Imagine watching a different graduation ceremony that has none of your kids in it and you still laughed and cried. Imagine that the seniors (called 2nd years) come from all over the globe: Israel, Ukraine, Scotland, Palestine, the United States, and many South American countries. Imagine that these junior and senior high school students have lived for two years in a community discovering how to build a world that transcends nationality, language, religion, or gender identity (and many students need to be there on scholarship).
I’ve just described United World College Costa Rica, founded some 11 years ago as part of a world-wide educational movement. At UWC-CR, junior and senior high school students earn the International Baccalaureate Degree. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP) is a two-year comprehensive and rigorous pre-university curriculum leading to an IB diploma. Successful IB candidates are typically granted advanced placement credit at the finest universities and colleges in the nation.
I learned that the seniors begin their final year with a retreat. They gather to collectively talk about their hopes, dreams, and how do they want to be remembered. The class of 2024 proclaimed themselves “The Determined Generation”. Together with faculty, staff, and the “first years”, they developed a mission:
To cultivate in young people the passion and ability to serve humanity and our planet—learning from nature and from each other for a lifetime.
It gives me goose bumps. I urge you to watch some of this celebration:
My amazing sister, Susan Mullins, has been board chair for years. “These students give me hope,” Susan exclaims adding “I’ve never worked so hard for no money and I love it.”
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