The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ is proud to announce the Valentina Mindoljević and Dženan Hakalović Scholarship. This scholarship will fund a place for a student at UWC Mostar in perpetuity. With this scholarship, the Trustees of the endowment are honoured to celebrate Valentina’s and Dženan’s dedication and resilience as heads of UWC Mostar in times of crisis.

Thanks to Ms Mindoljević’s leadership in times when continuous existence of UWC Mostar was in question, her huge commitment, passion and determination for the mission, people and students of the school, we can still continue to educate students at UWC Mostar and show what intercultural education can look like for the region.

Mr Hakalović took over the headship in the time of immense urgency and continued this challenging mission through the times of Covid, having to evacuate the College and redesign the academic program to be fully online. His resilience and care for the community made it possible for generations of students to have meaningful and enriching experiences at UWC Mostar. Together with the support of all staff during these challenging times, their hard work and dedication to the mission and values of UWC Mostar is an inspiration for future generations among UWC Mostar students and beyond.

In Ms Mindoljević’s words, “UWC Mostar has demonstrated in full the importance of education in a war-torn community and proved that young people can successfully shape the world around them into a better one when given trust and support. When I look backwards, I am happy to see that the college has remained an important and inseparable part of Mostar, an active partner in its existence and development. Students from all over the world become citizens of this city, through an indescribable experience of growing up, learning, and engaging in meaningful action. It has been the most purposeful experience to help build and serve this wonderful College, and I am thankful to the UWC Mostar Endowment - Bridge to the Future for setting up this scholarship in our name. I hope each young person receiving it will get inspired to leave their legacy there and carry the message of peace wherever they go.”

Commenting on the scholarship, Mr. Hakalović said: “I am truly humbled by the great honour bestowed upon me by the UWC Mostar Endowment - Bridge to the Future. Since joining the College in 2007 I did my best to serve its mission and promote values to the best of my abilities, in the various roles I felt obliged to play. As an institution we have been through our share of challenges but also the moments of immense joy and pride. This is why I feel this scholarship should be more of a testament to our collective resilience and perseverance, celebrating and honouring many great individuals that helped it survive all the adversities and set the course for the promising future. I am incredibly excited that this endowment will open the door of opportunities to other bright young minds that may contribute to the UWC Mostar vision.”

Biography Valentina Mindoljević
Valentina Mindoljević was born on 13 November 1970 in Split, Croatia. She interrupted her studies in engineering Physics in Zagreb during the war in 1992 and served as a humanitarian volunteer both in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which brought her to Mostar. Valentina finished her studies after the war and continued to work as teacher of Mathematics and Physics in Mostar high-schools. She was involved in preparations of opening the United World College in Mostar and was one of the first teachers in 2006. Valentina served UWC Mostar in several roles, from being the Physics, Mathematics and TOK teacher, a houseparent, the Director of Studies, and then the Headmistress from 2010 until 2018.


Biography Dženan Hakalović
Dženan Hakalović was born on March 19, 1983, in Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina (at the time part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), where he spent his early childhood including the Bosnian War years (1992-1995). He finished elementary school in his hometown before moving to the capital Sarajevo where he completed high school (1997-2001) and in 2006 graduated from the University of Sarajevo, with a degree in History.
Dženan joined UWC Mostar in 2007 soon after graduation as a young trainee teacher of History and a house parent, He has been employed at the College ever since, in several teaching and non-teaching roles. In his almost 17 years at UWC Mostar he has taught a range of IB subjects including History, Peace and Conflict Studies, Global Politics and Theory of Knowledge, and is one of the Balkan Studies program co-creators and leads. From 2013 to 2019 he held the position of the Head of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, which he resumed in 2023 and is holding currently. His passion for teaching Humanities had him involved with different educational programs and projects, whether as a participant or a workshop leader. He has also been an IB History examiner since 2014. His senior leadership career at the College started in 2011 when he joined the Leadership Team as a Curriculum Coordinator/Head of Academics until 2014, and continued in 2019 when he assumed the position of the Acting Head of the College which he held until 2021. He is married and has two children.

We are proud to announce that the alumni sponsored scholarship at UWC Mostar has become a reality! As alumni, we know best how life-changing the UWC experience is, and we are proud to contribute making it possible for deserving young people. This would not be possible without alumni who have joined the giving campaign thus far, and we hope to increase the numbers further in a way to provide more opportunities for future UWCers. The commitment of alumni and their families proves the importance of the UWC Mostar experience and gives wind in the sails to everyone working hard to make UWC Mostar a force for good.

Alumni Board of UWC Mostar

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ is proud to announce the Greta Weinfeld Ferušić Scholarship. This scholarship will fund a place for a student at United World College (UWC) Mostar in perpetuity. With this scholarship, the Trustees of the endowment are honoured to commemorate Greta Weinfeld Ferušić’s ideals of resilience, personal integrity and compassion. Ms Ferušić was a survivor of both the Auschwitz concentration camp, and of the siege of Sarajevo, who remained committed to values that are a core part of UWC education. Moreover, her engagement in academia and politics is an inspiration for future changemakers among UWC Mostar students and beyond.

Commenting on the scholarship, Mr Edgar Ferušić, Greta’s son said: "I am particularly honoured by the decision of United World College in Mostar to establish a “Greta Weinfeld Ferušić Scholarship” to commemorate the name of my mother. I hope that this scholarship will help many students get quality education. My mother encouraged her students to think critically and to advance strongly and she dedicated all of her life to pass the knowledge to her students, working with them every day, including many weekends. I feel that this Scholarship will be the continuation of her international orientation and efforts during life and professional career."


