Gianvito Cassanelli Photo

Gianvito Cassanelli

UWC attended: United World College Costa Rica
Class Year: Class of 2026

Going to UWC Costa Rica was a life-changing experience. It introduced me to realities that I would have never imagined before. In UWC, I have found amazing friends and educators and indeed, every time they ask me what was the best part of that experience, my answer is the people I met. They made me feel at home and we helped each other grow through every interaction or conversation. Becoming more independent, building profound friendships and learning a new language, such as Spanish, are only some of the things that characterized my experience in Costa Rica. At UWC, I could embark on an incredible journey of self-exploration, which eventually led me to get closer to my truest self and passions, such as the one for the arts.

During my future adventure at Lewis and Clark, I am planning to double-major in Theater and International Affairs, as I have always wanted to combine these two interests of mine during my undergraduate studies. Since the moment I received my acceptance letter, L&C has immediately and consistently made it clear to me that they wanted to invest in my future and firmly believed in me and my potential and this was most important when I made the choice to come to L&C.

While at L&C, I would like to learn how to play the piano and improve both my dancing and vocal skills but I also want to be open to any new experience or opportunity the school provides me with. I love baking and cooking and I am looking forward to sharing recipes with people from all around the US and the whole world in the next few years.

I cannot wait to explore campus as well as Portland and Oregon and share all my new adventures and learnings with family and friends back home in Italy!