Lara joined the Philanthropy team at UWC International in November 2022. She manages various scholarship programmes, including the EU Scholarship Programme for Cypriot Youth at UWC. Prior to joining UWC International, she acted as the Short Course Coordinator for the EU-UWC partnership, coordinating online and in-person UWC short courses with the aim of bringing together young Cypriots across a divide.

Her studies at UWC Mostar (2008-2010) cemented Lara’s interest in using education to promote peace and equity. Following a bachelor’s degree in Middle East Studies at Brown University, Lara has worked at a variety of educational institutions to coordinate and facilitate empowering, intercultural learning programmes, including Tilting Futures (formerly Global Citizen Year) and Koc University. Lara has been an active volunteer on the Turkish and Dutch national committees and has helped deliver six UWC short courses since 2017.  

Outside work, Lara enjoys biking, visiting museums, reading and spending time with her two cats. She is based in the Netherlands and speaks English, Dutch, and Turkish.

Contact details

Email: lara.savenije@uwcio.uwc.org