Biography Greta Ferušić
Greta Ferušić was born on June 26, 1924, in Novi Sad (Vojvodina - northern Serbia). Her father, Isidor Weinfeld, was a prosperous businessman; her mother, Daniela Steinitz Weinfeld, was a homemaker. Greta was an only child and, she said, doted on by her extended family. She was 19 when she and her family were taken from their home to Auschwitz-Birkenau, along with thousands of other Serbian Jews. She was the only member of her family to survive the death camps. When the Germans abandoned the camp in January 1945 and forced some 60,000 prisoners to march with them, she managed to stay behind. She weighed just 70 pounds (32 kilogrammes) and was clad only in a torn nightgown when the Soviet Army liberated the camp on the 27th of January.

She returned to her home in Novi Sad, and after she had begun to recover, she sold it to pay for her education at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Belgrade. She married Seid Ferušić, a fellow student from Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1948, and they moved to Sarajevo. Ms. Ferušić had been an architecture professor and a dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Sarajevo. She was the first female architect to teach there. She designed and inspected the construction of schools, hospitals, hotels, commercial centres and housing. Until her retirement in 1985, she worked as Bosnia and Herzegovina’s government minister for the protection of human environment.

Nearly 50 years after the Holocaust, after a distinguished career as an architect and a professor, she refused to leave her home in Sarajevo when the siege of that city began. For almost four years beginning in 1992, in what has been described as the longest siege of a city in modern history, forces of the Army of Republika Srpska blockaded and shelled Sarajevo, cutting off humanitarian aid along with water, gas and electricity for months at a time as the former Yugoslavia split apart. But Ms. Ferušić and her husband Seid, a civil engineer, both retired by then, felt as many did that it mattered to keep up a semblance of normal civilized life. “Once in my life I had already been forced to leave my home,” she said in “Greta,” a 1997 documentary film about her life during two wars. “I will never again leave my home willingly.”

Ms. Ferušić is thought to be the only person to have survived both Auschwitz and the siege of Sarajevo. She died on 23rd January 2022 at her home in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She was 97. On 27th January, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, four days after her death, Bosnian National Television broadcast a 1997 film “Greta” directed by Haris Pašović, in her honour.

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ is proud to announce the David and Elisabeth Sutcliffe Alumni Scholarship endowment. This endowment will now fund a place for a student from around the world at United World College (UWC) Mostar in perpetuity. It will be dedicated to fulfil his mission of being able to reach out to the underprivileged. In addition, it will also support the wider aims of UWC Mostar to contribute to the reconstruction of a post-conflict society through education.

David B. Sutcliffe, one of the founders of UWC Mostar, headmaster of Atlantic College and Adriatic College and a key figure in the UWC movement since 1961, died peacefully on Monday 11 November 2019. Thanks to all alumni, friends and family who donated to honour the 60 years of UWC commitment by Elisabeth and David Sutcliffe and to take forward David's ideas on wider UWC aims and UWC Mostar’s impact.

Elisabeth added “I am touched and overwhelmed by the generosity of so many alumni and other friends who felt that David’s influence on them and his ideas on education were so important that they endowed this scholarship after his death. He would be proud to know that he will, in perpetuity, support UWC Mostar in its efforts to try and bridge the divisions between different cultures and backgrounds in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as elsewhere, which was one of his great aims in life. I am extremely grateful to the Endowment Fund and immensely proud to be part of this scholarship in our joint names.”

Biographies Elisabeth and David Sutcliffe
Elisabeth and David Sutcliffe became involved with UWC a year before the opening of its first college, UWC Atlantic, when David was appointed to the college staff in order to assist with the preparations. This followed a period of increasingly close contact with Kurt Hahn, the founder of UWC Atlantic, whom David came to know well whilst teaching at Hahn’s first school ‘Salem’ in South Germany from 1956-1960. For a brief period in 1960, David served as Hahn’s private secretary, a time during which the momentum for the purchase of St. Donat’s Castle, the campus of Atlantic College, gathered pace.
Starting as housemaster and teacher of French and German, David advanced to Director of Studies and Deputy Head in 1967 and then to the post of College Head in 1969. During David’s headship, Atlantic College became the first school in the world to adopt the IB Diploma for all students. In 1982 the Sutcliffes moved to Italy to take part in the establishment of the Adriatic College, where David was the Rettore from 1982 until 2001. David was Vice-President of the International Baccalaureate Council of Foundation from 1985 to 1989 and Executive Director of United World Colleges International from 1994 to 1999. Following retirement in 2001 he, Tony Besse and the Finnish Adriatic graduate Pilvi Torsti joined forces to create, in laborious stages, UWC Mostar.
In addition to her numerous hospitality commitments with official visitors, Elisabeth taught part-time in both Atlantic and Adriatic Colleges, Latin and English at the former and English at the latter. Her involvement at the Adriatic College included tutoring, social service and, in the final years, the College graduate network.

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ is proud to announce the Lord Richard Attenborough Scholarship. This scholarship will, in perpetuity, fund a place at United World College (UWC) Mostar for a talented student. The trustees of the endowment are thrilled to create this scholarship in the name of the late Lord Richard Attenborough. Next to being a world-renowned actor and Oscar-winning film director, Attenborough was a staunch supporter of UWCs around the world, specifically the anti-apartheid Waterford Kamhlaba. He served for many years on the International Board of UWC and on the Governing Board of UWC Waterford Kamhlaba. Attenborough being an icon in his field, the Trustees of the Endowment hope that receiving this scholarship will be an uplifting and motivational experience for prospective scholarship holders, inspiring them in their future careers.
By coincidence, one of UWC Mostar’s Board members, Adriaan de Mol van Otterloo, played a small role in one of Lord Attenborough’s movies, ‘A Bridge too Far’, when he was a child. The name of the Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ was inspired by that movie.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Michael Attenborough CBE, Lord Richard Attenborough’s son, stated: “My father’s passionate commitment to full access to an enriching education for everyone was unswerving. Hence his limitless support, from its very foundation, for UWC Waterford Kamhlaba School, Swaziland. It informed much of his artistic oeuvre as an actor and a director and all of his tireless, political and charitable work.He would be so thrilled and honoured by the creation of this enlightened and visionary scholarship at UWC Mostar in his name.”

