Jonathan, 18, came to UWC-USA from West Bloomfield, Mich., USA, where from age 5 he was raised by a single mother. A Chinese-American, Jonathan is a second-year student and the youngest of three. His sister, Joyce, is 31, and his brother, Josh, is 26.

At his high school in Michigan, Jonathan was a varsity swimmer and on the varsity debate team. He enjoys cooking, particularly baking, and likes sharing with people his speciality dessert – lemon squares.

At age 12, Jonathan spent a year in Beijing to learn the Chinese language and connect with his heritage. Four years later, he spent a year in Argentina to study Spanish. Jonathan has a love for the languages; his goal is knowing how to speak the world’s five top languages – Chinese, English, Spanish, Arabic and Hindi. He is well on his way and currently studying Arabic.

At UWC-USA, Jonathan is a resident advisor in his dorm and a wilderness leader. He’s also involved with Model UN and tutors Spanish to elementary school children in the community.

He plans to study philosophy, political science and economics in college in hopes of working for an international non-governmental organisation.

Jonathan is excited about attending UWC. “In our society, especially given the current political climate, there is so much pessimism and apathy,” he said. “For me to come to UWC, it makes me feel good seeing so many people being optimistic. It fills me up with hope.”