Category: News

By Britti Paudyal ’21, Nepal

United World College-USA math teacher Shirleen Lanham will retire at the end of the school year after working on the Montezuma campus for 33 years.

During that time, Shirleen was also a residential coordinator from 1988-2020, raised her two children here and experienced a change in the UWC-USA culture.

“When I first started at UWC, there weren’t cellphones, computers, emails, and students who came here were cut off from their prior communities,” she said. “There were no phones in the dorms in the early years and you’d have to make a call home through your RT (residential tutor).”

“There was no way of keeping ties to former friends and this place was it for you,” Shirleen continued. “So we had a much stronger contained community and the relationships built were very strong because this was your family for two years.”

She decided to retire for various reasons, including her age.

“I’m 70, I think it’s time,” Shirleen said. “It’s been many, many years and especially if we have to continue online, it is not ideal for me to interact with students and do the best for them.”

Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Shirleen received her bachelor’s in philosophy and psychology and master’s in education, all from the University of Cape Town. 

Her first teaching job was with the only international multiracial school in Eswatini in South Africa. The school’s purpose was to fight apartheid, a system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s. The school later became UWC Eswatini.

While at Eswatini from 1976 to 1987, Shirleen taught the children of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela and political dissidents. 

That’s also where she met her husband, Colin. He also taught at UWC-USA, retiring in 2018, after teaching art here for 30 years.

The couple came to UWC-USA in 1988 with their children, Nick and Jessica.

“My children were born in Eswatini but they could not get citizenships,” Shirleen said. “Nick would be compelled to join the South African army for military service when he turned 17, and I did not want that for him at all.”

When the late Ted Lockwood, the founding president of UWC-USA, came to Eswatini for a UWC celebration, he told the Lanhams UWC-USA needed an art teacher, and the couple moved to New Mexico.

“It just didn’t seem like a possibility to get rid of apartheid,” Shirleen said. “We came to UWC-USA for two years initially, but later decided to stay.”

She enjoyed raising her children on campus, where there were about 15 faculty children.

“They would all play together and look after each other, so they had a wonderful childhood,” she said.

Shirleen loved the relationships she made while working as a residential coordinator.

“Getting to know the whole student — getting to have a feel of what their lives are like was good for me because when being a teacher, I knew all the stressors of UWC life so I could help with student wellbeing in terms of academics,” she said.

Married for 44 years, Shirleen and Colin will move to their home outside Albuquerque. In addition to traveling, Shirleen will spend time knitting, quilting, patchworking, baking and cooking, and learning more about constellations from the New Mexican sky.

They will also spend time with their grandchildren, Noah, 8, Quentin, 2. 

Shirleen said she will miss Montezuma’s beauty and the community.

“When you move from another country with no family, the adults in your surrounding become your extended family,” she said. “I lived my whole adult life in a multicultural community so at this point, I’m scared of going into a homogenous society. I’ll miss interacting with people from all over the world.”

 

By Paul Gariy ’21, Kenya

Urmi Vallassery ‘21, USA-Texas, participated in the New Mexico Fund for Public Interest Journalism’s six-week project focused on youth activism in Northern New Mexico.

The program opened Urmi’s eyes to journalism.

“I do not know if I will pursue a career in it, but I am keeping my options open,” she said. 

Urmi heard about the program during the 2020 summer break and applied in October.

“I have never been actively involved in things related to journalism,” she said. “I have been involved in research, but not research involving people and certain issues in society and creating a story out of it. And with my interests in politics and international relations, I thought the program would be interesting.” 

Urmi was excited to be accepted.

“I was also happy that it was a close-knit group of people that I was working with since we were only four people in the group,” she said. 

During the first two weeks, participants took introductory lessons conducting interviews, gathering resources for the interviews and writing news stories. The next three weeks were spent choosing people and organizations to write about and conducting interviews. During the final week, stories were written and edited.

She was impacted by the fact that the program participants were immediately treated like journalists and nothing was sugar-coated.

“I also have a newfound respect for people in the field of journalism since it requires a lot of fact-checking and being very attentive,” Urmi said. “I also realized how confident you should be in creating a story. One of the problems I had was not being a traditional activist, but my piece being on activism. I had to stick to the piece and create a story out of it.”

She believes the experience brought her closer to the subjects of her stories.

“I was very nervous about that because I had never interviewed people before,” Urmi said. “To take someone’s words and create them into a story and something that any audience could read is powerful.”

