Vivina Berla (AC 74-76) is currently taking a sabbatical after spending 12 years in the financial industry and 12 years in the steel industry.  During this time she has worked on a gold mine project in Tanzania, is a member of the London School of Economics Court of Governors and Audit Committee as well as being a mentor for the “Business Start-Up Programme” for the Prince’s Trust.  She will rejoin the financial world before the end of 2007.

 

Previously, Vivina worked at Gartmore Investment Management where she led the team responsible for the European growth of the institutional and alternative investment business.  Pension funds, insurance companies and banks across Europe are keen to learn about investment solutions including hedge funds and private equity.   Prior to joining Gartmore, Vivina was at Merrill Lynch Investment Management for ten years, holding a number of positions and responsible for institutional relationships across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.  Before obtaining an MBA in North America at Amos Tuck, Dartmouth College, Vivina worked in the steel industry for twelve years, in Argentina, the US and Belgium.

 

“My early school days were spent at a typical Italian provincial state school, a system where students chose between classics, science and arts.  I choose to study the classics, Latin, Greek etc.  We lived in Lucca – in Tuscany, Italy and I travelled to school on my little scooter.” Vivina said.

 

“My parents were about to move from Lucca to Kenya. A big move…!  Continuing school in Kenya would have meant missing a year to learn English, and there was a feeling that a Kenyan high school would not be the best for me, or for my future education.  My mother did a lot of research and dismissed Italian boarding schools.  She heard about UWC through one of her friends whose son went there, and she was very impressed by what she heard.  So was I, and I applied.

 

“In Italy, at the time, everyone went to state schools; private boarding schools were for “difficult” children.  The schools were old fashioned, and disciplinarian,  – almost antagonistic.  There was no real input on how to study, you were just expected to memorise information and pass the exams.  There was an expectation that children cheat, so a big part of the teachers’ job was to police the children to stop them from cheating.

 

“It was such a wonderful surprise to get to UWC, it was different in every single aspect from my Italian schooling: firstly it was a boarding school and not a day school, it was a beautiful location, there were students from all over the world, and English was the main language.  I didn’t speak any English at the time – it was a big change for me.  On the first test, I got a zero, I was really disappointed.  Although I had never studied much, I had always received good marks – I was so shocked to receive a zero – especially in a new school, I just burst into tears!

 

“The relationships between teachers and students were so much more causal and trusting, which resulted in better relationships not only between students and teachers but also between the students.  UWC really creates an environment of mutual support.  The subjects we were taught were much broader too, wider ranging.

 

“My time at UWC taught me that school can be great.  I did not know this before.  I was shown that there is so much more to learn then just pure academic notions.  In Italy, we were taught facts, this was the priority to pass exams. At UWC we learnt how to learn, how to think, how to analyze, not how to memorize information, and importantly we learnt how to interact with people – all people, students, teachers and visitors to the school.

 

“If I look at my old school friends I can see the impact that UWC has had on me.  My friends have not had the same opportunity to learn about the world and its different people and I would have been more like them if I had stayed in Lucca.  I would have missed the opportunity to see the diversity of possibilities that exist around me and within me.  It is such an amazing chance to be able, especially as a 16 years old, to be exposed to such a diverse, dynamic, thoughtful beautiful environment.  There is no doubt that my experience would have been narrower – and not just in the academic sense.

 

“I would say that my main achievement in life is managing to lead a good, full and balanced life.  I have balanced a career, two children and a husband -we are all still together-, with very interesting but demanding full time jobs.

 

“UWC changed my life, altered it dramatically and definitely for the best.  I would never have done the things that I have done without it.  It changed my attitude and approach to opportunities and people.  It gave me the confidence to go to LSE, and the curiosity to keep on going, working and travelling across three continents.  UWC gives students the most amazing opportunity to learn - learn about themselves and the world, it helps them to create a set of unique skills for the future.  I know that some of my achievements are the result of who I am, but my confidence and some of the opportunities came from my time at UWC”.