Student-Led 'Anthropy' Revives Humanities Focus Week at UWCSEA
By Ruhani and Mihika, Grade 11; Vaish, Grade 10, UWCSEA Dover; and the Communications Team
6 March 2026
For UWCSEA Dover High School students who are passionate about Humanities, or even have a passing interest, Humanities Focus Week (HFW) is an opportunity to dive deep into the topic, gain real-world insights, and cultivate relationships with industry professionals in related fields. Organised by Anthropy, a student-led Activities group, the annual undertaking includes events throughout the week. It had been on hold since 2023, until the Anthropy team revived it in 2026.
Three organisers—Ruhani, Mihika (Grade 11) and Vaish (Grade 10)—share more about the initiative, creativity and leadership it took to get HFW off the ground.
How We Chose the Theme and Speakers
Interpreting Change: Humanities Perspectives in a Transforming World
We wanted the theme to encapsulate the changing world. The nascence of Artificial Intelligence and transformative world politics have a direct impact on the job market. Our UWCSEA students will be experiencing these and many other facets when they go out into the world. So, we intentionally shortlisted speakers with a variety of humanities-related experiences and subject expertise. Despite the focus on diversity and variety, however, we made sure to stay grounded–allowing us to create a cohesive experience for students who are curious about the role of the humanities in today's rapidly changing world.
Speakers represented a mix of professions and perspectives
- Mallika Sachdeva ‘07 UWCSEA Dover, and Managing Director of FX Strategy at Deutsche Bank touched on how emergent events are impacting the economic sphere, and how the fluctuating markets are a precise reflection of current affairs.
- Nicolas De Mello ‘18 UWCSEA Dover and Research Assistant at the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard, delivered an inspiring presentation grounded in tertiary studies from the perspective of a recent university graduate.
- Priyaka N. Dhingra, UWCSEA Board Adviser and Head of Impact and Sustainable Finance at Farro Capital spoke about the politics and economics of sustainability.
- Marc Silberstein ‘03, UWCSEA Dover and Managing Partner at Silberstein + Partners shared insights from the perspective of consulting and finance.
And many others for whom we are very grateful.
Why It Took Two Months to Organise
Brainstorming the perfect event theme, curating interesting and insightful presentation topics, coordinating schedules down to the minute–these are just a few examples of the work that went into organising HFW ‘26. A huge challenge was logistics; we had five available lunchtime slots in which to deliver a potent, inspiring and varied experience for students.
We reached out to other student-led humanities societies to collaboratively brainstorm events that fit both our aims. This allowed us to provide many types of events–from guest speaker sessions with the Finance Society, to extended discussions around political resistance with the Politics Society. We also provided “write your opinion” boards in the Tent Plaza with “Don’t Be Afraid,” another student-led organisation.
What We Learned
We felt that our speakers and sessions with different societies were extremely enriching and enjoyable to facilitate and be a part of. Learning from this experience was immensely beneficial to the individual development of all members of the Anthropy leadership team.
We hope that the attendees gained a wealthy and more rounded perspective of life after UWCSEA and a little more knowledge into the intermingling of financial markets and emerging and current actors on the global stage. Maybe, they even gained a new interest in a related field.
Personally, I have found that the true essence of success is not measured by publicity or audience size, but by the dedication required to bring a vision to life. Our world thrives on leaders and changemakers, and I have come to realise that even the smallest actions can catalyse meaningful change. I vividly remember students approaching me during our events to ask, "Is this the Humanities Focus Week?" In those moments, I was overwhelmed with pride, knowing I had played a part in providing my peers with a new vantage point into the vast world of the social sciences." - Vaish, Grade 10, Anthropy team
Mihika, Vaish and Ruhani are all interested in pursuing their passion for the Humanities in different ways when they graduate from UWCSEA. Read more about why they joined Anthropy in the first place, below.
"I joined Anthropy in the 2024-2025 school year as the Chair of Operations and Administration. I thrive at the intersection of multiple disciplines and am a passionate Humanities learner, so Anthropy’s mission of raising awareness for (and inspiring curiosity about) all Humanities and their intersections deeply resonated with me–especially when seeing the impact that our initiatives, such as In2Academia, had on the curiosity, intellect and confidence of budding humanities academics. In my current role as Chair, I’m working to internationalise and expand In2Academia, as well as to bring back more Humanities events like HFW!" Ruhani, Grade 11, UWCSEA Dover
"In a world increasingly driven by data, I believe the Humanities provides the essential narrative that makes sense of our shared human experience. This conviction is what first drew me to Anthropy. Last year, I was privileged to be one of twelve participants selected for their pilot program, In2Academia, where I published my first online research paper in the Anthropy International Journal. That experience was transformative; it not only sharpened my analytical skills but ignited a desire to expand my curiosity and contribute to meaningful impact. Since then, I have transitioned into the role of Head of Administration for the 2025–2026 school year. In this position, I am dedicated to advancing Anthropy’s mission and broadening the horizons of fellow Humanities-oriented students. My goal is to uphold the values our organisation stands for while fostering sparks of curiosity in every student we reach." Vaish, Grade 10, UWCSEA Dover
"I was first a part of the In2Academia research program pioneered in 2025. I had found out about this programme from a friend who was signing up too, and took the leap to be a 2025 research participant. That’s when my initiation into Anthropy began. After completing the programme, someone recommended I apply for a leadership role, recognising my passion and acuity for humanities. I earned the position of Operations Head, and I haven’t looked back since! It has been so enriching and rewarding to give back to the UWCSEA community by providing them with a platform and opportunity to engage in intellectual Humanities-related dialogue and deliberation." Mihika, Grade 11, UWCSEA Dover
Anthropy was established in 2021. It’s a student-led humanities outreach and engagement platform. Started with the aim of inspiring a love and appreciation for the humanities, Anthropy provides students with opportunities to hear from professionals in humanities-related fields and join academic forays into humanities sub-branches. In addition to HFW, we run “In2Academia” our student-mentored two-month introduction to research for aspiring Humanities academics in Grades 8 to11.
Students interested in finding out more about Anthropy can drop a message to anthropyuwc@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg.