Humans of UWCM – Eric

January 13, 2025

Inspired by the Humans of New York series, this English project invited our Year 12 students to share their unique stories. Eric shared his journey from China to Costa Rica and how he found belonging at UWC. His story shows the importance of embracing who you are and celebrating diversity.

I am culturally and ethnically Chinese, but I was born in Panama. When I was just seven months old, my parents sent me and my sister back to China because they were working so hard that they didn’t have time to look after us. Between 2008 and 2014, I lived under the care of my grandma. When I met my parents for the first time at the age of four, I didn’t feel a sense of family. For me, my grandma was the person I felt closest to.

Growing up in the countryside of China, in my hometown, we faced many struggles in accessing quality education and, at times, even basic needs like healthcare, because everything was so far away.

I moved to Costa Rica at the age of seven. I experienced a lot of struggles with living in a different culture. Language was a major barrier, but my name was an even bigger one. At school, I was the only Asian kid. As a Chinese person, of course, I had a Chinese name, but my teachers avoided calling my name during class activities because it was too hard for them to pronounce. Kids made fun of me just because I was different.

I hated being Asian. I hated my name, my culture, and everything about who I was. I couldn’t understand why I was living among people who didn’t understand my accent. I blamed myself for everything.

During my darkest times, at the age of 12, I discovered UWC. I was amazed by how the school celebrated different cultures. At that moment, I knew this was my opportunity. My sister thought it was a scam, and my mother couldn’t believe such a program could exist, especially one offering such a wide range of scholarships.

I conducted deep research about UWC and eventually convinced my mother that it was real. In 2023, I applied through the Costa Rican National Committee. The year-long selection process challenged me in many ways, but in the end, I was offered a scholarship.

Even now, I still cannot believe that I’m here, sitting in this school and celebrating with diverse people from all over the world. UWC is the best key I have unlocked for this chapter of my life.

(Eric, UWCM ’26)