Teodorina is one of the four winners of the UWC 2019/2021 scholarships. She is from Iași and she will study for the next two years in China, at UWC Changshu. Here are her thoughts before leaving Romania: 

"I loved learning, yet I didn’t find the Romanian school system appealing at all: linear, dull and discouraging, where memorising for good grades was not only acceptable, but also valued and promoted. When I first heard about UWC, all my plans and dreams bloomed like wildflowers.

What is then so special about this school system? I was mostly enticed by one of its core principles: diversity and celebration of difference. My classmates come from over 100 different countries; this means that I will get the chance to interact with more than 100 different outlooks, all equally accurate. More importantly, we’ll learn in peace how to build our future piece by piece. Hardly could I find any other opportunity that could teach me so much about teamwork, understanding and tolerance.

Nevertheless, UWC values don’t stop here. All Colleges promote diversity and collaboration for peace and a sustainable future. Of course, we have a long road ahead of us, but that shouldn’t stop us from joining the journey. Idealistic as it sounds, we can all contribute to the common goal of changing the world for the better. By joining UWC, I would like to accumulate experience and experiences from diverse, multicultural backgrounds and consequently have a more flexible view on the world. I hope this global movement will allow me to exploit my potential towards the progress of humanity, as I believe that the power of change lies in each of us."