On September 19, 2024, the UWC Adriatic community gathered to celebrate the Opening Ceremony of the 2024-2025 academic year. This longstanding tradition, dating back to the College’s founding in 1982, brought together students, staff, and special guests to mark the start of an exciting new chapter.
Held at Teatro Verdi in Gorizia, which — along with Nova Gorica in Slovenia — will serve as the borderless European Capital of Culture in 2025, the event was a fitting tribute to the College’s values of peace and unity in diversity. The ceremony highlighted the role of UWC National Committees, with over 80 students representing their National Committees, greeting the audience in their native languages, often donning national costumes or carrying their country’s flags.
As beautifully stated by our student Masters of Cerimonies, Leah (South Africa) and Leonardo (Italy), this Parade of Peoples, Nations and Cultures reminded the audience how:
Following introductory remarks from our host – the Mayor of Gorizia, Rodolfo Ziberna, and Regional Minister Alessia Rosolen – the ceremony marked the official debut of the recently appointed UWC Adriatic President Roberto Antonione. The 2024-25 academic year was then declared officially open by our Rettore, Khalid El-Metaal, who encouraged students and staff members alike to consider their UWC experience through the lense of social entrepreneurship as a way to better determine our individual impact.
The ceremony also featured a series of cultural performances, showcasing the incredible diversity and talent within the College community – including an Armenian dance, a tango and a-cappella musical performances, and ending with a moving choir rendition of the South African song, Ndikhokhele Bawo.
