Ruth Buttigieg

UWC has made me realise that everything is possible as long as I set my mind to it

Ruth Buttigieg from Malta graduated from UWC of the Adriatic, Italy in 2008. She is currently living in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she is in her first year of studying for a BSc (Hons) in Molecular Biology.

“UWC has made me realise that everything is possible as long as I set my mind to it. If I hadn’t had this opportunity, I wouldn’t have even considered reading for Molecular Biology. I would have gone to university at home and read for a medical degree instead. I’m still not sure of where this degree will lead, but I’m hoping to do something in medical research. In the long term I want to go back home and get involved in raising awareness about science as most people think that if you study science then your only career is in medicine.”

Ruth believes that UWC exposed her to the wider world and as a result she counts among her greatest achievements having made friends with a diverse group of people whom she would probably never even have talked to if she had stayed at home.

“Having people coming from so many different countries, cultures and backgrounds made me realise how little I knew about the world! Some of my classmates were people who had actually experienced the social unrest as well as having lived through what I have only experienced from a far through my TV remote. It made me open my eyes to how complex the world is and of how people’s lives have been radically changed just because of their ethnicity or religious beliefs. In the end I believe that as a result of a UWC education I have been made more aware of what goes on on an international scale rather than just being interested in what happens in my immediate surroundings. It has certainly made me aware that an individual is not helpless and that if one sets his mind to do something than he can certainly have the impact needed.

“My favourite UWC memory is of Easter during my first year there. It was the first time I spent Easter away from home and the idea of not having an Easter lunch was quite saddening. So, my friends and I decided to prepare our very own version of Easter lunch. It was the most random and most memorable Easter I have had. At the table we were Catholics, Muslims, Atheists, Jews, Orthodox, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. yet we all sat together, ate and discussed each of our traditions. I’ll cherish that memory forever for it showed me that if you respect each other’s beliefs than conflict can truly be a thing of the past.”