UWC EA/ISM Alumni Bulletin – May and June Issue |
Congratulations, Class of 2026! |
Dear UWC East Africa, ISM Alumni, Welcome to our May, June Alumni Bulletin, and a particularly warm welcome to the Class of 2026. Congratulations on your graduation and on joining the alumni community. This is your first alumni bulletin, but I hope it will be the first of many reminders that, wherever life takes you, our school will always be a place you can come back to. What makes our school so special has never been the campus alone. It is the people, the friendships that cross borders and generations, and the shared commitment to building a more peaceful and sustainable world. That does not end at graduation. In many ways, it is just the beginning. Over the past year, it has been wonderful to see so many of you reconnect with our school and with one another. Whether you joined one for the alumni gatherings, responded to our emails and calls for initiatives, mentored a student, shared your story, volunteered your time, supported our fundraising efforts, or simply reached out to say hello, thank you for showing up. Your willingness has helped strengthen this community and reminded us that the UWC experience extends far beyond graduation. This edition also marks the end of my time at the school as Head of Advancement, as I prepare to leave Tanzania and continue my journey within the UWC movement. It has been an incredible privilege to be part of this community and to witness the generosity, passion, and commitment that alumni continue to show towards our school. As I move on, my hope is that the momentum we have built together continues to grow. I hope the initiatives started over the past year continue to expand, that even more alumni find opportunities to reconnect, and that this community keeps finding new ways to support one another and our school. The strength of ISM/UWC East Africa has always been its people, and each of us has a role in keeping its mission alive for future generations. Thank you for your trust, your enthusiasm, and for reminding us what it means to belong to this remarkable community. No matter where in the world we are, ISM/UWC East Africa will always be our school. With gratitude, Ingrid Madrigal |
Alumni Reunions in Arusha and London |
It has been a wonderful season of reconnection with our alumni community! On April 23rd, we gathered in Arusha for a warm evening with ISM and UWCEA alumni. It was an evening full of great conversations, catching up, and a good dose of fun with a quiz. Then on June 4th, we had the pleasure of coming together with alumni and community members at the UWC International office in London. It is a fantastic space for reconnection and networking. The highlight of the evening was hearing from one of our alumni of whom we shared his personal UWC East Africa journey and story. These gatherings remind us of the strength and warmth of this community, and we are already looking forward to the next one. We hope more alumni in the area will join us as we continue to go down memory lane together. Please stay tuned for where we’ll be next! |
Our Umoja Short Course is well underway! Twenty-nine participants joined us on June 24th and will wrap up on July 5th, immersing themselves in the UWC experience through hands-on workshops, community engagement, and exploration across Tanzania. Throughout the course, participants are being challenged to think beyond the familiar by staying curious, collaborating across differences, and bringing innovative ideas to the topics they’re diving into. They’ll round off the experience by creating a digital project on something close to their hearts: a problem in their own community, or an issue sparked by what they’ve witnessed and learned during their community visits here in Tanzania. 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. If you know someone who would thrive in an experience like this, stay tuned. Applications for next year’s Umoja Short Course will open in February 2027. You can learn more about the Umoja Short Course by exploring this website. |
Alumni Spotlight: Wamba Marealle |
Meet Wamba, Class of 2006. Wamba’s connection to ISM has remained strong over the years. Since graduating, he has returned home every Christmas and is a familiar face on campus during the holidays, visiting staff and reconnecting with the community that still feels like home. Full Name: Wamba Marealle Campus: Moshi Current job title/employer: Process Manager Where are you currently located? USA |
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Can you share your journey, achievements and the passions that drive you? After graduating from ISM, I continued my academic journey at Columbus State University (CSU) in Georgia, USA, where I earned both my Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting and my Master’s in Business Administration. Today, I work as a Process Manager at Elevance Health, where I apply my skills in business and finance. Outside of work, I have a deep passion for travel, sports, and the outdoors, and I’m a dedicated student of Austrian economics. I’m also blessed to be married with two wonderful children, and I cherish the balance of family, career, and my personal interests. I’m grateful for the foundation ISM helped me build, and I look forward to continuing this journey of growth and learning. What do you cherish the most about your ISM/UWCEA experience? Reflecting on my time at ISM, I feel incredibly grateful for the many aspects that contributed to my growth and development. The diverse group of peers I had the privilege of learning alongside not only broadened my perspective but also helped me build lifelong friendships that I still cherish today. I was fortunate to be taught by dedicated and supportive teachers who truly cared about our success, and the fantastic auxiliary staff always ensured that our needs were met with a smile. The school’s facilities and access to academic resources, like a well-stocked library and up-to-date computers, played a vital role in my academic journey. Beyond the classroom, I enjoyed the great outdoor activities and sports spaces, which allowed me to stay active and have fun. Overall, ISM provided a nurturing and enriching environment that laid the foundation for both my personal and professional life, and for that, I am deeply thankful. |
Celebrating Our Community: Peter Makuei |
| “Everything I do today is just built on the foundation that UWCEA created, with peace being at the center of it all “ |
“ I attended the University of Oklahoma for my undergraduate studies from 2021 to 2025, where I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health and Biology and represented the University in Track and Field at the NCAA. I am currently taking a gap year and will be starting my master’s program in Public Health in August at Cornell University. I am still actively running and hoping to get the marathon mark for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles to represent and also using the running or sport as a force to unite my country through the Global Marathon tour peace relay project where I aim to all the world’s major cities. I kicked off this tour last month in the Boston Marathon, where I competed with 30,000 people. Everything I do today is just built on the foundation that UWCEA created, with peace being at the center of it all.” |
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 |
| Register in our Alumni Database – Receive exclusive updates and event invites. We’d also love to feature you! Share your updates, achievements, or memories for our next alumni spotlight. |
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! |
Jobs & Scholarship Opportunities |
| Our team can support you in organising a virtual coffee for your class! A relaxed and easy way to reconnect, reminisce, and celebrate your shared memories.
Let us know by email, and we will help you get started! |
The Advancement and Alumni team is always happy to hear from our alumni. Whether you’d like to catch up one-on-one or simply share updates, we’d love to reconnect with you.
You can easily schedule a chat with us using the calendar below; we’re always excited to hear your stories and ideas for staying in touch. Click here to schedule a call with us! | |
If you know someone who should be getting this, please forward this newsletter to them! |
| UWC East Africa
(Alumni Relations)
P.O. Box 733
Moshi
Kilimanjaro
Tanzania
Email: alumni@uwcea.org
Tel: +255 27 2755004, 2755005, 2751850
Mobile: +255 757 880927
Fax: +255 736 605320 |
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