Alumni Network
International peer collaboration doesn’t have to end when you finish Global Scholars. The Global Scholars Alumni Network unites former Global Scholars students aged 18 and older to brainstorm, collaborate, and transform global inspiration into local action.
lessons in global leadership from Global Scholars Alumni
Young people tell us they want to make their voices heard. What happens when we give them the training, experience, and platform they need to do so?
When we set out over a decade ago to connect middle school students around the world through the Global Scholars virtual exchange program, we aimed to provide youth the knowledge, skills, and confidence to speak up about global issues and lead their communities in tackling them. Our new Global Scholars Alumni Network shows that this vision is now reality.
Realizing the value and power of one’s voice, even at a young age, is core to the Global Scholars experience, through which students ages 10-13 collaborate across borders and cultures to solve global problems. We saw the lasting impact of this early experience when a group of alumni (ages 18+) recently gathered for a virtual op-ed writing workshop hosted by Global Cities and facilitated by Rachael Brown, senior editor at The Atlantic. The workshop was inspired by alum Eric Gee, who published an op-ed in The 74 in October 2026 about the power of connecting with international peers through Global Scholars.
The alumni took full advantage of this new opportunity to learn with and from one another, modeling global leadership skills and mindsets we could use more of in the world:
Be fully present and engage with people. Everyone turned on their cameras and spoke during small group discussions, connecting their comments to those shared by others and offering ideas for collaboration.
Genuinely consider other perspectives. Alumni acknowledged the possibility of different views on global issues, creating space for generative dialogue.
Decide what being brave looks like for you and take the leap. English isn’t the most comfortable speaking language for all alumni. They showed up and participated anyway. Other alumni spoke candidly about what makes it hard sometimes to share one’s voice about global issues or write for a big audience. Even so, they expressed genuine interest and willingness to try something new to advocate publicly for issues they care about, including affordable housing, youth civic engagement, access to quality education, and public health.
This is just the beginning of Global Cities’ new work to amplify the voices of Global Scholars alumni and catalyze their civic engagement around global issues that matter to them and their communities.
Eric Gee, Hawai’i, United States
Studying Finance & International Business
at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
“Global Scholars gave me an opportunity to reach out even past Hawaiʻi and past our diverse community and to talk to people that really grew up in very different circumstances than I did.”
Tekla Okitashvili, Tbilisi, Georgia
Studying Psychology
at Tbilisi State University
“In my line of work and current studies, I am encouraged and inspired to be more open-minded and to value everyone’s experiences, thoughts, and emotions.”
Alumni reflections and connections
Amelia Sadowska, Warsaw, Poland
Studying Law
at Jagiellonian University
“Global Scholars was very fundamental for my strong belief in activism when it's needed; it showed me, that while the effort we put in and the measures we take individually may sometimes seem quite small, together we can bring about change.”
Bing Rui Liu, Taipei, Taiwan
Studying Chemical Engineering
at National Taiwan University
“I think Global Scholars isn't a one year program, but a lifelong experience and international network. It made me realize that while we were there to solve global problems, we were also just kids finding common ground across the world.”