Iona Lee

Boston College graduates might opt for something different by moving out West Coast after graduation. But for one 2010 graduate, that wasn’t nearly adventurous enough. Alexander Storm Howe ventured all the way to Tanzania. And not just for a safari vacation. “I left America because I was looking for adventure,” Howe said. Originally, Howe wanted to pursue a career in Tanzania’s vast hunting industry. “I had grown up hunting and being big on the outdoors,” Howe said.

It’s been a complicated—and often frustrating—few years for students all over the world. The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly changed the way children around the world learn. Remote classes. Closures. Masks. It was a lot to deal with, and the long-term consequences could be severe. So, what lessons can we learn from the past three difficult years? High schoolers have a lot of thoughts on the matter, and they weren’t hesitant to share them in the World Bank-Financial Times Youth Blog Competition.

What’s your favourite place to visit and why? My favourite places tend to have something numinous about them. Warriston Cemetery. Dunino Den. The Isle of Iona. Currently, it’s Borthwick’s Close on the Royal Mile. There’s a pigeon couple down there that have built this terrible nest from twigs and bits of broken zip tie, and it's teetering on top of anti-bird spikes. I’m very moved by them and their endurance in the face of such adversity. Favourite food and why? Probably my dad’s roast dinner.