Bio Seile Aleyamehu

Davis United World College Scholar
Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa (Swaziland)

In my family I am the youngest child and the only daughter, which taught me accountability and a strong work ethic. I was born in the small town of Aggaro (in North West Ethiopia), where I learned respect, tolerance and diversity. I attended both elementary and high school in my hometown. While in high school, I heard about the United World College (UWC) from an older peer who went to UWC in Singapore in order to complete his International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. His achievement encouraged me to apply for the UWC National Committee (NC) scholarship and I won the opportunity to join Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA in Swaziland in 2007.

As a result of living with different students in a multicultural environment, my UWC experience helped me learn valuable social skills, broaden my points of view in general, and more importantly, become a hard worker and responsible citizen.

I chose Lewis & Clark College mainly because I wanted to continue what I started while at UWC: the idea of “emracing a true UWC spirit,” which entails a kind of life wherein you experience real harmony, peace, freedom, stability and cultural integrity; you become proud of your own tradition and personality by respecting your differences in life. From my experiences, I have come to believe everyone should live that tradition.

In my first year, I have been able to continue the UWC tradition at L&C, as it is the ideal place to begin exploring the world and your place in it by meeting some of the most interesting people in the world and learning more about yourself in the process.” This Lewis & Clark College philosophy makes L&C and me a perfect match!

In addition to its friendly environment, the L&C community has offered me special opportunities and helped me improve both my abilities and social engagement skills. The variety of classes I have taken, the difference clubs I have participated in, and the cultural celebrations I have attended have made my experience more valuable than ever. I’ve really enjoyed learning dance forms from other countries and getting the chance to teach others African dances. Truthfully, I expected LC to be my second home for my development and in fact what it has done so far is priceless.

I am looking forward to my sophomore year!