Alumni Profiles
Since its founding in 1962, roughly 800 Swedes have received a scholarship for a two-year stay at a UWC school. Since 1995, most Swedish scholars have been sent to the Nordic school in Norway.
In 2012, UWC had been educating for peace for 50 years, and UWC Sverige celebrated this by interviewing some UWC alumni to find out what they do today and how their UWC experience affected their lives.
Tomas Kåberger
Professor of Industrial Energy Policy, Chalmers University of Technology.
Former board member, Vattenfall
UWC Atlantic 1977-1979
"The UWC years were amazing and important for me. Intellectually and academically stimulating, culturally educational and at the same time physically and ideologically challenging. It was a unique opportunity to learn to understand the world through other individuals; every war and disaster on the news was suddenly connected to a classmate. But perhaps most important was UWC's idea that one should not only think about one's own career but also serve the world, even though in the school's service activities this could be both physically and emotionally demanding. It was also at UWC that I learned to be so active that I could fall asleep wherever and whenever the opportunity arose."
Thomas Hahn
Associate Professor, Stockholm Resilience Centre
UWC Atlantic 1981-1983
"Going to Atlantic College was one of the best choices of my life. I blossomed, escaping the narrow norms of how to be a boy in the inner city of Gothenburg, enjoying instead the tolerance and cultural diversity at AC. I taught my roommate from Botswana how to play the guitar and 20 years later I was the one who accompanied him in a jazz club when he visited me in Stockholm. Tolerance at AC did not lead to relativism but gave me a deep conviction of universal values. And that these values, such as human rights and freedom of expression, are best anchored through respectful listening, not with Mohammed caricatures and other cultural bullying. Insights and experiences from AC have shaped me personally, giving me an inner compass that is also important in my work for sustainable development."
Ulrika Stuart Hamilton
Secretary General, Famna
Former Chairman of the Arts Council, Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Finance and Chief of Staff for the EU referendum campaign.
UWC Atlantic 1975-1977
"Atlantic College for me was like finding home and finding the world at the same time. More than three decades later, I can still say that my UWC years are present, important and a source of inspiration and joy. And I don't just mean AC 75-77, but also the subsequent years in the Network and Swedish Committee where I got to know ex-students and teachers from all over the UWC movement. Every job I have had has been about community engagement and advocacy. My interest in European cooperation and the EU stems from the AC experience. Still, one of my favorite things to do is to meet old school friends..."
Anna Koblanck
Journalist and author
Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa 1990-1992
"To be honest, I barely knew where Swaziland was on the map when I applied for the UWC scholarship, and I am now very glad that I let my curiosity and sense of adventure guide my choice of school. My two years at Waterford Kamhlaba on the outskirts of the Swazi capital Mbabane were an intense time of study, friendship and fun. Facing such a different part of the world at such an early age was also challenging in many ways, and the whole experience absolutely shaped who I am today and many of the choices I have made in life. The fact that I am now back on the African continent to work as a journalist is not a coincidence. Ever since my time at Waterford, I have wanted to tell the story of Africa!"
Susanna Nilsson
Former Aid Officer for the EU Delegation to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
UWC Red Cross Nordic 1999-2001
Originally from Öland, Susanna got a taste of international life after attending UWC Red Cross Nordic. It has taken her to Belgium, France, Trinidad & Tobago, Ethiopia and Morocco.
"UWC has been defining for me. What I value is that it has given me a global perspective from a personal level. Most countries in the world I associate with a face, a person. I think UWC has made me a more open person, there wasn't a cultural norm at UWC and it's very liberating to have been in such an environment for two years."
Shire Raghe
Content Producer, Warner Bros. Entertainment
UWC Adriatic 1999-2001
"The years at UWCAD changed my life completely. It was an amazing experience for me to live with people from all over the world. Great, but not always easy! It gets tough when your roommate refuses to put the milk in the fridge because he wants it to be the same lukewarm temperature as the milk he drank at home on the farm - straight from the cow's teat. At 07:00 in the morning this is hard work, but today it's fun. I learned subtlety at UWC. For example, how do you talk to your Chinese classmate about censorship in China in a respectful way, without preaching and patting your chest? How do you deal with other students who hate racism and oppression of women but condemn homosexuality? And how, how, how do you keep up with your studies when your school has a private beach overlooking the sparkling Adriatic Sea around the corner? Today I have friends all over the world and that is invaluable. The IB was extremely demanding and equally rewarding. Today, several live broadcasts later, I feel grateful for the IB. I made it through the exam period - so I'll make it through the broadcast too! Apply, good luck, and have a great two years!"
Hanna Hellquist
Senior consultant, United Minds
UWC Atlantic 1994-1996
"Coming to Atlantic College was like discovering the world. No other experience has had such an impact on my later life choices. It was in that old castle in Wales, talking to friends from Rwanda, the Czech Republic, Jordan, Namibia, Japan, Malaysia... that I truly realized that every contribution to a better world counts. And wherever I end up in the world, I know there is likely to be a UWC friend around the corner."
Ola Pettersson
Former Chief Economist, LO
UWC Atlantic 1990-1992
"My UWC experience did not change my life. I would probably have chosen the same type of studies and a similar career path, regardless of studying at a Swedish high school or at UWC. But it has enriched the way I look at the world around me in many ways. How else would I know what a guy from Pakistan or a girl from Kenya thinks and feels? UWC is a unique environment in which to study and develop. Few schools can provide similar intellectual challenges. But if you want to change the world: don't forget where you come from and stay connected to home. Successful politicians almost always have local roots."
Jonas Moberg
CEO, The Green Hydrogen Organisation
UWC Atlantic 1986-1988
"It was at Atlantic College that my interest in the big, global issues was born. The many discussions organized by the school or just arising among us students added to my interest. Living in a small room with a guy from Lesotho and one from a Pacific island made me curious. The two years there have not only given me the opportunity to work internationally. They have also made me realize that there is hardly anything else that would feel really important."
Malcolm Dixelius
Former deputy director and foreign affairs director of Aktuellt, and Swedish Television's Moscow correspondent 1979-1984 and 1990-1994.
UWC Atlantic 1963-1965
"When I look back on my adult life, I can say that my UWC experience has been a defining one. It inspired me to become an international reporter, but more importantly, it has become a reference point, helping me to tackle difficult issues. International understanding has become one of the strongest driving forces in my life, both professionally and personally."