By Ananya Andrade (Class of 2024)
When you go to MUWCI, your world gets a little wider, your life a little more colourful and yourself a little stronger. I came to MUWCI very comfortable and certain of myself. However, all of this went out the window when I actually got to campus and saw what it had to offer.
I was certain that I would be doing theatre as my Group 6 subject, after all, I’d done it for ten long years. All it took was sitting in for one film studies class to convince me to make the switch. I wrote, shot and edited short films, not just for the IB, but projects for the second year surprise and led me to create the MUWCI Film Festival. Now, I’m double majoring in Economics along with Film and Television Production and work as an assistant scriptwriter, meeting and working with actors and filmmakers I’ve grown up idolising.
At my previous schools, I was reprimanded for taking initiatives and hosting events as I was not a member of the student council. Cut to: me creating events almost every month. My personal favourite being Jazz Night with the MPH turned into a speakeasy with tables and chairs and a fake, nonalcoholic bar. A 360 degree audience with short narrative skits bringing out the historical and cultural roots of jazz in between performances. I couldn’t have done it without the enthusiasm of the students and support from the admin, who always had an “and” not “or” mentality.
I must admit, I studied Computer Science at my mother’s behest and did so begrudgingly; however, Amit Rastogi made the process unbelievably better. Though my interest in the subject matter was nonexistent, his wit and teaching along with guidance after classes made it so that I was able to keep up with classmates who had studied it for years. The same can be said for all my teachers, but I made it the most difficult for Amit Ji who constantly re-explained fundamental concepts to me that I was consistently confused by, and he did so with an inhuman amount of patience and kindness, only wanting to see me succeed.
I never once felt limited on the hill. Every day brought a new experience whether it was trying to cook food from a country I’ve never heard of, or seeing a bear on Experience India Week, or making jewellery with women from the Akole village: my horizons expanded every day.
