Ruxandra Bratfalean: Student, University of the Arts

Posted: 29 April 2021

Ruxandra Bratfalean or “Ruxi”, graduated from Transylvania College, Romania, in 2018. Since leaving school, her passion for film making has led her to London, to study at the University of the Arts.

Her personal learning and character growth during her time at school has given her the courage, tenacity, and confidence to flourish in her new surroundings in London.

As President of the Drama Society at the University, she often draws on the leadership skills she developed at school as she works with colleagues from all over the world.

“I need a lot of organizational skills. I need to be on time and know how to speak with people who are older, who know more than me, and who can teach me things. A lot of film making is team work. Knowing how to speak to peers, motivate them and work together even when we don’t see eye-to-eye, these are things that Leadership in Round Square taught me.  I am a lot more sure about myself.” 

The numerous conferences she attended while at Transylvania College, along with the interactions she had with students from other countries, has given her the confidence to view each new situation as an opportunity. Rather than being fearful of change, she is comfortable meeting challenges – she sees it as a chance for courage and personal growth.

Adventure remains her favourite Round Square IDEAL; at school she was the Adventure Prefect.  Sharing her experiences with others continues to be important to Ruxi. As she puts it, she enjoys “going out into the wild”.

The social engagement aspect of adventure motivates her. In her friendship group at university, she finds that she is always encouraging others to do more, engage more and connect more. Her experiences at school have spilled over into her life at university – she has become the encouraging force behind several adventurous hikes with friends.

Ruxi’s advice to students today is to keep a balance between education and wellbeing, “the whole complexity of a human being isn’t just in the brain. You need to raise a kid in a school in a holistic way. We cannot just exist with our brains. It creates all sorts of imbalances, not only emotional or mental, but in diet, in life, in not doing sports, and sitting in front of a computer all day…You have to open your mind. You have to feel.”

This reminds us of Kurt Hahn’s belief that education goes beyond pure academics, “Let us rather plan their life at school so that they can discover and test their hidden powers.” Kurt Hahn

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