¡Hola! I am Carlos and I come from Spain. Until the age of 16, I have always lived in Madrid and that absence of nomadism is what lighted up my wish to get to know the world better. Nevertheless, every once in awhile I have done short trips with my parents to the main European capitals. Hearing different languages, learning about different cultures, and other related experiences are what guided me towards choosing UWC: I wanted to break my knowledge monotony by discovering what was beyond my home.
What captivated me the most from UWC ISAK Japan was its massive diversity: I still cannot understand how a school of 200 students could embody 90 unique nationalities. Getting to know people from all around the world, coming from different cultures and ethnicities with all sorts of values thrilled me from the very beginning. Being able to hold both insightful and passionate discussions about current challenges or dilemmas presented after movie nights is what enriched my perspective and view of the world.
I chose Lewis & Clark as my next destination due to its openness to multicultural students and its love for outdoors around the wonderful environment of Oregon. I have to recognize that after being exposed to such vivid and rich experiences in a UWC, I somehow became dependent on it. During my uni research, I found that L&C was the kind of place which aims to stimulate those connections to build a better world. I felt it would be the best place to pursue that international essence which I was looking for.
Regarding academics, currently, I have the idea of majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Philosophy, although it would not surprise me if I end up swapping them. From an early age, I have developed a curiosity for both computers and asking questions with no easy answers —many of which turn out to be irritating.
In the field of CompSci, my passion is information security although networking and low-level programming also trigger my curiosity. I love the challenge of exploring the realm of computers by looking for flaws or bugs in systems and using these to make the computer work in a way which was not planned. Afterwards, looking for solutions to the problem is also an important task ;)
When it comes to philosophy, I am mostly interested in the questions of Socrates, the works of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer and everything related to French existentialism. Even though this may sound solitary, around the reading process I also enjoy discussing everything I have gathered with another person or group as if we were in the Agora. As you can imagine, UWC was an excellent place for this activity.
Outside of the classroom is where my hobbies and passions develop more freely. Mainly, I enjoy doing all the above. I am also a big nature lover, so outdoors such as mountain biking, running, or hiking are always the perfect excuse to leave the city. I could not be looking more forward to meeting the forests surrounding Portland.
Even though I am not a big fan of expectations nor setting particular goals, I look forward to continuing learning and growing while contributing to the L&C community to solve varying issues from those related to the threat to the natural environment to the ones that pose privacy concerns in the digital world.