Mariana d’Avillez Arrobas

UWC is not an experience that is had and then belongs to the past, when it is lived in the true sense for which it is intended, it becomes a way of life

Mariana d’Avillez Arrobas from Portugal attended UWC of the Atlantic from 1991 to 1993. She currently lives in Sintra, Portugal where she is a full time Mum and part time Veterinarian, although the time proportions occasionally shift into full time everything. She has continued her involvement with the UWC movement since she graduated from UWC of the Atlantic, serving on the board of the Portuguese National Committee since 2000 and as its Secretary since 2005.

In comparison with her early schooling, Mariana found that UWC placed much more emphasis on academic independence, responsibility, self confidence, team work and discovering personal skills. She was active in the lifeguard service during her time at UWC of the Atlantic which led her to work as a lifeguard on a Portuguese beach one summer. That same summer she was responsible for saving the life of a swimmer, an incident that she claims made the two years of training wholly worthwhile.

Post UWC, Mariana studied to be a Vet at the University of Glasgow and went on to do and intercalated degree in Parasitology, an area which she feels holds great potential for future work in developing nations. During her time at university she became closely involved with the GU Marine Turtle Conservation Project in Northern Cyprus, a project which she found fascinating from both the biological and political points of view.

Mariana believes that UWC taught her to keep an open mind about her career and where it might lead her.

“I believe that I am much more than just a vet, or a mother or whatever other label people might want to place on me. I also look for more in the people I befriend and come into contact with. One of the greatest lessons of my UWC experience was self discovery and in a nutshell, to quote Kurt Hahn, “plus et en vous” [there is more in you than you know]. I am frequently impressed by what I have managed to achieve and it just drives me to go further.

“My greatest achievement, without a shadow of a doubt, is my marriage (seven years down the road to eternity so far) and our children. My UWC experience has also really moulded the way I speak to and educate my children and I am really proud of their openness and keen sense of justice. Prior to getting married I was most proud of achieving the lifelong dream I had of becoming a Vet and all the fun and sacrifices that entailed along the way.

“More than ever, I now realize that my UWC experience is something I carry with me and that has become inseparable from me and who I am as a person. The values UWC holds dear are the same as those I was brought up with and those I intend to pass on to my children. UWC is not an experience that is had and then belongs to the past, when it is lived in the true sense for which it is intended, it becomes a way of life.”