UWC EA/ISM Alumni Bulletin – July and August Issue 

A Warm Welcome to the New Academic  Year

Dear ISM/UWC East Africa Alumni,

As we begin a new academic year, we’re delighted to welcome you back and to share a little update from the Advancement team.

Our team has evolved once again, and we’re excited to introduce Sol Nadal, our Head of Advancement; Michael Kibadu, our Community Manager; and Mkunde Marealle, our Marketing, Communications & Alumni Relations Coordinator.

We look forward to hearing from you, sharing your stories, celebrating your achievements and creating more opportunities for our community to come together.

Warmly,

The Advancement Team

Umoja Short Course

The Umoja Short Course 2026 edition was a success!

Over the course of 12 days, we welcomed young people motivated by the UWC values and by what the Umoja Short Course has to offer. Twenty-nine participants immersed themselves in the UWC experience through hands-on workshops, community engagement, and exploration across Tanzania.

One of our biggest goals for this program is for participants to leave with the confidence to be leaders in their own communities; however they define that for themselves. Throughout their time with us, our facilitators and team encouraged them to live out the UWC values in their daily activities and to bring innovative ideas to the topics they explored. Being in Tanzania offered a unique opportunity to learn about the culture firsthand through community excursions. It was also a chance for our local participants to learn from the culture of other participants through cultural nights and time spent together outside the formal program.

It’s always gratifying to see participants embrace and take on the experience. We see it in the projects they prepare by the end of the course. They took everything they learned from the workshops and turned it into a digital activism campaign.

We hope this experience plants seeds that grow far beyond these two weeks, shaping how these young people see the world and their place in it. This year’s cohort had an amazing time, learned a lot, and got to live the UWC experience.

If you know someone who would thrive in an experience like this, stay tuned for next year’s applications; they will open in February 2026. You can learn more about the Umoja Short Course by exploring their website. 

Tanzania National Committee 2026 Orientation

In mid-July, UWCEA was delighted to host 15 students selected by the Tanzania National Committee. During their time on campus, they experienced life at UWCEA and had the opportunity to bond before heading to their respective schools. They also met UWC alumni and continuing students who volunteered as facilitators and shared their own UWC experiences. Eight of the students will attend UWCEA, while the other seven will continue their journeys at other UWC schools around the world.

Alumni Spotlight: Tehzeen Patwa (Noordin)

Can you share your journey, achievements and the passions that drive you?

After graduating from ISM, I moved to the United States to study Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. It was a big change, but also an exciting adventure. I spent my first six months living with family before getting my own apartment, and while I was in school, I worked part-time, which taught me a lot about independence and responsibility.

In 2007, I got married, and a year later I graduated from the University of Houston. During college, I completed internships at the Lancaster Hotel and Hotel Granduca, where I gained hands-on experience and confirmed my love for working with people.

A few years later, I made the decision to step away from my career to become a stay-at-home mom. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I spent five wonderful years focused on raising my children and being there for all the little moments that go by so quickly.

Once my kids started school, I wanted to get back to work while still staying involved in their lives, so I joined their school as an Assistant Director. I spent four years there, and it was incredibly rewarding to support students, families, and the school community while balancing work and motherhood.

An opportunity then came along to join Mace in Facilities Management, which introduced me to a whole new industry. That role eventually led me to Invesco, where I moved into Human Resources in Talent Acquisition. I’ve been there for the past four years, helping people find new opportunities while continuing to learn and grow in my own career.

Looking back, my path hasn’t been a straight line, but every step has shaped who I am today. Moving across the world, building a family, taking time away from work to raise my children, and finding my way back into my career have all taught me resilience, gratitude, and the importance of embracing every season of life. I am excited to see where the next chapter takes me.

What do you cherish the most about your ISM/UWCEA experience?

What I cherish most about my ISM/UWCEA experience is the people. The friendships I made, the memories we created, and the teachers and mentors who believed in me have stayed with me long after graduation. They didn’t just teach me academics, they taught me confidence, kindness, resilience, and how to believe in myself.

When I look back, I realize how much those years shaped the person I am today. The support, encouragement, and life lessons I received gave me the confidence to take on new opportunities and challenges. I truly don’t think I’d be where I am today without the amazing teachers, mentors, and friends who were part of that journey. I will always be grateful to be part of the ISM/UWCEA family.

Provide a brief overview of your career or academic journey leading to this achievement.

After graduating from ISM, I moved to the United States to pursue a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. Along the way, I gained valuable experience through internships in the hospitality industry before taking time to focus on raising my family. As my children grew, I returned to the workforce as an Assistant Director at their school, where I combined my passion for working with people with my commitment to my family.

My career then transitioned into the corporate world when I joined Mace in Facilities Management. That opportunity led me to my current role at Invesco in Human Resources, specializing in Talent Acquisition, where I have been for the past four years. My journey has been shaped by a willingness to embrace new opportunities, adapt to change, and continue learning. Each chapter has contributed to both my personal growth and professional development, and I am grateful for the experiences that have brought me to where I am today.

