Global Leadership Adventures (GLA)

This summer I went to China with a group of 24 students. Originally when searching for programs I found that none of them were even close to my price range as they were all too expensive. At first, I selected Global Leadership Adventures because of its affordable price and its service component. But it turned out to be so much more than that! GLA was an experience through which I learned to be more independent and confident. When out in the streets with other students we had to use our language skills to communicate which took a lot of brain power but also a lot of confidence. Making friends while on the China program was not hard at all. All the kids on my program were ambitious and they cared about making a difference. Since I found kids similar to me on the program it was really easy to make friends. Even though it's been a while since this summer we still have our group chat going strong and I even regularly meet up with two of the kids who live close to me. I definitely recommend GLA for other students because it really was a life changing experience for me and I think everyone should experience this great adventure!

The language aspect of this program could be greatly improved. The language classes were extremely informal and I don't feel like I really learned any new Mandarin.