Biography of Lord Richard Attenborough
Attenborough was born on 29 August 1923 in Cambridge. During the Second World Ward, he served in the Film Production Unit of the Royal Air Force. In this role, he flew on several missions over Europe, filming military missions from the plane.
Following the war, and a training at RADA, Attenborough became a famed actor, appearing in numerous movies (such as Brighton Rock and The Great Escape). For his role in Guns at Batasi (1964) he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. In 1967 and 1968 he won two successive Golden Globe Awards as Best Supporting Actor. In the 1990s, Attenborough starred in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997); and subsequently in Miracle on 34th Street
Attenborough has also directed numerous movies. With his historical epic Gandhi (1982), he won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture. Other movies he directed included A Bridge Too Far (1977), recounting Second World War ‘Operation Market Garden’, and the anti-apartheid drama Cry Freedom (1987). Highlighting his affection for the UWC movement, Attenborough invited all IB students from Waterford Kamhlaba to Cry Freedom’s premiere.

Throughout his life, Attenborough dedicated significant time and resources to public service. He was President of the UK Muscular Dystrophy Campaign and Patron of the United World Colleges movement. At Waterford Kamhlaba United World College he and his wife founded the Richard and Sheila Attenborough Visual Arts Centre and the Jane Holland Creative Centre for Learning. The latter was founded in memory of his daughter and granddaughter, who died in the South-East Asia tsunami on 26 December 2004.
Having already been awarded the CBE and knighted, on 30 July 1993 Attenborough was created a life peer by John Major to honour his services to cinema. He chose to join the Labour whip in the House of Lords.

Lord Richard Attenborough passed away on 24 August 2014. He was survived by his wife of 69 years, their two children, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and his younger brother Sir David Attenborough.

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ is proud to announce the creation of the UWC Austrian Alumni Scholarship. This scholarship will fund, in perpetuity, an Austrian student at United Word College (UWC) Mostar. The trustees of the endowment are overjoyed with this incredible donation. The UWC Stipenden Stiftung donated it’s funds and with an incredible fundraising campaign by UWC Austria, the funds were gathered to support a full endowment at UWC Mostar. In doing so they secured a permanent place for an Austrian student at UWC Mostar.

Commenting on the creation of these scholarships, Ursula and Augusta, the initiators of the fund-raising efforts, stated: “We are very proud that, with the communal effort of 92 Austrian alumni and friends of the UWC Network Austria, it was possible to raise the funds to create the UWC Austrian Alumni Scholarship and thus investing in the education and future of promising students without the financial means to attend a UWC.”

Thank you to all UWC Austria supporters and alumni to make this happen. A huge thank you to the board of UWC Network Austria and the Stiftungsrat and founders of the Austrian UWC Stipendien-Stiftung and Alexander, Andrea V., Andrea W., Angelika, Ann-Kathrin, Anna, Antonia, Augusta, Benjamin, Bernd, Bernhard, Bettina, Brigitte, Carl, Christina, Christoph, Clemens, Cornelia, Daniela, Daria, Elisabeth, Ellert, Elmar, Fabia, Felix, Flora, Florian, Franz, Gabriele, Gaby, Gernot, Gerrit, Gudrun, Helena, Herbert, Iris, Jaafar, Jeremias, Johanna, Josefine, Juan, Julia,Kathrin, Lara, Lea, Leander, Lena, Lisa, Luca, Lukas B., Lukas S., Maria, Marina, Marlene, Martina, Maximilian, Meinhard, Meyra, Michaela, Nella, Paula, Peter L., Peter S., Rebecca, Rita, Robert B., Robert W., Ronald, Samuel, Schifteh, Sebastian B., Sebastian S., Simon, Sonia, Sophie, Stephan, Tara, Thomas, Tobias, Ursula, Victoria, Wayu, Willi. As well as to Studio Goldegg for their sponsoring.

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ is proud to announce the creation of four Davis Scholarships. These scholarships will fund, in perpetuity, four places for talented students from Bosnia and Herzegovina at United Word College (UWC) Mostar. The trustees of the endowment are thrilled with this most generous gift. Being long-term supporters of the UWC movement, Gale and Shelby Davis enabled with this gift even more talented Bosnian students to enjoy world-class education in a multi-ethnic environment. In doing so they made an essential contribution to a more tolerant and peaceful Bosnia and Herzegovina in the years to come.

Commenting on the creation of these scholarships, Shelby Davis stated: “More scholarships for UWC students at Mostar and at every other UWC campus are critical to expanding educational opportunities for the world's most promising teenagers.  I hope many others will join in giving generously to UWC Mostar.”

Biography Shelby M.C. Davis
Shelby M.C. Davis was the founder of Davis Advisors, a mutual fund management company with more than $60 billion under management now being run by his son Christopher.
Mr. Davis received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University in 1958. He majored in American History, was a member of Tiger Inn, and was a reporter for the college newspaper, TheDaily Princetonian.

Mr. Davis began his career with the Bank of New York, where he worked for eight years. He entered the Bank as a Security Analyst and after five years was put in charge of Equity Research and named its youngest Vice President since Alexander Hamilton.

