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A defining global experience before college can unlock a lifetime of potential
Believing in the importance of a global experience for young people, Abby Falik (MBA 2008) created Global Citizen Year, a nonprofit social enterprise that is forging a new educational pathway for America’s emerging leaders. By immersing a diverse corps of fellows in developing countries during a bridge year after high school, Global Citizen Year prepares them for success in college, careers, and our global economy.
"I want to awaken young people to their own potential as agents of change in the world," she explains. Today, Global Citizen Year is a thriving global operation, with 100 fellows involved in projects in Asia, Latin America, and Africa and another 200 alumni already making a difference as leaders on college campuses nationwide. Falik conceived the idea for Global Citizen Year after high school, when she moved to Latin America. She later refined it at HBS and launched the venture in 2008 after winning the School's Social Enterprise Conference competition, "Pitch for Change." Falik also received the HBS Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship in 2009.
Ultimately, Falik envisions a world in which a bridge year becomes a common expectation and opportunity—transforming education and unleashing the potential of our next generation as social innovators and global citizens. Participants, she says, "will reflect the diversity of our country, and bring the insight, conviction, and humility needed to address poverty and inequity, at home, and around the world."
(Published April 2014)
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