Jaime Torres Bonifacio

UWC attended: Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific (Canada)
Class Year: Class of 2021

My name is Jaime and I am from El Salvador. I always wanted to study abroad and I have always been excited about discovering new cultures and people.

From August 2015 until May 2017, I attended UWC Pearson College in Victoria, Canada. There, I lived the most enriching and special experience of my life so far. I enjoyed being exposed to a diverse group of people and situations that taught me a lot. The people, the lived situations and the environment around me shaped me and transformed me into the person I am now. Pearson College and UWC changed particularly my perspective of life. It changed my way to see and live life. UWC is a door to the world, and I am glad I have come through that door.

I applied to Lewis & Clark because of the environment, the nature and the city surrounding the campus. The green areas surrounding the campus will make for me a nice, calm and concentrated educational experience. I also like that the size of the classes is small, because this makes academic education more personal but at the same time there is more engagement with the other members of the class. All these factors led me to choose L&C as the place for me to continue my preparation to be a change maker in our society.

I think I will major in Rhetoric & Media Studies. I am really interested in seeing the ways media influences cultures and societies. I want to deepen more and discuss the importance and the influence of the media as a tool in a globalized world where media is everywhere.

I like doing random things. Sometimes I want to ride a bike, or just play soccer or ping pong, even though I am not good at these sports. I also like trying to cook, going for walks or just watching or reading something on the internet. I also like listening to music. At UWC, where I started learning French, I confirmed that I like learning languages and practicing them with the people. I plan to learn more romance languages in the future.

I have not travelled a lot. I have been to Nicaragua, but it was a very long time ago. Then, it was in January 2015 when I travelled abroad to Costa Rica to attend a youth leadership and empowering seminar. Then when I studied at UWC in Canada I also got to visit some cities on the West Coast of the United States.

At Lewis & Clark I hope to gain the knowledge and tools to be an exceptional citizen of this world, while enjoying my experience at a special place like L&C and its surroundings.