Emile Dultra Neres

UWC attended: United World College of Costa Rica
Class Year: Class of 2016

I am from the northeast of Brazil. I was born and lived for most of my life in the city of Salvador, in the state of Bahia. I’ve always been in love with my birthplace, a land of many contrasts; of mysticism and conservatism, of extreme kindness among the people and violent social inequities, of vast cultural and historical wealth as well as of a catastrophic education system. Growing up in such a place made me develop a strong wish for more social justice, for discovering the roots of our issues and getting to know how I could play a part in helping, improving, healing. These wishes somehow led me to the United World College movement. In UWC Costa Rica I had the opportunity to do many community service activities, to engage in the debate of several world issues surrounded by people with very pluralistic viewpoints, backgrounds, nationalities and beliefs, and to explore and search my own beliefs, opinions and dogmas, as I was being inspired by some of the most intriguing, thought-provoking teachers I’ve ever had.

I believe that Lewis & Clark came as a natural choice for me because of its focus on internationalism and environmentalism, and the strength and breadth of their academic programs in the areas that interest me the most, such as foreign languages, political and social sciences. To be honest, I cannot deny that the aesthetics also played a part; Lewis & Clark has the most enchanting and eerie campus I have seen, as well as a great location. I was delighted to find a place that fit so well with my personality and that could fulfill my academic goals and expectations. In my journey at Lewis & Clark, I hope I’ll find out how my interests, skills and experiences can be summed up in the best way possible to help other people and serve our society.

At Lewis & Clark, I plan to double major in Political Sciences and Foreign Languages, and hopefully minor in Political Economy as well. Another great thing about Lewis & Clark and its academic structure is that I’ll be able to pursue my interests in other areas as well, such as philosophy, art history, theater and biology. For leisure, I like playing silly and non-silly board games, reading medieval fantasy and nearly every other literary genre, doing theater improvisation, and reading news, blogs and pretty much anything someone with an opinion on something wrote. And I nearly forgot my favorite activity: travelling. Beyond the two years I spent at UWC I also had the opportunity to visit El Salvador, for a conflict resolution project with at-risk youth, and Italy, for a summer school on climate change and the water cycle. Nothing makes me happier than going to places, and immersing myself in their histories, cultures and idiosyncrasies.