Tucked into the cliffs of Northern Italy’s coast of the Adriatic sea lies a tiny village called Duino; some locals consider it a village of the larger, more bustling Trieste (which you’re much more likely to find on a map). It is in Duino that I spent my time on this day, September 19.
Well known, and very warmly welcomed by the residents of Duino is the United World College of the Adriatic.
Here, approximately 200 students of 85 different nationalities come together to "become responsible citizens, politically and environmentally aware, committed to the ideals of peace, justice, understanding and cooperation, and to the implementation of these ideals through action and personal example". (the preceding was taking from the UWC-Adriatic Admissions publication). Today I interviewed students from Algeria, Kenya, and Albania, just to name a few … all were terrifically engaging, and genuinely interested in making the most of their educational opportunities; exactly the type of students we seek to be included in the student body at Holy Cross.
By 1:30PM however, I was unfortunately done in Duino, and needed to hustle back to the airport to move on to the next stop: Bergen, Norway! I traveled a little lighter tonight however … for those of you keeping score thus far, and you recall the question I posed in my last post – – no, unfortunately my luggage did not arrive with me to Trieste … and it still hasn’t. I fear its chasing me around Europe and Scandinavia! Maybe we’ll be reunited someday, I hope. In the meantime, I’m a man on a mission – – to identify the best, most interesting students to include in the student body at Holy Cross. So, for now I say "buon giorno" to my friends in Duino, and I say "good night" to all of you, from The Thon Hotel, Bergen, Norway.
James T. Richardson
Associate Director of Admission
FACHEX Coordinator
