Meeting My Mentor

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After you’ve been accepted to whatever UWC you’re going to, the Canadian National Committee will connect you with your mentor. I’m not sure how it works in cases where there’s a large Canadian group at the school, but there’s only one other Canadian currently at Waterford Kamhlaba so she’s my mentor! Your mentor is meant to help guide you through the stress of moving away from home, and teach you about the culture at your UWC. 

My mentor – (let’s call her ‘A’) lives quite close to me, and we were able to meet while she was on a break and visiting home. It’s wonderful to have someone who’s been where you are, and understands what you’re about to do. I’ve had a difficult time explaining UWC to some of my friends and teachers – ‘you’re moving to Africa? Alone?’, ‘Why the hell are you doing two extra years of high school?’, ‘Why would you pay for a private school when Canada has free public education?’ – But A understood, because she’d had to muddle through the explanations as well.

A was also able to describe life at WK more accurately and personally than the website, and she showed me her photos of the campus and activities with her friends. Before meeting A, I had been incredibly excited about going to WK, but it had felt very distant. Unlike the other people in my selection committee, I wouldn’t be leaving until January, and I was focused on finishing grade 11 and finding a job to help pay for tuition. A made everything seem immediate. When we met, she had arrived from WK about a week ago. She had been there for five months, and had built a life there. She said it felt like home. When I met her, I remembered more of the reasons that I applied to UWC in the first place – to be surrounded by like-minded people who were passionate about their education.

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