On September 21, the UWC Costa Rica community gathered for an extraordinary dual milestone: honoring global UWC Day, the International Day of Peace, and celebrating two decades of transformative education in Santa Ana.

This date carries deep roots in our host country. In 1981, under the administration of former President Rodrigo Carazo Odio, the Costa Rican delegation to the United Nations led the proposal that established the International Day of Peace. Years later, Don Rodrigo brought that commitment directly to our campus, serving as the first President of UWC Costa Rica’s Board of Directors.

Today, as the only campus of the UWC movement in Latin America and the Caribbean, our intentionally diverse community brings together youth from more than 60 nationalities who learn directly from the Costa Rican context and environment. Our pedagogical model integrates competencies in conflict transformation, equity, leadership, and sustainability—core values that take on expanded meaning following the UWC movement’s nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Reaching this 20th anniversary represents a moment of profound gratitude toward every generation of students, educators, board members, donors, and allies who have built our history. Upon reaching twenty years, an institution, like a person, clearly defines its identity, values, and life purpose. We reaffirm with determination our mission to continue evolving education to respond to future global challenges and prepare tomorrow’s leaders.” — Mauricio Viales, Founding Director of UWC Costa Rica.

Honoring Our Journey in Santa Ana

Since opening our doors in 2006, our journey in Santa Ana has been defined by steady growth, community collaboration, and educational innovation.

• 2006: UWC Costa Rica opens its doors in Santa Ana, San José, inheriting a home adapted from SOS Children’s Villages.
• 2007: HM Queen Noor of Jordan, President of UWC, officially inaugurates the campus.
• 2008: The college celebrates the graduation of its first class.
• 2013: The institutional Competencies model is established, bringing social responsibility, sustainability, conflict transformation, diversity, leadership, and healthy lifestyles to the core of our educational design. The college also secures international certification from the Council of International Schools (CIS).
• 2015: UWC Costa Rica receives the Santa Ana campus property as a donation. That same year, UNHCR ACNUR recognizes the college for its service to youth in conflict areas, and UWC Costa Rica becomes the first Ashoka Changemaker School in the UWC movement.
• 2016: The community marks its 10th anniversary and initiates work on its long-term Master Plan.
• 2020: The van Otterloo family generously donates the land for our future home, paving the way for our next chapter as the college celebrates its 1,000th alum.
• 2021–2022: The institution launches its Sustainability Framework and introduces the 2022–2027 Strategic Plan.
• 2023: UWC Costa Rica signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) and hosts the International Baccalaureate’s Festival of Hope.
• 2024: The college earns the Great Place to Work certification—the only educational institution in the region to achieve this distinction—and forms a key alliance with the Green Schools National Network (GSNN). 
• 2026: We celebrate 20 years of impact, sign our construction contract, formalize a strategic partnership with EARTH University, and launch our official Portrait of a Graduate.

Through these milestones, our journey in Santa Ana has been further validated by certifications such as the two-white-star Bandera Azul Ecológica, reflecting our commitment to protecting natural resources and environmental health.

What is Next: The New Campus in San Isidro de Heredia

As we honor the foundation built in Santa Ana over the past twenty years, we look forward to August 2027, when UWC Costa Rica will open its new campus in San Isidro de Heredia.

Designed as a living laboratory for sustainability, the San Isidro campus uses eco-conscious construction methods with certified structural wood and is pursuing both LEED and EDGE certifications. Set across 50 hectares—39 of which are dedicated exclusively to ecosystem conservation and field education—the campus sits in a town recognized as number one in national citizen security metrics, providing a peaceful, natural environment for learning.

This expansion allows the college to grow its student capacity to 224 students in Phase 1. This physical growth also creates an opportunity to scale our Scholarship Fund by 40%, widening access for youth worldwide. Furthermore, UWC Costa Rica will guarantee that 15% of the student body originates from or resides in Costa Rica, nearly doubling our current national representation and deepening our roots in our host country.

The new facilities will also house the Sustainability & Innovation Center, featuring an internal and outdoor amphitheater, modern science labs, versatile learning spaces, a makerspace, and the UWC Alums Global Impact Academy—a space dedicated to helping our graduate network collaborate and scale social impact initiatives long after graduation.

As we carry two decades of history from Santa Ana into this new chapter in San Isidro, our commitment remains clear: to cultivate in young people the passion and ability to serve humanity and our planet—learning from nature and from each other for a lifetime.

Twenty years of transforming lives start with the people who built our foundation right here in Santa Ana. We carry the Santa Ana legacy in our hearts as we step forward into our new home in San Isidro.