Since retiring from running Davis Advisors, Mr. Davis has become a major philanthropist. With veteran international educator Phil Geier, Mr. Davis founded the Davis United World College Scholars Program in the year 2000. The program has since grown to become the world's largest international scholarship program for undergraduates in the world. Davis philanthropy is currently contributing over $45 million annually to this cause, which to date has supported over 7,600 scholars on over 94 American college and university campuses.
Mr. Davis is an honorary trustee of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association and International Patron of the United World College movement. He has served on the boards of Princeton University, United World College-USA, the Hoover Institution and the Teton Science School. He has been widely recognized for his philanthropy and awarded numerous honorary degrees.

Mr. Davis is married to Gale Lansing Davis and has six children, three with Gale and three from a previous marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Davis reside in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He has a total of eight grandchildren.

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ is proud to announce the Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo Scholarship. This scholarship will finance a place for a bright young student from Bosnia and Herzegovina at the United World College (UWC) Mostar in perpetuity. The trustees of the endowment are thrilled to announce this highly generous donation by Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo, which is exemplary for their commitment to philanthropic causes of all kinds, ranging from art to development, and from healthcare to education. Partly thanks to their support, the ‘Bridge to the Future’ endowment fund is able to greatly contribute to UWC Mostar’s long-term financial stability, allowing the college to bridge ethnic divides in the Balkan region for the years and decades to come.

Commenting on the creation of the Scholarship, Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo said: “We are grateful that our children had, and our grandchildren will have the opportunity to attend the schools of their choice. With our gift to UWC Mostar we wish to give deserving students the chance to attend a world-class school and hope they will become the global citizens they strive to be.”

Biography Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo
Both being born in the ‘low countries’, Eijk in the Netherlands and Rose-Marie in Belgium, Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo met when they were working in the United States. Here they consequently settled, with Eijk co-founding Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Company (GMO), an investment management firm, in 1977. Having lived in the United States ever since, their connection with Europe did not disappear. They became avid art-collectors, assembling, over the course of 30 years, one of the finest private collections of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish art in the world.

Since the start Rose-Marie and Eijk have combined their love for art with a pronounced philanthropic spirit. They frequently allow their collection to be displayed around the world and made donations to, amongst others, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Having also supported local, educational and health charities, Rose-Marie and Eijk have continuously displayed a strong commitment to the public good. This is further shown by their involvement in Chemonics International, which works to alleviate poverty in the developing world through agricultural, educational, and health projects. Rose-Marie served 10 years on its board and in 2006, Eijk and Rose-Marie became its major shareholder, leading the company’s efforts to become fully employee-owned.

Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo live in Boston and have four children.

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ is proud to announce the creation of the Lord Mountbatten Scholarship. This scholarship will, in perpetuity, fund one student from Bosnia and Herzegovina at the United World College (UWC) in Mostar. With this scholarship the Trustees of the endowment are honoured to commemorate Lord Mountbatten’s efforts to create a more peaceful world. Lord Mountbatten was convinced that only by coming together as a global community, a process in which youth has a special role to play, can we promote a peaceful and prosperous future for humankind. This led him to be a staunch supporter of the UWC movement, of which he became the first International President.

Commenting on the creation of the scholarship, the family of Lord Mountbatten has stated: “That extraordinary young men and women will attend UWC Mostar in his memory is, we believe, just the way he would like to be remembered. Thank you to each and every person who has made this scholarship possible. We send our thanks, support and warmest wishes.”

In addition, Michael-John Knatchbull, Chairman of the Trustees of the Mountbatten Memorial Trust, has written: “On behalf of the trustees of the Mountbatten Memorial Trust I would like to endorse the new United World College student scholarship initiative so generously funded by the endowment trustees of the United World College in Mostar and to be named after Lord Mountbatten. 

We feel the importance of any educational opportunity to help foster better understanding between nations, cultures and religions has grown to be more and more crucial in addressing the challenges we face in the modern world. The primary aim of the United World College movement was founded on this principle.”

Biography of Lord Mountbatten
Born in 1900 as Prince Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas of Battenberg, Lord Mountbatten was raised at his family home in Germany as well as in the royal setting of Windsor, Berkshire. At age 12 he joined the Royal Navy where he was sent to sea as a midshipman during the First World War. Having studied at Christ’s College, Cambridge and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, Mountbatten became Personal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the then Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VIII. During the Second World War, Lord Mountbatten was known for his innovative and ground-breaking strategic thinking and became the Supreme Allied Commander in South East Asia.

Following the end of the War, the British Prime Minister Clement Attlee appointed Lord Mountbatten Viceroy of India, entrusting him with the task of overseeing the transition to an independent India. In the bitterly complex situation arising from the hostility between the country’s Muslim and Hindu populations, Mountbatten guided the two countries, India and Pakistan, to independence. Following a 10-month period as the first Governor General of newly independent India, Mountbatten returned to Britain in 1948. He then spent another 17 years in the Royal Navy, completing his service as Chief of the Defence Staff.

The United World Colleges then became Lord Mountbatten's most passionate interest. UWC’s principles combined perfectly two of his strongest convictions - international understanding as the bedrock of peace, peace as the bedrock of prosperity, and the responsibility of his generation to prepare the youth for the future, intellectually, physically, emotionally and morally. As such UWC, with its broad educational philosophy and international outlook, closely matched his view of the world.

As President, Lord Mountbatten took vigorous steps to put UWC on the world’s stage. He created the International Council, played a key role in setting up numerous National Committees, and pressed for bold expansion with new colleges. Both UWC Lester B. Pearson College in Canada and the UWC South East Asia in Singapore were opened during his presidency. After HRH The Prince of Wales agreed to succeed him, he stepped aside on 1 January 1978 to become UWC’s first International Life Patron. A little over a year later, in August 1979, he was assassinated by the IRA whilst on holiday in Ireland.

