From the desk of our founding Ceo: Eliza Pesuit

We just wrapped one of the most extraordinary weeks in Global Glimpse history and as I sit at the airport waiting to board my flight home I’m trying to wrap my mind, my arms, my heart around all of it…

For more than six months we’ve been planning a Leadership Trip to mark our 10,000 student milestone and last week the vision finally came together as we welcomed 18 cross-sector executives to join us for a fully immersive experience high up in the mountains of the Dominican Republic.

Very few of them knew each other before the experience and they were all out of their comfort zones. We joined students from New York and Chicago for packed days in community sharing stories, cooking, cleaning, and eating together. We all sat in plastic chairs, ate rice and eggs, and packed into a bus to go everywhere. Everyone on the trip showed up as humans first. Humans who care about young people, and the future we are building.

A few things will stick with me from this trip and inform our work moving forward:

1. Seeing is believing.

I can talk about the power of the Global Glimpse model all day, but there is nothing that compares to experiencing it first hand.

2. Adults also need immersive experiences that expand their perspective and ground them in purpose.

3. Presence matters.

When was the last time you spent time with 20 kids from different backgrounds sitting at a table playing dominoes and UNO, singing throwback anthems, laughing, reflecting, just talking? Is there ANY other space where that happens?!

I am so grateful that we have maintained a tech free experience for our students at Global Glimpse in spite of all the pressures. I know deeply having spent the past 10 days connecting with students across multiple groups that this is at the center of our impact.

The friendships and understanding our students build are far beyond anything they’ve experienced at home because they are fully present for the first time in their entire lives.  One student told me that this was the first time he could truly hear his own thoughts. Countless students shared that they felt they could be themselves for the first time on this trip.

Every single student I connected with said they were grateful to NOT have their phone, and ultimately they were scared to go back to it. We ALL need to work to create spaces to be present, to connect, to listen to our own thoughts.

I have tremendous hope for the future, but it is on all of us to build the models and the space to cultivate, support, and empower the leaders our world needs.

THANK YOU to our board members, champions, and partners for traveling to join us, for embracing the experience, for enough laughter to last a year, for believing in what’s possible. A huge thanks to our incredible team, I am deeply humbled by your commitment to this work.

Interested in learning more about the experience and joining a future leadership trip? Let us know here!

About Global Glimpse

Global Glimpse is a nonprofit organization that empowers high school students to become globally minded leaders through transformative travel, leadership development, and meaningful community engagement. By bringing together students from ALL backgrounds for immersive international experiences, Global Glimpse helps young people build confidence, expand their perspectives, and develop the skills to lead with empathy and purpose.

Since its founding in 2008, Global Glimpse has provided more than 10,000 students with life-changing travel experiences made possible through the support of educators, donors, corporate partners, and community leaders. Together, we are working to ensure every young person has access to the transformative power of travel.

Learn more at globalglimpse.org.