Armenian Students to Study at UWC Institutions Around the World

International students at UWC Dilijan, Armenia.

21 Armenian students will attend United World Colleges (UWC) institutions around the world after a rigorous selection process to gain admission into UWC schools.

Approximately 170 young Armenians submitted UWC applications, and the 21 winning students were selected after a three-stage admission process.

The students, who hail from Yerevan, Dilijan, Sisian, Masis, Gyumri and Nagorno Karabakh, will study at various UWC institutions around the world. Ten students will study at UWC Dilijan College in Armenia while the remainder will study at UWC colleges in Canada, Germany, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore and the United States.

Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend, UWC Dilijan co-founders, UWC Dilijan College leadership, UWC Armenian National Committee members, Armenian UWC graduates, the winning students and their parents attended a ceremony yesterday welcoming the newly admitted UWC pupils.

Vardanyan told the winning students that being enrolled as an Armenian-born UWC pupil carries a big responsibility in terms of transmitting Armenian culture and traditions while in school.

“2015 is a very responsible year as it marked the centenary of the Armenian Genocide,” said Vardanyan. “We remember what happened 100 years ago, but the only way to respond is to be strong and successful. You are bright young people and I have no doubt that you will achieve success and with dignity will represent Armenians and Armenia irrespective of where you go.”

UWC Dilijan College, the 14th member of the United World Colleges education consortium, opened its doors in August 2014 to students seeking an International Baccalaureate (IB) degree. Students from over 40 countries make up the school’s current population, receiving instruction in English and additional support in Spanish, French, German and Russian.

The school, the first UWC-affiliated operation in the former Soviet Union, plans to start accepting students for its International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGSCE) curriculum — which prepares students for an IB education — in 2017.

The school recently won a Green Roof Leadership Award from the International Green Roof Association in the “Trendsetting Architecture” category for the school complex’s various opportunities to use green roofs and green walls to support environmental conservation and education.

Vardanyan and Zonabend first conceived the idea of an international school in Dilijan in 2006. The school’s philosophy is rooted in seven principles of various academic and social ideals, including responsible architecture and environmental stewardship.

Vardanyan and Zonabend will also support the 21 students by providing them scholarships to attend the UWC schools. He thanked other philanthropists who made it possible for students to attend a UWC institution.

“I am immensely happy that there are people sharing my dreams, and we commit joint efforts to implement the projects,” said Vardanyan.

Zonabend, who serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of UWC Dilijan College, told the students that the opportunity to start a new life began with their admission.

“All this was possible owing to the efforts, practice, knowledge and love of a number of people,” she said. “The selection process was not a common one – it was not just a knowledge assessment test, but a unique practice that you acquired. What matters is that everything is done with love and people involved in it also have faith in what they do.”

Head of UWC Dilijan College John Puddefoot also welcomed the students into the UWC system and thanked the parents for their support. “I would like to turn to the parents: Don’t expect your children to return home the same people they were,” he said. “They will be more mature, stronger, smarter and more experienced.”