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ is thrilled to announce the creation of the Meijs – de Mol van Otterloo Scholarship. This scholarship will, each and every year, fund the presence of one talented student from Bosnia and Herzegovina at the United World College (UWC) in Mostar. The creation of this scholarship is an extremely well deserved recognition of the hard work Adriaan de Mol van Otterloo and Fleur Meijs have put into the College. Their support to the College’s leadership, their financial contributions, and their determination to create a solid financial base for UWC Mostar have been indispensable to the College’s sustained success.

Commenting on the creation of the Meijs – de Mol van Otterloo Scholarship, Fleur and Adriaan stated: “We passionately stand behind the UWC philosophy to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. Even 50 years since its creation, The UWC movement continues to be relevant each and every day. UWC Mostar embodies both the mission and the relevance of UWC to the fullest extent due to its location in a post-conflict region that still suffers from segregation in its communities. The endowment 'Bridge to the Future' funds scholarships for students from across the world whilst allowing UWC Mostar to plan for its future. For us, sponsoring an endowed scholarship is one of the most rewarding accomplishments in our lives”.

Fleur added: “I strongly believe that education is one of the most important tools that we can give to people, not only to develop individually but also to contribute to their societies. This became even more evident to me when I worked for the development organisation Plan International in West Africa. Therefore, I cannot think of a more worthwhile cause where both education and these moral values come together. My drive for my career has been to make the most out of the opportunities given to me. Now it is the time to create opportunities for others by providing them a top-class education through the endowment who would otherwise not had this chance”.

Adding to the above, Adriaan said: “UWC Mostar is one of the most exciting projects that I have come across in my life. The College is located in a region with a troubled history. Mostar is a beautiful town positioned along the river Neretva and between the hills. However, the ethnic division between the Croats and Bosniaks is still visible every day. UWC Mostar is at the forefront of making the world a better place. The students receive excellent education and based on my own experience as an UWC alumnus, I know the life-changing experience Mostar will provide to its students by shaping them to become better world citizens”.

Biography Adriaan de Mol van Otterloo and Fleur Meijs
Adriaan became involved with UWC when he went to UWC Adriatic as a 16 year old student. Following his studies in Milan, Rotterdam and London, he started his career at Schroders Investment Management in London. In 2006 Adriaan founded his own investment management firm, Intrinsic Value Investors (IVI) LLP. In 2009 David Sutcliffe, former Headmaster at UWC Adriatic, asked Adriaan to join the Board of UWC Mostar with the aim to focus on the finances. In order to solve the long-term financial stability of UWC Mostar, the endowment 'Bridge to the Future' was established. Adriaan has also been Trustee of Friends of the Tate Gallery and Trustee of Amera, a refugee charity active in Egypt.

Fleur studied at Erasmus University in the Netherlands and started to work at PwC in London in 1996. She was a partner in the financial services sector in audit and advisory projects. After 20 years, she retired from PwC to spend more time in developing and growing the endowment 'Bridge to the Future'. Fleur has also worked in West Africa for Plan International and she was a member of the Dutch Independent Parliamentary Committee regarding the future structure of the Dutch banking sector. Fleur is a Trustee of the Friends of the British Museum.

Fleur and Adriaan live in London and have three children, Willem, Frederik and Rose.

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ is proud to announce the creation of the Anne Frank Scholarship. This scholarship will fund, in perpetuity, a place for a talented student at the United World College (UWC) Mostar. The trustees of the endowment are honoured to endow this scholarship in Anne Frank’s name. With her diary, Anne Frank wrote a story of universal relevance, demonstrating the importance of tolerance, personal responsibility and respect. By bringing together the Balkan’s various ethnic and religious groups and through a wide-ranging community outreach programme, UWC Mostar seeks to instil these same values in its students. The trustees hope that Anne Frank continues to inspire young people, especially in Mostar and the rest of the Balkan region, with her strength and sense of idealism. In the words of Anne Frank: ‘I’ll make my voice heard, I’ll go out into the world and work for mankind!’

In a reaction to the creation of the scholarship, Ronald Leopold, executive director of the Anne Frank House, said:
“The Anne Frank House is honoured to have a scholarship at UWC Mostar endowed in Anne Frank’s name. UWC’s mission of equipping the next generation with the knowledge, skills, leadership qualities and international values, necessary to bridge divisions is laudable. Certainly, education is the key.

Reflecting on the life and thoughts of Anne Frank makes us realise what human beings are capable of in a negative sense. But it also makes us aware, as well, of the positive forces in ourselves and our society. She appeals strongly to our ability to work for and keep believing in a world where human rights and democracy prevail. Most important however when remembering Anne Frank, is that she inspires us to reflect on the world we ourselves are living in.

The Anne Frank House develops educational programmes and products based on Anne Frank’s life story, with the aim of raising young people’s awareness of the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination and the importance of freedom, equal rights and democracy. The same beliefs that are held high by UWC Mostar. The Anne Frank House wants to encourage young people to take responsibility for the social environment in which they live. In this context we ask ourselves the question ‘who inspires, influences and truly reaches young people?’. Our experience is that this is chiefly young people themselves, and so through peer education we also give them the opportunity to play an active role in carrying out our educational activities, in ways such as giving guided tours of Anne Frank exhibitions and participating in youth conferences and seminars. We don’t supply ready-made answers, but we do offer guidance.

This prominent position for young people is nothing new. In his role as an educator, Otto Frank too called on young people to ask themselves questions, and the starting point for this was and is the identification with Anne Frank that is felt around the world. Although the life of a 15-year-old now and that of Anne Frank in 1944 are very different, they share the dream of equal rights for all, of an open and free society, of being able to be yourself. It is in these ideals that Anne Frank, Martin Luther King, a teenage girl from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and an adolescent in Bosnia find each other.

