Vijay Dayalani - UWC Maastricht

“a distant dream became reality”

The United World College experience has been a dream of many, become a reality for some and has evolved into a way of life for others. Today I can proudly say that I am part of all the groups previously mentioned. One year ago, the concept of United World Colleges was merely an ambition, a distant dream. That dream became a reality for me when I was accepted to United World College Maastricht last year. However, now that I have had the opportunity to truly experience peaceful and sustainable living in such a diverse and international environment, that euphoric reality has evolved into a lifestyle, the UWC lifestyle. The life in which we respect one another and look beyond the physical appearance of one another to come to a mutual understanding of one another; the life in which we see the world through someone else’s eyes and come to empathize with them; the life in which we are constantly growing and thriving off of one another in the pursuit of knowledge; the life I’ve also dreamed to live. I would not be able to attain this without your donations, and so I thank you! You have made a prolific impact in my life and the lives of my co-years. Who would’ve ever imagined that I would have friends from all over the world and live with three other boys from Afghanistan, Vietnam and Peru? The fact that, being from such different social and cultural backgrounds, we have come to understand and befriend each other still astonishes me! Who would have thought that I would ever partake in such engaging activities such as Model United Nations, Drama Club, Soccer, and Bollywood Dancing, along with participating in many service projects like SPLASH Brussels Service Project, Service Learning Day, and becoming the ambassador of Service Learning? Last year I never imagined a life like this was even possible, but thanks to you I have learned that life truly is beautiful.

Dank u wel.