Like generations before him, Yasin Yousuf was destined to herd camels, goats, and sheep. Fate however, took the 22-year-old from Somaliland down a most unexpected path.

A second-year student at the United World College-USA, Yasin has received a full scholarship to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the world’s most prestigious schools with a less than 7 percent acceptance rate. The scholarship is valued at $84,000 a year. Yasin is considering studying either computer science or electrical engineering. 

Yasin didn’t think he had a chance to be accepted, particularly coming from Somaliland – a region of Somalia that isn’t recognized by any other country. He also had doubts when faced with questions about his family’s finances.

One of 11 children, Yasin was the third son born to his parents in three years. His grandmother offered to help his struggling mother by moving then 3-year-old Yasin to her home in another village. No longer a nomad, Yasin defied the odds and got to attend school. 

“I’m lucky and I’m grateful,” he said. “I got the fortune they (his siblings) never got because the village had a school.”

In eighth grade, Yasin received one of the highest scores in Somaliland to continue his high school education at SOS Children’s Villages, a boarding school. 

After graduating at age 19, Yasin had few options for college in his homeland, but was accepted to UWC Robert Bosch College in Freiburg, Germany; he learned about UWC from a student at SOS. Yasin’s visa was denied and his education delayed. The following year, Yasin received his visa to attend UWC-USA.

Abaarso School of Science and Technology helped facilitate the UWC application. Yasin also took classes at Abaarso for one semester. Founded in 2008 by Jonathan Starr, an American hedge fund tycoon who moved to Somaliland and set up a school for brilliant kids who otherwise wouldn’t have a chance.

 Yasin said there’s no way he can describe the opportunity to study at MIT.

“I’m actually excited instead of nervous,” he said. “I like to challenge myself.”

UWC-USA turned out to be a place that challenged him both academically and personally. He worked closely with all of his teacher and enjoyed his science classes very much. His experiences in the wilderness program also helped him work more closely with others.

Due to travel restrictions, Yasin has not returned to Somaliland since arriving in the United States in the fall of 2019, but stays with an uncle in Houston during breaks. The uncle also helps out Yasin with pocket money.

Yasin believes education is one of the best ways to break the cycle of international generational poverty. He hopes to one day make it possible to educate his younger siblings and his own children.

“What if some of my brothers and sisters would have had the fortune to go to school?” he said. “Their future would then be like mine.”

UWC-USA president Victoria Mora was invited to participate in a panel on investing in women changemakers to honor International Women’s Day 2021. She participated alongside Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland, Musimbi Kanyoro, former CEO and president of The Global Fund for Women and current  UWC International Board Chair, and Bertha Tobias, a dynamic young woman who recently graduated from UWC-Changshu.

“We don’t often have an opportunity for four women spanning continents, generations, and cultures to reflect on their own journeys and the ways they can help and encourage each other in service of a better world, said Victoria. “If you haven’t had the chance, I hope you will listen to the conversation and be inspired by the power of investment in education for young women from across the globe!”

 

Yvonne Kielhorn, Ph.D. (Ghana) and Jennifer Barna M.D. (USA) met as classmates at UWC-USA, graduating in the Class of ‘88. The bonds formed during those two years in the New Mexico wilderness have proven to be those of enduring friendship. The two classmates had not been in touch for over 30 years until a virtual reunion in July 2020. When Kielhorn and Barna joined their former UWC classmates for a virtual reunion in July 2020, they had no expectation beyond a brief and joyful chance to see friends and catch up. The reunion, led by fellow classmate Mudit Tyagi, led to a business discussion that continued between Barna and Kielhorn, regarding Barna’s plan to develop a coaching and course platform for physicians called DocWorking, and Kielhorn’s own award-winning education platform, Why Science. Discussions quickly prompted action, built on trust and friendship established at UWC years ago. Read more about their collaboration and partnership here.

The result is DocWorking (www.DocWorking.com), Barna’s online platform to help physicians achieve work-life balance by providing life and career coaching, nonclinical course options, as well as Coding for Life (https://www.docworking.com/for-your-kids/), a virtual learning program powered by Kielhorn’s platform Why Science, to help kids explore the world of coding. Says Kielhorn, “When Jen first described the platform she envisioned to help fellow physicians, it struck a chord with me because I grew up in a family of doctors, my father a neurosurgeon. I recall vividly that the stresses he faced at work in Ghana weighed on our whole family, kids included. I imagined that if I had been able to take an engaging coding class from home while he was away for what seemed like months sometimes, it would have brightened my days. And he would have been happy knowing his kids were learning and preoccupied.” The Coding for Life course offerings serve as part of DocWorking’s broader mission of helping physicians and their families achieve the best of work and home. The virtual program enables children in grades 1-8 to take part in an interactive course that allows for varying skill levels, where kids can learn the fundamentals of coding through hands-on learning, games and interactive computer simulations that bring fun and creativity to long-term understanding of STEM principles, encouraging creativity in video game design and app development.