The Anne Frank House and UWC Mostar both believe in the power of education. It is our sincere hope that this scholarship will help bridge and connect students, regardless of race, political beliefs and religion, to foster freedom and equal rights and to instil the values of democracy.”

Biography of Anne Frank
Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who went into hiding during the Second World War to escape from the Nazis. Aged thirteen she took, together with her father Otto, her mother Edith, her sister Margot and four other people, refuge in a hidden annexe of her father’s business premises. During her time in hiding Anne wrote a diary, and developed into a talented writer. The eight people in the ‘secret annexe’ hid away for 671 days, helped by Otto’s office staff. Then they were betrayed, and deported to concentration camps. Anne Frank died in the Bergen-Belsen camp, shortly before it was liberated. She was fifteen. Otto Frank was the only one of the people in hiding to survive the Holocaust, and he returned to Amsterdam. He arranged for the diary of Anne Frank to be published as a book, which became a source of inspiration to people all over the world.
To find out more about the life of Anne Frank, click here.

The Anne Frank House
Through the efforts of Otto Frank and a group of dedicated benefactors, on 3 May 1957 the Anne Frank House was set up as a charitable foundation: an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation and opening to the public of Anne Frank’s hiding place, and to bringing the life story of Anne Frank to the attention of as many people as possible worldwide.

The Anne Frank House also develops educational programmes and products based on Anne Frank’s life, with the aim of raising young people’s awareness of the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination and the importance of freedom, equal rights and democracy.

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ proudly presents the Jasminka Bratić Scholarship. This scholarship will, in perpetuity, fund a talented student from Bosnia and Herzegovina at the United World College (UWC) in Mostar. With this scholarship, the Trustees of the endowment pay tribute to one of the College’s earliest supporters. Ms Bratić’s hard work, inspirational attitude and her authority within Mostar, provided the College with the much-needed impetus to establish itself as a respected institution. Ms Bratić continuous efforts as the Chair of the Board of UWC Mostar are extremely valuable to the College and deserve the utmost respect.

In response to the creation of the Scholarship, Ms Bratić commented: “The United World College in Mostar offers Mostar and its citizen a positive energy and mutual understanding. Through the College, common interests of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina are discovered and prejudices overcome. At the same time the College’s emphasis on the respecting of each other’s differences and the being open to other cultures, creates a readiness for life in harmony and compromise. As such, I am absolutely honoured to have this scholarship endowed in my name and see my affinity to the College maintained in perpetuity.”

Biography Jasminka Bratić
Jasminka Bratić was born on 26 June 1956 in Mostar. Here she attended the old Mostar Gymnasium "Aleksa Santic”, which is located in the same building which currently hosts the UWC in Mostar. After high school she studied law at Mostar University.

During the Bosnian war Jasminka Bratić and her family were forced to leave Mostar and spend four years in Germany as refugees. Although many refugee families decided not to return to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the war, they came back to Mostar in 1997. Living conditions were difficult in the war-torn and ethnically divided city and the educational system, separating children based on their ethnicity, put the prospects for reconciliation almost beyond reach. All these factors were a grave threat to the future of new generations in Mostar.

Upon return, Ms Bratić worked at the University of Mostar as Secretary of the Faculty of Economic Studies and as Head of Student Services, a role in which she was closely in touch with Mostar’s youth. She was also a member of the Assembly of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Chair of the Fund for the Allocation of Student Loans in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a member of the Regional Council Congress of Bosniak Intellectuals, and the Assistant to the Minister of Justice of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. Ms Bratić also founded the association of citizens "Mujaga Komadina" which implements projects in the local community with the aim of integrating Mostar’s divided communities.
When asked to become Chair of the Board of the Mostar Gymnasium, her former high school, she immediately accepted. By hosting, although in separate classes, children from all ethnic groups, this school was making a first step in contributing to the normalization of human relations in the city where the effects of war and division were still felt.

In her role as Chair of the Mostar Gymnasium, Ms Bratić met with the initiators of UWC Mostar. She was immediately convinced that this project could make a major contribution to life in Mostar and became involved in the establishment of the College. Ms Bratić considers the ideas of the UWC movement as identical to her own and sees UWC Mostar as an umbrella under which the rebuilding of the war-torn society of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as its educational system can begin.

When the College was founded, Ms Bratić became a member of the Executive Committee of the UWC-IB initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the revision of the legal structure of the College in 2009, a process in which she played a key role, Ms Bratić became Chair of the Board of UWC Mostar. In this role Ms Bratić is actively involved in the daily life and work of the College, collaborating closely with its small management team. Through her activities, Ms Bratić became a friend and tutor to many staff members of UWC Mostar. Ms Bratić is also a Deputy Chair of the Board of the Foundation "Education in Action", which is the formal legal founder of the College. Through her work with the College, Ms Bratić has the goal of using education as a tool to form a new generation of young people, who will be the initiators in creating universal values for societies around the world. This is the necessary first step to establish long lasting peace, fight poverty and develop the Bosnian economy.

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ proudly announces the Kurt Hahn Scholarship. This scholarship will, in perpetuity, fund a place for a talented student from Bosnia and Herzegovina at the United World College (UWC) in Mostar. The trustees of the endowment are honoured to endow a scholarship in the name of the educational visionary and UWC’s founding father Kurt Hahn. In Hahn’s vision to create peace and understanding through international education lies the inspiration for UWC. Hahn also created many other international schools, foremost among them Salem in Germany and Gordonstoun in Scotland.

