We Are United

Dear Community,

Thank you for your continued support of our We Are United Campaign. Your commitment is helping us to become a college with sustainable infrastructure and a robust scholarship fund that supports learning through innovative education and social transformation. We’re excited to share the latest updates and the meaningful progress made in recent months.

If you’ve been following along through our monthly newsletters, we hope they’ve helped you stay informed and connected to the project. If you missed any, you can always subscribe or catch up here: https://united.uwccostarica.org

Here is a summary of the key achievements since March 2025:

Infrastructure & Pre-Construction:

Infrastructure: The infrastructure project is now 100% complete. This includes access roads, internal roads, water, sewage, and electrical systems, as well as all major utilities necessary for the functioning of our new campus.

• Access Road to the New Campus: Roadwork was completed on June 24, including paving, sidewalks with tactile guiding tiles for visually impaired pedestrians, signage, demarcation, access to neighboring properties, and final site cleaning.
• Internal roads: The installation of RESIN8™ pavers is complete, representing more than 10,000 m² of pavers already installed throughout the new campus. RESIN8™ is a construction material made from recycled plastics. 48.7 g of recycled plastic was used in each paver installed in the New Campus.
• Pond: Significant progress has been made on leveling and waterproofing the surface of the pond that will sit at the heart of our New Campus, including the construction of a natural stage at the center of the pond.

Hydroseeding: Following the successful application of Hydroseeding on selected slopes, the technique will now be expanded to all slopes around the construction site to promote vegetation growth and prevent erosion. Hydroseeding is a technique in which a mixture of grass seeds, mulch, stabilizing additives, fertilizer, and water is sprayed onto a prepared surface to help plants grow in areas with limited access to water.

Sustainable Construction Waste Management: As part of our comprehensive waste management strategy for the new campus, we recently delivered 4 tons of plastic, including materials used to cover slopes, piping, and other non-recyclable plastics from the infrastructure project, to the RESIN8™processing facility.

Construction in Wood: We’re pleased to announce that we’ve signed a contract with Ingelam, a leading Chilean company specializing in construction-grade wood, for our new campus. Our first order is expected to arrive in Costa Rica in approximately 90 days. This marks a major milestone, bringing us one step closer to seeing the structure of our new campus take shape.

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Alum Engagement:

Reunion 2025: We look forward to welcoming around 100 UWC Costa Rica Alums from 11 generations on July 18-21. The weekend will include a visit to San Isidro and a tour of the New Campus construction site. This will be an exciting opportunity to share our vision for the future and explore ways in which our Alum community can help shape our new home. Learn more about the upcoming Reunion here.

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San Isidro Community Engagement:

Meetings with our neighbors: The UWC Costa Rica team has actively participated in several meetings with the mayor of San Isidro, the municipal council, and community members. These gatherings have focused on sharing updates and answering questions about our new campus and the construction process. We aim to identify needs and action points, maintain transparency, and continue strengthening our relationship with the San Isidro community.

Community Action Weekend: We partnered with Matzú, a women-led organization in San Isidro, that fosters local development and community bonding. UWC Costa Rica students worked together with them in the design of an International Women's Day Mural and a river cleanup.

BoT visit to San Isidro: During their last meeting, UWC Costa Rica’s Board of Trustees visited San Isidro to connect with the community, explore its history, and experience its traditions firsthand.

As the construction of our New Campus progresses, we are grateful to have you with us every step of the way. Every contribution helps us transform our vision into a reality, creating a space that empowers future agents of change from around the world.

Let’s keep building the future of UWC Costa Rica together!

With deep appreciation,

Links:

• We Are United Website
• New Campus Web Page

Dear Community,

We are deeply grateful for your support of our “We Are United” Campaign. You are making the construction of an exceptional learning and growth space for our students a reality and we are excited to share with you the significant progress achieved during the last few months.

We hope you have found our monthly newsletters valuable in keeping you informed about the project's progress. If you haven't had the chance to read them, you can always subscribe on our website to stay updated: https://united.uwccostarica.org/

Here is a summary of the key achievements since November 2024:

Infrastructure & Pre-Construction:

• 100% of earth movement has been completed. We have successfully moved 83,000 m³ of earth on the building pads, constructed 1,262 linear meters of retaining walls, and completed 1.1 km of internal streets.
• The infrastructure project is now 68% complete, with an expected completion date of April 2025.
• Sewer and Water System: Significant progress has been made in installing a comprehensive network of pipes and constructing rainwater, potable water, and fire tanks to ensure a sustainable and safe water supply.
• Electric Systems: Electrical pipelines have also been installed throughout the New Campus.
• Internal Roads: Sidewalks and curbs are finished in most sectors of the construction site, and the installation of RESIN8™ pavers is already underway. RESIN8™ is a construction material made from recycled plastics. 48.7 g of recycled plastic will be used in each paver installed in the New Campus.
• Work in Calle Las Caricias: Pipe installation, well construction, slope preparation, and expansion work are in progress at the main access road to the construction site.
• Hydroseeding: We are currently in the process of hydroseeding slopes all around the New Campus construction site. Hydroseeding is a technique in which a mixture of grass seeds, mulch, stabilizing additives, fertilizer, and water is sprayed onto a prepared surface to help plants grow in areas with limited access to water.
• To learn more about sustainable building practices and the use of wood as the primary construction material, at the end of 2024, we visited Ingelam, the Chilean factory responsible for manufacturing the certified wood that will characterize the buildings of our New Campus.
• We are currently in the bidding process to select the construction company responsible for the buildings. The contract is expected to be awarded in April 2025, paving the way for construction to begin in May 2025.

‍‍Alum Engagement:

• In January 2025, a group of Global Alums and families participated in an event in San Isidro. Their visit included a tour of the construction site and an opportunity to share their ideas and suggestions for the project.
• We also hosted two other Alum events in Boston and Washington, D.C., and will host three more events in London (March 5), Amsterdam (March 8), and New York (May 10). These gatherings provide a chance to reconnect and share updates on UWC Costa Rica’s New Campus and our vision for the future. Learn more about the upcoming events here. 

‍‍ San Isidro Community Engagement:

• During Community Action Week 2025 (the second week of February), UWC Costa Rica students participated in sustainable action projects in 12 different communities in Costa Rica, including San Isidro. They worked with Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles Nursing Home and Santa Cecilia School to improve their living and studying spaces and build strong connections.
• Slabs delivered to Santa Cecilia School: As part of the work at the construction site access road, 60 concrete slabs were removed and delivered to the local school.

 Your generosity is shaping the future of UWC Costa Rica. The “We Are United” campaign is a testament to what we can achieve together, and we invite you to keep sharing this journey with us.

With each contribution, we move closer to our goal—not just building a campus, but a thriving community. Thank you for being part of this inspiring project!

With deep appreciation,