“Working with Yvonne has been like working with family, our bond is so strong from our time together at UWC,” says Barna. “Yvonne helped me to bring my vision of DocWorking to reality. With her brilliance and expertise, she advised me as a mentor and business coach. She worked with me to understand my vision and guided her development team to create my website. By bringing Coding for Life onto the DocWorking site, our hope is to bring peace of mind to frontline healthcare and essential workers by ensuring that their kids, the future innovators of our world, are having fun while learning from home.”

The timing is remarkably fitting as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged parents to look for new and innovative ways for their children to learn at home. “By offering Coding for Life, it is our hope to contribute to the next generation of doctors, scientists and creative thinkers,” says Kielhorn.

According to Kielhorn, “The bonds we made with our fellow classmates made at UWC through intensive study and wilderness activities were so strong. The memory of reaching out our hands to help each other during rock climbing exercises sticks with me. The fact that Jen and I were able to reunite after all of these years and move forward at such a rapid pace was based on a strong foundation of trust that arose from our time together as classmates.”

Bonds formed through UWC friendships only grow over time, despite the long distances that may separate us. As proven time and time again, the UWC experience never stops giving.

To learn more about DocWorking and Coding for Life, visit www.DocWorking.com

To learn more about Why Science, visit https://www.whyscience.com/

A few years ago while back home in Venezuela, Jesus Lara Rivas ’21 had a friend collapse from a mental breakdown.

“The guy got crazy and was beating himself on the wall,” Jesus said. “We were holding him on the ground.”

Since taking the Youth Mental Health First Aid course at the United World College-USA, he now feels better equipped to handle this type of situation.

“I would’ve tried to calm him down, taken him to a private place and requested an ambulance (instead of dealing with the situation) in the middle of the street,” Jesus said.

Selena Sermeno, a psychologist who mentors United World College students at the U.S. and Costa Rican campuses, has been teaching the course since October 2019. A total of 33 employees and students have participated in one of three sessions this academic year with a fourth session scheduled from 1 to 6 p.m. March 5 via Zoom.

“We offer the course in order to build our capacity as a UWC community to offer early intervention to anyone within our community experiencing a mental and/or emotional challenge,” Selena said. “It is our duty as educators to have basic literacy in mental health, its meaning, and its manifestations in a youth population. I will be offering a Youth Mental Health First Aid  course via Zoom on March 5th from 1:00 to 6:00 pm. Please read all of the details below if you are interested in becoming certified. 

Fourteen slots are available for the course, which involves a two-hour self-paced mandatory portion participants must take no later than 72 hours prior to the virtual course. Students must be at least 18 to take it. 

 Jesus recommends taking the course.

“I’m really interested in mental health and this is more like you are in the first line of defense,” he said. “You see the signs for a situation, you stabilize the person, and call for professional help.”

A few states require the course for teachers working with adolescents. There is a high correlation between mental health, social and emotional learning, and academic success, Selena said.

“We want our approach to education, particularly during COVID, to reflect evidence based practices in education and grow our capacity for compassionate interventions as educators,” she said. “YMHFA is an evidenced based practice for early intervention with youth experiencing a mental health and/or emotional challenge.”

The courses focuses on early intervention to prevent the escalation or onset of a mental/emotional health crisis such as suicide and other forms of self-harm. It can be thought of as the equivalent of CPR.

“It offers basic definitions of adolescent development, the incidence of mental health issues in youth within the USA and it provides a simple but powerful frame for responding to a mental health challenge, disorder or crisis,” Selena said. “The course also addresses the impact of traumatic events as the most impactful factor in someone’s mental health.”

People who complete the course earn a three-year certification.  

 

When Carson Miller ‘19 decided to backpack the American West alone with just a tent, her parents were a little nervous for their 19-year-old daughter. When Carson’s brother, Caleb, 18, decided to join her, their nervousness turned into excitement.

“And when they asked if Sawyer (their 15-year-old brother could go), it broke my heart just a little bit,” said their father, Kiley Miller.