Commenting on the creation of the scholarship, Benita Hahn, the niece of Kurt Hahn, stated: “My uncle Kurt was electrified by his 1954 visit to the NATO Defence College in Paris. Here, new loyalties were being implanted in the minds and hearts of former enemies. From this, the inspiration for UWC was born. He would rejoice, as our family does, to know that his name and inspiration are now commemorated in perpetuity in the College in Mostar which so faithfully reflects his highest ideals.”

Bernd J. Westermeyer, Headmaster of Salem, added: “In 1920 Kurt Hahn and Prince Max von Baden founded Schule Schloss Salem in a baroque castle which for hundreds of years had been a Cistercian monastery. It is no coincidence that only two years after the appalling experience of World War I Kurt Hahn's first school took on the same name as the castle and the previous monastic community: Salem, which is derived from the Arabic word "salām" / "peace". To give a Kurt Hahn Scholarship to a promising young UWC student living and learning in Mostar, a city that suffered so much from war in the 1990s, is a very strong signal of hope: Hope that young well- educated women and men will be able to create and to preserve peace in the powerful spirit of responsibility that Dr. Kurt Hahn intended to spread all around the world.”
Peter Carpenter, a former pupil of Kurt Hahn, said: “As the Founder of the Cambridge University Kurt Hahn Trust, which awards Kurt Hahn Scholarships to German and British post-graduate students, I strongly support any endeavour which pays tribute to this remarkable man. He, more than anyone else I know of, has made an impact on the educational scene worldwide and deserves to be better known. I therefore welcome the news that the Trustees of the Mostar Endowment have set up a scholarship which will bear the name of Kurt Hahn, and wish it well.”

Simon Reid, Principal of the Gordonstoun school, completed: "Mahatma Gandhi was wary of knowledge without character, and I believe he had in mind something similar to Kurt Hahn when the German educationalist founded two schools, first Salem then Gordonstoun, on the founding stones of encouraging international understanding, community service, individual initiative and challenge. These stones are shared with The United World Colleges and it is a privilege to be associated closely with them through this scholarship programme. I greet with real excitement the prospect of generations of UWC Mostar Kurt Hahn scholars having a little, perhaps a lot, of the discernment possessed by the man whose name is given to their scholarship."

The Kurt Hahn Scholarship has been funded by the members of the Investment Committee of ‘Bridge to the Future’.

Biography of Kurt Hahn
Kurt Hahn was born in 1886 in Germany to Jewish parents. Having completed the Gymnasium in Berlin, Hahn continued his studies in Göttingen, Freiburg, Heidelberg and Oxford. Just before the outbreak of the First World War, he returned to Germany where, not enlisted for health reasons, he was enrolled to work in the Foreign Services to read the foreign press. In 1917 disagreement with his leadership over Germany’s wartime strategy led to Hahn’s dismissal.

In January 1919, Hahn became Private Secretary to Prince Max of Baden. In this role he prepared the historical material for Prince Max’s memoirs and, in 1920, founded with Prince Max the ‘Salem School’ in Baden. From 1920 to 1933, coinciding with the rise of Hitler, Hahn was the school’s first headmaster. Following the killing of a communist by supporters of Hitler in 1932, Hahn began fiercely criticizing the regime, challenging his pupils, faculty and alumni to make a choice between National Socialism and Salem. On 11th March 1933 Hahn was arrested and detained by the Nazi regime. Following interventions by, among others, British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, he was released 5 days later and left for Britain in July.

Strongly encouraged by influential British friends, Hahn opened a small school in Scotland that autumn which led in September 1934 to the founding of Gordonstoun. Determined to promote active and courageous citizenship, he founded Outward Bound and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme. Ten years after the Second World War, Hahn joined forces with Sir Lawrance Darvall and Desmond Hoare to plan the Atlantic College which, following the donation of St. Donat’s Castle in Wales by Antonin Besse, opened in 1962.

Hahn died in 1974, his legacy by now well established. Four United World Colleges were already running, other schools loyal to his principles were flourishing, and Outward Bound and the Award Scheme were expanding dramatically worldwide. His belief that a bond between all nations and cultures can be established through an education underpinned by active service, physical and artistic activities, continues to be a source of inspiration to many around the globe.

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ is proud to announce the Elisabeth Rehn Scholarship. This scholarship will, in perpetuity, fund a place at United World College (UWC) Mostar for either a Bosnian student or a student with Swedish heritage living in Finland. The trustees of the endowment are highly pleased to present this scholarship to Ms Rehn, honouring a strong advocate for human rights in the Balkans and one of the College’s earliest supporters. As Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rehn encountered Bosnia’s ethnic divides. This encouraged her to play a key-role in setting up UWC Mostar, being the chair of its original governing body.

Commenting on the creating of this scholarship, Rehn stated:

“Since 1995 I have been strongly linked to the states of the Former Yugoslavia, starting from my appointment as the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights. From 1998 my focus became even more on Bosnia and Herzegovina when the UN Secretary General called on me to become his Special Representative for the UN mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMiBH).

Even though rebuilding the country started slowly, much has been achieved. The trauma of the war, however, will remain for many years. Particularly unfortunate is that the Dayton agreement has not helped the country create an education which supports stability by overcoming hostility amongst youth.

This is why, when I was asked in 2006 to help found the United World College in Mostar, I did not hesitate for a single moment. Devoted work by the teachers and the Board has created a college which brings together young people from not only the region, but from all over the world. It has been heartbreaking to watch how these young people become best friends regardless of political tensions between their home countries. This is real peace work, so badly needed in the world of today. Education is increasingly seen as the highest of needs when solving conflicts. It is therefore no surprise that the BiH leadership often mentioned to me that UWC in Mostar is “the light at the end of the tunnel”.

