Coming from Palestinian descent, but having grown up and raised in Sweden, Ibrahim Naji (UWC Red Cross Nordic, 2011-2013) claims to be “fortunate to have developed multicultural characteristics” that have supported him through diverse entrepreneurial ventures. Being the eldest son of a single-mother, his perspective on life has always been “different, wanting to become independent by an early, creating my own path instead of walking down someone else's”.

A young entrepreneur at 17 Ibrahim co-founded one of Denmark’s biggest candy stores, then turning his creativity to beginning a media startup in the Middle East that accumulates 45,000 monthly readers. Today, he is the co-founder of ImpactEd, which collaborates with nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies to bring real world projects into university classrooms across fields of study, engaging students in real world learning and problem solving.

“Nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies are continually seeking solutions to the social, economic, and environmental challenges of today.ImpactEd empowers the leaders of tomorrow to solve the problems of today. We build purposeful project cases with partner organizations, and match them up with relevant academic programs across fields of study. Purposeful project missions are then sourced from ImpactEd partners. For example, ImpactEd teamed up with Red Cross to challenge operations students to design solutions for transporting clothing donations. All ImpactEd projects are related to challenges outlined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals”.

Ibrahim believes that because “there are so many different types of personalities and characters in a classroom having one standardized way of teaching and measuring an individual's intellectual capacity is not cutting it anymore”. A combination of personal experience and research has lead Ibrahim to a passionate world view, which is strongly aligned with UWC’s missions and values, and his project for change: ImpactED.

“As a youngster I excelled when in a practical, real life environment, finding it more difficult to engage with a theoretical approach. Higher education is not effectively preparing students for the complex social and economic landscapes of the 21st century. 60% of employers claim that recent graduates lack the ability to think critically and solve problems. Many students agree, with 6 in 10 seniors indicating that college has not been very helpful in preparing them for careers. Right now, there are more than 100 million university students going through a traditional education system, spending four years solving theoretical problems. Meanwhile, there is no shortage of real problems to solve.

He added: “UWC inspires their students to create a more peaceful and sustainable future through education. A philosophy I have always taken to heart, but not completely understood due to its misrepresentation in society. UWC and the International Baccalaureate are, together, one of the very few educational institutions that embraces and understands the importance of practicality in education. From compulsory Extracurricular Activities and Project Based Learning to attending Model United Nations and exposing students to collaborations with world-known non-profits and NGOs. It has shaped my understanding of just how an education should be taught, setting the bar high-enough to where I am able to see the major flaws and downfalls of today's educational landscape. This is why I have committed wholeheartedly to ImpactEd and giant goals we are trying to achieve. Incorporating UWCs fundamental philosophy and seeing it flourish onto the rest of the world from there”.