Born: Mbabane, Swaziland
Lived in: Swaziland
Major: Physics, Economics, International Affairs or, perhaps, something else!
My name is Lutfo Siphiwo Dlamini. I was born on April 18th, 1989. I am a thorough-bred Swazi, and have lived in the land of the Swazi’s (Swaziland) all my life. Characteristic of most Swazi’s, I come from a large family of eight members: my devoted mother (stay-at-home mom) and father (bank manager), my three boisterous teenage sisters, my mischievous two-year-old brother, my inquisitive and obdurate cousin and, of course, me.
I completed my high school education at Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA (United World College of Southern Africa). Embarking on the prestigious IB program at Waterford felt like, and in many ways was, the right thing to do. Having studied at a UWC for seven years, I think that, in general, UWCs really broaden one’s perspective of the world; living and interacting with international students from all corners of the globe, in many ways, made me feel like a true world citizen. As strange as this may sound, the world seems significantly bigger to me now; my views and thoughts are no longer solely confined within the geographical boundaries of the African continent. Notwithstanding the innumerable advantages of attending a UWC, most imperative for me was the knowledge that, if I played my cards right and worked diligently on my studies, I could get into a good American liberal arts college. Thankfully, I have succeeded.
On the sports-front, I am highly active and am always keen to learn new sporting disciplines. I especially enjoy: soccer, cricket, tennis, squash, pool, and table-tennis. I love taking the occasional jog through the scenic Mbabane (my hometown) periphery with my dog. I do, on occasions, lift some weights. I have had the honor and privilege of representing Swaziland in tennis and cricket. While at Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA, I was involved in four community service projects, and plan to join one or more community service groups/ projects at Lewis and Clark. We never truly appreciate what we have until we see someone who is worse off. I believe those who have the capacity to help should never turn a blind eye to poverty.
I have a keen interest in both the social and natural sciences, namely, physics, economics and international affairs. At Lewis & Clark, I thus plan to take courses in my three academic interests. I am, however, also interested in the Lewis & Clark pre-engineering program. In all honesty, I have not decided on my major; I have too many academic interests. I would not be surprised if I ended up majoring in psychology or anthropology. Anything is possible!
With so many academic interests, I knew that going to an American liberal arts college like Lewis & Clark was the right way to go for me. Moreover, I wanted to go to a small college with a strong sense of community; I did not want to go to a college where I would just be another one of the many students on campus, as is the case in large universities. I hate feeling insignificant. More importantly, I wanted to go to a college where I felt I would be happy. I felt that my happiness would be key to my academic success, and in my mind, academic success is the fundamental goal for every college student. Of all the colleges I managed to get into, Lewis & Clark seemed to be the right college for me. Lewis & Clark met my criteria with flying colors.