On my 80th birthday I was informed of the efforts to raise a scholarship in my name for the “Bridge to the Future” Endowment fund. I am proud and honoured to give my name to this scholarship and am very grateful to the donors.”

Biography of Elisabeth Rehn
Elisabeth Rehn has had a long political career, ranging from 1979 to 2000. In Finland she served as member of the Parliament, minister of Defense and minister of Equality Affairs. She was also a Finnish presidential candidate and member of the European Parliament. She always combined her political work with the protection of human rights, first as vice chair of the Finnish Red Cross (1984 to 1988) and later as chair of the Finnish UNICEF committee (1988 to 1993).

Rehn has long played an active role in South-Eastern Europe (SEE). She became UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and FYROM in September 1995. In January 1998 she became UN Under Secretary General, Special Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina. She was furthermore Chair of the Working Table on Democracy and Human Rights of the Stability Pact for SEE from 2003 to 2005.
In addition to stability in the Balkans, Elisabeth Rehn campaigns for the rights of women in conflict. She co-wrote the UN report “Women War Peace” and is a member of numerous advisory boards for implementation of UN resolution 1325 protecting the rights of women in conflict, e.g. the Regional Women’s Lobby SEE. She is also member and former chair of the Board of Directors for the Trust Fund for Victims of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and is senior Gender Advisor for West Africa at the Crisis Management Initiative in Finland.

Elisabeth Rehn has a number of national and international honors and awards, including Econ.Dr h.c. , Pol.Dr h.c. and recently Dr.h.c. in Military sciences from Universities in Finland.

In 2005 the President of the Republic of Finland awarded her with the title of Minister of State.

The United World College Mostar Endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’ is proud to announce the ‘Yitzhak Rabin Scholarship’. This scholarship will provide one place each year for alternately an Israeli and a Palestinian student at United World College (UWC) Mostar. The presence of a Yitzhak Rabin Scholar in the ethnically divided city of Mostar shows that Rabin’s mission of promoting peace amongst people from different cultures has not been forgotten. The trustees of the endowment are proud to honour such a great man and hope that Rabin’s courage and determination will inspire many to bridge national, cultural and religious divides.

Commenting on the creation of the scholarship, Dalia Rabin, Yitzhak Rabin’s daughter and Chair of the Yitzhak Rabin Centre states: “The Yitzhak Rabin Centre in Israel and the Rabin Family are honoured and excited to have a scholarship at UWC Mostar endowed in Yitzhak Rabin’s name. UWC’s mission of equipping the next generation with the knowledge, skills, leadership qualities and international values, necessary to bridge divisions is laudable. Certainly, education is the key which promotes understanding.

My father, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Yitzhak Rabin, dedicated his life to public service because he believed that if every person was equipped with the tools necessary to excel, we could create a thriving Jewish, democratic state in the land of Israel. In addition to my father’s military and political legacy, he left an inheritance of social transformation in the fields of education, healthcare and national infrastructure as he persevered to equalize educational opportunity, reinforce the socio-economic and geographic periphery of the country and strengthen minorities.

The Yitzhak Rabin Center is the national institute dedicated to his memory and it serves as an education center and museum devoted to his legacy. Now more than ever, it is clear that healing the rifts in Israeli society and working to promote and protect the values of democracy, responsible leadership and peace are as relevant as they were the night of his assassination, November 4, 1995. Our experiential educational and outreach programs for soldiers and students strengthen civil society and reach out to the next generation of leaders. Like my father, the Center transcends differences between right/left, religious/secular and reflects the complexity of Israeli society.

The Yitzhak Rabin Centre and UWC Mostar share a symbiotic mission steeped in the tradition of advocating equality and social change. Both of us are doing our part. Over the past decade, we have been working with students and educators to empower individuals and communities, to promote tolerance and understanding, to instil the values of democracy and to nurture leadership so our younger generations have the knowledge and the tools to face the challenges that lay ahead.
Your generosity ensures that my father’s life’s work will continue to impact Israel and the region for generations to come. It is my sincere hope that this scholarship will help bridge and connect students regardless of race and religion.”

Biography of Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin was born in Jerusalem on March 1, 1922. He joined the Haganah (the Jewish self-defence organisation) at an early age and became, in 1941, one of the first recruits in its elite fighting force, the Palmach. Having fought in both the Second World War and the War for Independence, Rabin continued his service in the Israel Defence Forces. Here Rabin first headed the Northern Command, then became chief of the Operations Branch and then deputy chief of staff. In 1964 Rabin took over as chief of staff. In this role Rabin led Israel to victory during the Six-Day War of June 1967.

Leaving the military in 1968, Rabin was appointed ambassador to the United States. Upon his return he joined the labour party and became, on June 3, 1974, prime minister of Israel. As PM, Rabin entered negotiations with Syria, Jordan, Morocco and Egypt. Rabin’s decision to withdraw from strategic positions in Sinai started the process leading to the Camp David Accords.

In 1984, after seven years in the opposition, Rabin became Israel’s minister of defence. The 1987 Intifada, combined with Jordan giving up its sovereignty over the West Bank, necessitated direct negotiations with the Palestinians. With this in mind, Shimon Peres and Rabin started a new peace process. Upon returning to the office of PM in 1992, Rabin continued to prioritise peace efforts. Although top-secret negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians in Washington failed, further negotiations resulted, on August 20, 1993, in the signing of the Oslo Accords.

On December 10, 1994, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East. The peace process continued with the signing of the Oslo-B Agreement on September 28, 1995. However, in a dramatic turn of events, Rabin’s contribution to a peaceful Middle East came to a sudden end when, on November 4, 1995, at the close of a peace rally at Kings of Israel Square in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by gunshot by a young Jewish student.