Dr Linda de Flavis

Former University Advisor, Dover Campus

Linda was born in the UK, the daughter of Italian immigrants, and was the first person in her family to go to college. After graduating from universities in Southampton and Oxford, she taught in Hong Kong for a while, then was awarded a scholarship to complete her PhD in English and African-American literature at the University of Southern California. Her career path brought her to Stanford University, where she taught world literature for six years and developed a passion for African post-colonial literature. She went on to teach as many of these texts as she could, at UWC South East Asia in Singapore, occasionally working with African students on scholarships whose cultural perspectives enriched the discussions in class. 

Linda then added a new role as a college guidance counsellor. As a first-generation college graduate and scholarship student herself, she has a strong belief in the transformative power of education, and a deep commitment to helping young people realize their vision and potential. Some of the scholars she has advised have overcome significant obstacles in their quest for education. Their personal stories of resilience and triumph over adversity make them some of the most extraordinary and inspiring individuals she has met. It is a real privilege to work with them and, over the longer term, to observe how their education not only benefits them personally, but also enables them to have a powerful impact on their communities, paying forward the investment made in them.