing volunteers in Latin America and the Caribbean, and is a mediator and a trainer in Nonviolent Communication. In 2012 he was kidnapped and held captive for 12 days in Yemen.
Please join us for a one hour virtual conversation on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 7:00 pm Mountain Time. This online event is open to alumni and all friends of the school.
Eugene Garcia serves as UWC-USA’s head of security. More importantly, over the last two weeks he has been the incident commander for the UWC-USA wildfire command team. He has provided leadership for our school, supervised the evacuation, and has been the liaison with state and local fire officials – and he has also evacuated from his own property north of Montezuma.
Gene owns 45 acres in El Oro, NM which has been threatened by the Calf Canyon Fire since late April. With a background in law enforcement, Gene gets updates on his property from friends who are firefighters. He has heard that the fire has come within about a half a mile of his home. The area is under a mandatory evacuation order and he was able to evacuate along with his chickens and goats safely.
He is still deeply concerned that the buildings may not survive the next few days as the wind continues to shift direction almost daily.
At this point there are no more measures he can take to save his property and he understands that his buildings may be a total loss. Coming to work every day, supporting the students and staff, and working with local fire officials has been helpful for Gene – it keeps him from dwelling on concerns for his ranch.
The entire community is deeply grateful to Gene for his dedication to the school and our students.
After evacuating from the UWC-USA campus last week, students have been studying for exams and focusing on helping others at the Glorieta Retreat center near Santa Fe. Evacuating is stressful under normal circumstances but even more so as the second-year students face the International Baccalaureate exams they have been working toward for two years. Intent on bringing a little cheer back to his students, IB History teacher Alfonso Leon planned to treat them to a special pre-exam meal. He went to Trader Joe’s in Santa Fe to pick up the ingredients including cheeses, artisan breads, and other treats for a delicious brunch. Little did Alfonso know, Trader Joe’s would be treating him and his displaced students to their meal. While chatting with the cashiers, they learned that UWC-USA students had been evacuated from their campus because of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire. The cashiers stopped him before he could pay, went and spoke to the manager, and came back telling him that the food was free with their thanks and encouragement. “They talked between themselves quietly,” Alfonso explained, “and came back and said ‘We’ve got this.'” Alfonso was touched by this “incredible act of spontaneous and completely unsolicited generosity toward UWC-USA and our students.”
UWC-USA is pleased to announce that Ashindi Maxton ‘93 is the recipient of the 2022 Giulio Regeni Alumni Impact Award. Ashindi is the Co-Founder of the Donors of Color Network, a first of its kind philanthropic community of Black, Indigenous, Asian-American, Latino and Arab-American donors committed to systemic racial justice. As the founding Executive Director, Ashindi co-led the Climate Funders Justice Campaign which has helped move tens of millions of dollars to organizations at the intersection of climate and racial justice and has just been named a “World-Changing Idea” by Fast Company. Ashindi also co-authored two widely distributed research reports: “The Apparitional Donor: Understanding and Engaging High Net Worth Donors of Color” and “Philanthropy Always Sounds like Someone Else: A Portrait of High Net Worth Donors of Color”.
Ashindi has developed funding strategies informing more than $100 million in investments from foundations and individual donors towards racial justice and a more inclusive democracy. Projects she created or co-created to support power building in traditionally marginalized communities include the Reflective Democracy Campaign, the Youth Engagement Fund, and New Media Ventures.
In addition to her work in philanthropy, Ashindi served as the National Policy Director of the NAACP where she created the first Policy Handbook synthesizing one hundred years of civil rights policy. As the National Director of Political Partnerships for SEIU she developed projects to support Asian-American civic participation in 5 states, to register low-income voters in health centers nationally, and to collect data that was critical to overturning a Pennsylvania Voter ID law that stood to disenfranchise 750,000 voters during a presidential election year.
In another life, Ashindi also served as the principal of an arts charter school and as a very happy bilingual Spanish 4th and 5th grade teacher. She was also a Fulbright Scholar to the Dominican Republic researching race consciousness in young children.
Ashindi currently serves on the boards of the Way to Win and Voqal USA. She was recognized by Inside Philanthropy as “Donor Organizer of the Year” as a member of the co-founding team of the Donors of Color Network. She has also been listed three times to Washington Magazine’s “Young and the Guest List” of “forty and under geniuses, visionaries, crusaders and innovators shaping Washington’s future” and the “NAACP Power 40” list of most influential African-Americans under forty.
Basketball Hall-of-Famer Vlade Divac visited UWC-USA as a guest speaker of the school’s Bartos Institute for the Constructive Engagement of Conflict, one of the school’s signature programs.
Divac reflected on his personal journey as the country he grew up in became embroiled in a war that pitted neighbors against each other and deepened ethnic divisions. Vlade’s story is important for all students considering paths to peace and the role of personal responsibility in making a difference for our communities. Students from active conflict zones like Ukraine, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia attended the presentation to learn about Vlade’s commitment to dialogue, reflection and giving back.
“We should all do our part to make this world a better place,” Divac said to the students. “What’s happening now in the world – I don’t like it at all, I’m sure all people feel the same way. It’s hard to see when innocent people suffer, and usually that’s what happens during war.”
The Bartos Institute, an intellectual, educational, and experiential community committed to developing personal character, ethical leadership, and constructive approaches to conflict, seeks to provide role models from a wide variety of callings for students to learn from.
Naomi Swinton, the director of the Bartos Institute, was deeply appreciative of Vlade’s visit and message. “His journey and story as an athlete and a citizen of the world demonstrate that there are different paths toward a life dedicated to justice and peace,” she said. “We want our students to see that there are many ways that our lives can promote and act on values central to the UWC mission, and that over time, profound changes can and do occur to transform conflicts at the personal level and beyond.
The UWC-USA Ethics Bowl Team won third place in the National High School Ethics Bowl Championships in North Carolina after several rounds of structured ethical debates with 23 other regional teams. The competition promotes ethical debate among thousands of high school students throughout the nation – encouraging respectful, supportive and rigorous discussion. To prepare, the team met several times a week and twice a day as the competition got closer. During practices, they debated with other students outside of the team, the Debate Team and even with President Victoria Mora, who offered additional advice and perspectives.
With the support of their sponsors, Maria Weinrich(IB English Teacher) and An Nguyen (Student Support Specialist) 2nd year student coach, Ruta Rupeikyte led six first-year teammates through discussion of 16 different cases involving ethical dilemmas. Ethical dilemmas they themselves have faced are a daily discussion topic for students at UWC-USA. Georgia Howell, a first-year on the team says of the school’s Constructive Engagement of Conflict and Capstone Classes, “we’re forced to put ourselves into other people’s shoes, and see the way that others may view our situations.” She says this allowed the team to build stronger counter arguments and deliver well-rounded debates.
Georgia feels students at the school are privileged to be surrounded by such culturally diverse peers with different backgrounds and perceptions of the world. She says that the knowledge and skills they’ve gained throughout this whole experience, such as public speaking and quick critical thinking will help them in any career they choose to pursue in the future.