How did your education at ISM/UWCEA contribute to this achievement?

ISM/UWCEA played such an important role in shaping who I am today. It gave me so much more than an education, it gave me the confidence to step outside my comfort zone, dream big, and take on new opportunities. The teachers and mentors truly cared about us, and their encouragement helped me believe in myself.

The friendships I made, the experiences I had, and the lessons I learned have stayed with me throughout my life. Whether it was moving to the U.S. for college, balancing family and a career, or taking on new challenges, I often found myself drawing on the values and confidence that ISM/UWCEA helped build in me.

Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful for those years. They gave me a strong foundation, lifelong memories, and friendships that I still treasure today. I truly wouldn’t be the person I am without the ISM/UWCEA community.

Celebrating Our Community: Martin Sasse’s visit

Martin Sasse, our student from 1970 to 1974, lived in Tanzania for seven years as a young boy and has been abroad for fifty-four years since leaving Tanzania. He recently returned to visit, and it was a very emotional experience coming home. Read below to hear what it was like being back, and visiting the school.

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1. Why did you decide to come back and visit Tanzania?

Tanzania still feels like home. But sometimes it just felt like a dream. For many years I was thinking about coming back to see what is true or if my memory is playing games with me. I always thought I would come back to die in Tanzania. This plan at least changed 🙂

  2. How did it feel coming back? How did you feel the moment you visited the school? 

The most emotional moment was driving the road to Machame, where we lived. There in Machame, our house, the places I played, I was surprised that things have not changed so much in 50 years. I stood on a meadow and saw myself as a kid running around. It felt like I entered my dream, it didn’t feel real but it was so real. Very different driving to school. Lema Road was always an adventure, especially in the rainy season, one bumpy, muddy piece of fun. The school I hardly recognized. I did recognize the old buildings from then. Now all the trees. I remember often waiting for our parents to pick us up with hardly any shade. It was dusty and I felt like I was alone in the countryside. What a nice change. 

   3. What are some of your fondest memories from ISM? 

I loved going to ISM. Strong memories are: on fridays we had our school uniform made  of  nice tanzianian patterns, each year in a different color. Once I caught, with a classmate, a black Mamba on the football field. We brought it to class, we had science and we were heroes. In class the poor snake lost its life and its skin. Two things are very impressive to me going back to Germany. I was shocked how students misbehaved in school. Nobody would have dared to interrupt the teacher or talk to the neighbor during class. Then we did wood work using machines. Back in Germany I felt like being treated like a small boy, not allowed to use the machines, which would have made it so much easier. At ISM we were treated with a lot more responsibility.

   4. You mentioned in your visit that it was very emotional to perform with the local community? What did those moments signify? 

I work as a stilt performer. We put a lot of effort in creating beautiful costumes. Meanwhile, me and my wife run one of the largest stilt performing companies. We perform in so many different places and now it was a big wish from the bottom of my heart to bring the art I do to Tanzania. Me on stilts in the butterfly costume dancing for the people in Tanzania really put tears in my eyes. It felt like bringing a present and saying thank you, for letting me have such a wonderful childhood in Tanzania.

   5. Anything you would like to share with the alumni community? 

You are lucky to visit ISM! I am not the person who likes to give advice, but you will notice by yourself that having this experience will have a huge impact on your life. Your horizon will be wider and your mind more free. I think the way I live has to do with my time in Tanzania. When I was 20 years old I went to New York to work in a homeless shelter. I wanted to be a dancer but then decided to do construction work. At 40 years old I was not really happy so I quit my job and became a freelance performing artist. I love my work and life. I know not everyone is made for a freelance life but trust in yourself. I went through the tough construction work, but I learned a lot and finally made it to the life I love.

Help Us Bring 60 Years of Memories to Life!

In 2029, UWC East Africa will celebrate 60 years of bringing people together through education, friendship, adventure, and a shared commitment to making the world a better place.

As we begin preparing for this special reunion, we’d love your help.

Whether you were part of ISM or UWCEA, you are part of our story. Every class, every decade, and every generation has helped shape the community we know today.

We’re looking for photos, videos, and short clips from your time at school. They could be from the classroom, expeditions, sports, performances, graduations, dorm life, or simply moments spent with friends. Some of the best memories are the everyday ones.

Help us bring 60 years of history to life by sharing your memories. You can upload them through the Google Form  or email them to alumni@uwcea.org.

Let’s celebrate the people, places, and moments that made ISM and UWCEA feel like home. We can’t wait to look back on this journey together.

Register in Our Alumni Database – Stay Updated & Share Your Story

We’ve created new spaces for alumni to stay connected, share ideas, and keep up with school news. Whether it’s reconnecting on Facebook, getting quick updates through WhatsApp, or building your professional network on LinkedIn, there’s now an easy way to stay part of the alumni community. 

Don’t forget to follow our official pages on Instagram,  Facebook, and LinkedIn for the latest updates, alumni spotlights, and more!

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