Driving their parents’ 2012 Chevy Suburban with 200,000 miles, the Iowa siblings started their five-month adventure on Jan. 4 after spending the holiday with their grandparents, who live near Big Bend National Park in Texas – their starting point. Sharing a three-person tent, they have experienced 20-degree nights, icy mornings and mountain snow.

Carson and Sawyer also have to find the time and WiFi to continue their online studies. Carson is a sophomore at Cornell University, majoring in international agriculture and rural development; she is taking 14 credits this semester instead of her usual 22. Sawyer is a high school freshman and Caleb recently graduated from high school.

“We’ve tried very hard to open our kids’ eyes to the idea that the world is theirs for the taking and it should be experienced,” their father said. “So when they decided to go, you sort of have to say ‘yes.’ There’s just not going to be a chance for them to do something like this together again.”

Carson became interested in extended backpacking trips after serving as a wilderness leader at UWC-USA. She has also backpacked the Camino de Santiago in Spain and traveled in Jordan, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Montenegro, Italy, France, and Mexico.

“We had been cooped up a lot because of COVID,” she said. “I felt I could socially distance in the backcountry and go on an adventure.”

Since leaving Big Bend, the trio has traveled to Guadalupe Mountains National Park on the Texas-New Mexico border; and Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands national parks, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, and the Lincoln and Gila National forests, all in New Mexico.

In the Gila, a snowstorm forced them to head for Arizona’s warmth. Earlier this week, they made it to Saguaro National Park near Tucson; their two-night stay was extended to one week.

“We really like it and there’s some nice state parks, and the weather’s nice,” Carson said.

They plan to continue onto Southern California and take Highway 1 north into Washington and Oregon. From there, they would like to cut back across central California to Utah.

Carson worked three jobs over the summer to help pay for the trip. She continued her public relations job with Cornell Lab of Ornithology; did data analysis for Rembrandt Foods in Iowa, one of the world’s largest egg producing and processing facilities; and worked in the office at a resort in her hometown of Arnolds Park.

Carson, Caleb and Sawyer grocery shop every two weeks, try to limit campsite fees to $15 and have become weekly regulars at truck stops.

“We have learned the joy of Pilot showers,” Carson said. “It’s us and the truckers. It’s so funny when you see three teenagers standing outside with towels and toothbrushes.”

As for getting along, they’re making it work.

“I’m very blessed,” Carson said. “Caleb and Sawyer are probably my two best friends in the world. We do sometimes argue and know each other a little too well. We encourage each other.”

“Every morning, Caleb makes breakfast,” she continued. “I normally cook dinner and lunches, and Sawyer takes all the photos. We all contribute and participate in the planning. There are plenty of times, I’m really glad I’m not doing this by myself.”

Their father, who is the executive director for Trees Forever, an environmental non-profit in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, noted that Carson is the planner. Caleb will argue against plans, while Sawyer is the mediator.

“They’re going to have significant struggles and arguments, but six months after the trip is over, they’re going to remember the crazy unplanned adventures, not the arguments,” he said.

The siblings’ mother, Carry, teaches English as a second language and gifted students.

To follow the Millers’ adventures, go to this link.

Enrico Caporale ’84 has been an audio engineer for many years and also produces music.

Gina Neff ’89, a professor at the University of Oxford who studies work and technology, was recently featured on the Untangling the Web podcast discussing the pandemic, work, and technology.

“We see a moment that we’re in right now of being somewhat trapped, I think, between the necessity of contributing to a public good, but also needing to understand where we fit personally in these. So I’ve spoken out quite publicly about back-to-work solutions that don’t protect workers’ privacy, right? What we know about organizations and workplaces, is that we absolutely have an imbalance of power between employees who need work and employers who might have other interests or demands in the workplace.”

A transcript of the podcast is available here or listen to it here.

Reader’s Digest recently ran a series about the nicest places in the United States. Bueno Para Todos, a farm collective in nearby Villanueva where our students work and spend weekends, was featured as a finalist.

“If you think you had it hard dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, trying to find toilet paper and getting your family ready for time spent together in the house, imagine what it was like for people trapped in a foreign country, thousands of miles from home. That was the predicament facing Omobolanle Kafidipe, 18, of Nigeria. She was one of 230 students from 99 countries studying at United World College (UWC) in Montezuma, New Mexico, when the pandemic hit. ‘When that happened, we realized it wasn’t possible for us to get home,’ she told Reader’s Digest.”

Read more about Bueno Para Todos and UWC-USA here.