Student from Bocholt Pursues International Baccalaureate in Armenia
Jonas (17) Attends United World College
By Hans Georg Knapp
June 5, 2025, 3:00 PM 

Jonas Borgemeister (17) is attending the United World College (UWC) in Armenia, where he is completing his International Baccalaureate – together with 220 students from over 80 countries.

Jonas’s friend Estella is from Brazil, and some of his closest friends come from Norway, Armenia, Tajikistan, and Taiwan. Right now, though, they’re far away – Jonas is currently back home on vacation in Germany, taking a break after his recent exams at the United World College in Armenia, where he’s been studying for the past year. The school brings together 220 students from over 80 nations.

“This is the world in one place,” Jonas says. That’s also the slogan of the UWC schools: One World. One School. Until he was 16, Jonas attended St. George’s Gymnasium in his hometown of Bocholt. But then, he says, he wanted “to experience something new” and “see more of the world.” At the time, he was searching for “a new perspective,” and the UWC – with 18 schools on six continents – seemed like “an incredibly attractive opportunity.” His expectations, he says, were “fully met and even exceeded.”

Jonas first heard about the UWC through a family friend whose son had attended UWC Freiburg. “He’s now studying at Yale,” Jonas notes. He applied online and wrote an essay about his life as part of the application process – something about 300 young people in Germany do each year. Jonas was one of roughly 100 invited to the second round in Mainz [Wiesbaden], where he impressed during group activities. Ultimately, he was selected as one of the 50 students admitted.

According to UWC, motivation and personality are the main criteria for selection. Dilijan, in northeastern Armenia, was among Jonas’s preferred locations – and that’s where he ended up. Situated 1,500 meters high in the mountains, it’s “an experience I’d never had before,” says Jonas. The culture in Armenia is “completely different,” as is the landscape.

After his acceptance, Henrike, another student from Bocholt, reached out to him. She had started at UWC Freiburg at the same time and had previously attended a different local school.

“Resilience Required”

The mission of UWC is to bring together students “of all nationalities, cultures, and social backgrounds” who are committed to peace and a sustainable future. The academic goal is the internationally recognized International Baccalaureate (IB). Unlike the German Abitur, which follows three years of upper-level education, UWC students have just two years to complete their IB. “You really need to be resilient,” Jonas says. But it’s not just about earning top marks – more important is “how we live out our values.”

These UWC values include international and intercultural understanding, shared responsibility and mutual respect, appreciation of human diversity, personal engagement, leading by example, and respect for the environment.

Jonas explains that most students receive scholarships, which come with the expectation of giving back to the UWC community. Many alumni later serve on national selection committees or support the organization financially.

The commitment to intercultural understanding is taken seriously: roommates are often purposefully assigned from conflict regions – Armenians and Turks, Ukrainians and Russians, for example. “We’ve learned to understand their perspectives,” says Jonas about living alongside Ukrainian and Russian students. His friend Lucy from Taiwan is currently navigating tensions with Chinese students. “Learning to discuss those situations respectfully is a key goal,” Jonas says, adding that this has given him insight into the deeper issues. 

A Unique Learning Environment 

The students and teachers at UWC speak English. What Jonas appreciates most is the close relationship with teachers – they’re always available to help and even offer small-group tutoring sessions with just three students. While there is traditional classroom teaching at UWC Dilijan, teachers still strive to support each student individually. Engagement is recognized and appreciated much more than in Germany, where, as Jonas puts it, “the focus unfortunately is often just on the lessons.”

Each semester includes a project week, and some subjects include field trips. Much of the learning at UWC Dilijan is digital, with a strong emphasis on independent research. “Academically, I’ve developed a lot,” says Jonas. In Global Politics, for instance, he’s currently exploring whether developing countries should follow the same UN reporting standards on climate goals as industrialized nations. His task: to evaluate that question – in 4,000 words.

After graduation, Jonas wants to make a political impact. He’s considering studying International Relations. Thanks to the UWC experience, he says, “we’re well prepared for university.” UN representatives have visited the school to give lectures, as well as Luis Moreno Ocampo, former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Noubar Afeyan, co-founder of the U.S. biotech company Moderna, spoke to students about the importance of learning from failure and not giving up.

Jonas also participated in an international conference on sustainable development in Armenia that included UN involvement. “We have an international perspective on every topic,” he says. As part of an internship starting June 16, he’ll be attending the UN’s June climate negotiations in Bonn, where delegates from around the world meet to assess climate policy progress. Earlier this spring, Jonas had the opportunity to meet German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Dilijan – and even spoke with him for five minutes. “It didn’t feel that long,” Jonas recalls.

But what matters most to Jonas about his time at UWC Dilijan? “Meeting so many people from so many different parts of the world.” The key goal, he emphasizes, is intercultural understanding. Everyone learns “through the personal background each of us brings.” It was only at UWC Armenia that Jonas truly realized “how valuable it is that we’re all different. I never saw it that clearly before.”

To read the article in German, please visit this link.