Alumni Spotlight: Tiril Rahn (Class of 2016)
From RBC’s very first cohort to global peace diplomacy — a journey fueled by courage, curiosity, and community.
When Tiril arrived at UWC Robert Bosch College in 2014, campus life looked a little different: classes took place in student houses, the school building was still under construction, and helmets were occasionally part of the classroom dress code. “We got packed lunches — a bread roll and an energy bar. I still can’t eat those bars to this day,” she laughs. But despite the dust and chaos, something extraordinary was taking shape.
As part of RBC’s first-ever cohort, Tiril helped lay the foundation for the traditions that still define the school today even if some (like birthday showers) were quickly reconsidered. “We didn’t have second years to guide us. So we invented it all, from the rituals to what it meant to be a UWC community.” She remembers joyful, messy beginnings: her CAS involved knitting, gardening, and brewing 240 litres of beer for graduation (which ended up untouched due to the sheer sadness of parting ways). But what she cherishes most are the deep, honest conversations with peers from Somaliland, Indonesia, Kenya, and the Marshall Islands. “That was a defining memory for me, the dialogues. It’s where I learned how to really listen.”
After RBC, Tiril studied at NYU Abu Dhabi, spent some time in Shanghai and New York, and finally moved to Oxford, where she recently completed a PhD in International Relations. Her achievements since RBC reflect a deep commitment to UWC values: launching the UAE’s first youth awareness initiative on refugee rights, founding the Oxford Diplomatic Society to build dialogue across difference, and now stepping into a role as UN Coordinator for NATO. Through it all, Tiril has remained grounded in what she first learned at UWC: that peace, diversity, and justice are not abstract ideals, they’re daily commitments, often built one conversation at a time.
“I didn’t realise just how much of a strength it was to really understand diversity, to know how to create a space where people from all over the world can come together. That started at RBC.”
Now, nearly a decade after graduation, Tiril is still in touch with many of her co-years and is already looking forward to the first-ever UWC RBC 10-Year Reunion in 2026. As one of the original 100 students who helped shape RBC into what it is today, her journey is a powerful reminder of what can grow from the bold idea of a new UWC in the Black Forest.
✨ Tiril, thank you for paving the way — and for continuing to live the mission with heart and humility.
