This month, United World Colleges Dilijan celebrates its 10th anniversary, having shaped the lives of around 1,000 graduates from across the globe.
The vision for an international school in Dilijan was conceived by impact investors and social entrepreneurs Ruben Vardanyan and his wife, Veronika Zonabend, alongside a group of like-minded individuals, including Noubar and Anna Afeyan, and Gagik Adibekyan. Thanks to their joint efforts, United World College Dilijan officially opened on 11 October 2014.
Despite Ruben Vardanyan being held hostage in Baku, the school continues its mission of using education as a force for a better world. Mediamax spoke to several graduates from UWC Dilijan’s opening year to learn how their lives unfolded after Dilijan and how the college impacted their paths.
One of them is 26-year-old Philipp Woelk from Trento, Italy. He now lives in London and works at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The hard decision
In 2014, when Philipp decided to apply to UWC, the Italian National Committee offered him two school options: UWC Atlantic in Wales and UWC Dilijan in Armenia. The latter had just opened that year, which became a decisive factor in Philipp’s choice.
“I felt torn because, on the one hand, UWC Atlantic is a castle that resembles Hogwarts, but on the other hand, the idea that UWC Dilijan was a new school with the opportunity to create everything from scratch and do things differently was very tempting,” Philipp recalls.
Another factor favoring UWC Dilijan was Armenia’s mountainous landscape, which reminded Philipp of his hometown in the Dolomites. He was also motivated by a desire to explore a new and unfamiliar region.
“I remember our first meeting with the school’s founding head, John Puddefoot, who said that we were not going to copy other schools but instead create something new to pass on to future generations. The responsibility of taking risks and doing things differently was really energizing for us,” Philipp says.
Features of education
According to Philipp, the UWC schools' curriculum is perfect for the collaborative learning of students from different nations. Even outside the classroom, the school is filled with knowledge, experience, and diverse perspectives.
“I remember how our discussions would continue late into the night. Bringing together people from different corners of the world already guarantees that fascinating conversations will happen,” Philipp recalls.
Another key aspect of the education he received in Dilijan is the role of the teacher, which completely transformes the traditional understanding of the student-teacher relationship.
“I went to a very good school in Italy, but it was a regular school, so for me, the teacher was the examiner. At UWC, and in the IB program in general, the teacher is not the one giving you the mark. During the studies, the teacher becomes your trainer,” says Philipp, comparing the educational process to running a marathon, where the students move at their own pace, but the teacher is the one preparing them for the race.
The fact that teachers live in the same space as students has a significant impact, not only academically but also in terms of personal interaction. “Teachers also support students during difficult times, whether they are homesick or simply going through a stressful period,” says Philipp.
Education and new achievements
After graduating from UWC Dilijan in 2016, Philipp was admitted to University College London, where he studied history, politics, and economics, with a focus on economics.
“I had a regional focus on Eastern Europe, and that interest came from my time spent in Armenia, for sure,” Philipp says.
After earning his bachelor's degree, he decided not to rush into a master's program and instead explored job opportunities. He began interning at various companies, including the RVVZ Foundation in Moscow, established by Ruben Vardanyan. After a long absence, he was also able to return to his hometown and contribute to the local community.
Following this journey, Philipp finally decided on the direction he wanted to pursue in his education and started studying for a master's degree in infrastructure investment and finance at UCL. In parallel, he continues working at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which he joined in 2022.
Navigating in a multicultural environment
Philipp’s focus at EBRD lies in using innovative instruments to help the bank invest in high-risk, high-impact areas such as climate change mitigation, and others. He highlights how his work aligns with the values he learned at UWC.
“I work with colleagues from over 70 countries, and it’s all about sustainability, multilateralism, and cross-country collaboration. It resonates with everything I learned at UWC,” Philipp says.
He notes the sensitivity required to work in a multicultural environment and how UWC prepared him for that, both on the practical level and in everyday life.
“We were trained to think that things could be designed from scratch or done differently. We have learned to ask difficult but necessary questions to determine what is the best way of doing things, says Philipp.
He is not surprised that many UWC alumni are working in international organizations as they all are keen to explore the world.
“Working in international organizations feels like a UWC for grown-ups,” he says with a smile. “The weird thing about UWC is that all the graduates get on well with each other so quickly and easily, even those who have not been at the same school, but just in the network. We connect very quickly before even knowing we are UWC graduates, and when we find it out, it starts to make sense”.
The world needs dreamers who do
Philipp has met Ruben Vardanyan and his wife - Veronica several times over the years. The news of Ruben’s arrest in Baku last year came as a shock to him.
“We are celebrating the 10th anniversary of UWC Dilijan because Ruben, together with Veronica, came up with this crazy idea to create something beyond anyone’s imagination and bring UWC to Armenia, gathering 100 people from 85 countries and connecting them to Armenia. Ruben’s dedication, not only to this project but also to many others in Armenia, went far beyond a charitable perspective: he aimed to act as an enabler for a broader ecosystem of progress,” says Phillip stressing that given this all today’s circumstances are truly tragic.
The same dedication that lies at the roots of establishing the school has become a common mission for everyone at UWC Dilijan. They all share the idea expressed in a quote by writer Sarah Ban Breathnach: “The world needs dreamers, and the world needs doers, but most of all, the world needs dreamers who do.”
“We need to understand the big picture of where the world is going, and where we want it to go. Nothing will happen by itself, so we also need the bottom-up approach of creating concrete solutions and tools. This is what we have learned at UWC Dilijan,” says Philipp.
In his mind, the last evening at UWC Dilijan is still vivid. They were around the bonfire all together, singing songs and eating marshmallows.
“And then someone said that this is the last time all of us will be sitting together like this. After spending together literally 24 hours a day for two years, we realized that we would never be able to recreate that moment. But then a new class comes in, and the same magic happens to them. So I am very jealous of the students who just weeks ago landed in Armenia and have that journey ahead of them,” Philipp concludes.
Gaiane Yenokian
