At GYEL, we believe in your potential to lead, grow, and make a difference.
Hear from past students who’ve walked this path — and see how GYEL helped shape their journey.
Dear Future Student, I know you aspire to contribute to causes that shape the world, and at times, your age may lead others to underestimate you. This can be discouraging, but instead of letting doubt hold you back, use it as fuel for growth.
Many fear failure, especially as they navigate new challenges. Yet failure is not a setback—it is a teacher. By allowing yourself to make mistakes, you gain invaluable lessons that will guide your future decisions. The process of learning is just as important as the impact you seek to make. When you believe in yourself, your contributions will be powerful and far-reaching.
Rather than dwelling on others' opinions of your ability, focus on your own belief in what you are capable of. Trust yourself, embrace the journey, and step boldly into the changemaking space—you have the potential to shape the future. I look forward to seeing all that you accomplish.
Right now, you might be both excited and nervous to start the GYEL program. You might have all these ideas floating around your head with stars in your eyes and an endless motivation. I'm here to tell you that all that is never going to fade in this program, and, in fact, it will most likely grow.
The GYEL Program is more of a webinar style program where we can discuss about the activities. Each session is three hours long, but it won't feel that long because the sessions are just packed to the brim with learning and activities. My advice to you is to just participate, or if you are a bit soft-spoken and shy (such as myself), listen. The activities they give us and the knowledge you gain through this program is unique and something that is very valuable and hard to find. Even though I didn't participate in discussions out loud as much as others, l've still learned through just listening. Through this program, I've been inspired to create change in the world, tackling one problem I found at a time. I love research, so I think that's why I found many parallels between research and this program: With these GYEL webinars and research homework, you are exposed to a lot of different problems, and one of them will stick with you. It will be something you realize you are very passionate about, so my advice is to see how you can contribute to solving this problem. Another thing you will learn is that you aren't too young to make a change; join with others to create change and find ways to create change yourself. The opportunities are endless as you will soon learn. The biggest "aha" moment I had during this course was when, almost every session Ms. Hannah would start us off talking about how we can make change and become global leaders through our participation in this course. This showed me that even though the SDGs are addressing huge and complex problems, we can actually be a part of the process to help achieve them. As high school students, I feel like we feel we can't make major change because of our age and inexperience, but we can because we can take these complex and challenging problems and break them down, taking them step by step. With the tools we've learned throughout this course, like Systems Thinking and learning how to define the problem, we can actually break down these problems to find solutions. The world is filled with complex and interconnected problems that need simple and elegant solutions. Through this course, I realized that a lot of people, myself included in the beginning, don't know a lot about the problems the SDGs were trying to solve beyond the surface level. We might know about pollution and gender inequality and poverty and world hunger, but we don't know the extent to which they actually affect the quality of life of millions of people. I am now trying to build a nonprofit, starting with my community and trying to expand its reach, that is all about educating the public. I am in the planning phase right now, and I want to create a branch focused on the SDGs and educating the public (from elementary/ preschool students to high schoolers) about the actual impact of these issues.
I also really enjoyed working with different business pitches because I feel I've learned so much from that. It also shows me how whatever solution we have for global problems, putting our ideas into action with confidence is how we can bring change. I have realized how interconnected the SDGs are to each other and any action taken towards one of them can impact all of them!
One global problem I see differently is poverty, I believed that it could be solved and after researching it and its effects, I learned that it is a global issue and someone is going to be in that state while others aren’t. One action I took because of this course is helping my community through the GYEL ambassador program.
Hi Hannah,
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all your support throughout GYEL. From our very entertaining office hours (the National Day Café is still going strong!) to the legendary burger debates during webinars, Part 1 has been such a fun and meaningful experience.
I’ve genuinely enjoyed every moment—especially learning to articulate my ideas (even with just one minute of prep!), deepening my understanding of the UN and the SDGs, and exploring my passions for SDG 11 and 5.
I’m so excited for Part 2 and can’t wait to keep seeing your face on Zoom every weekend—yay!
No problem too big for a burger mindset, Athira Apsangi
Hi Hannah! In the past 16 weeks, I have loved each session and all the lessons, hearing your stories along with others experiences. Because of this, I learned lots from it, so I just wanted to thank you for these past months and the experiences we shared every Sunday! - Arvin Kodak
Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here, and ready to make change in our world! Really- it’s great that you’re here! But first, here are a few things you should expect in this GYEL program
First, you’re going to learn a lot about leadership skills such as learning how to give and take good feedback, learning how to give a good speech, learning how to manage your time wisely, and much, much more! So be sure to take notes on these, because you will be needing them for assignments, AND the future!
To get the most out of this program, be sure to listen very carefully and participate up to the best of your ability in order not to miss any key details. It’s also important to implement these new skills into your everyday life in order to be a good leader all the time.
I also heavily recommend applying for change-making programs as well to make a bigger impact, and to put your leadership skills to use. And just remember, you are a valuable asset to make this world a better place! We believe in you!
So, a little birdy told me that you are going to embark on your GYEL journey! It's a transformative and exciting one, so be prepared, as a student calling from the finish line!
There are lots of things you can expect. From current events to looking at past leaders, you will learn so much from this program. For me, I've connected more with my personal habits and sustainability! And for you, that might be something wildly different. But I can be certain of one thing: you will have grown and developed a bit as a person.
Some advice I would give to you is that while the sessions may feel long sometimes, being fully engaged will only help you make real change in the world. Think of sitting through the session as a gateway, or stepping stone, to a greater ability to make real change.
There are many change-making missions out in the world already. My ask to you is that you join one of them. Something that speaks to you, and something that you feel the most passionate about. Because only within passion comes grit and determination. These key factors will be the only things propelling you forward during times of struggle, especially as many of the SDGs goals might not be met in the upcoming timeframe. Regardless, passion matters and will be the gateway to change.
You've got a long journey ahead of you, which will definitely fly by! But its the start to something greater. Good luck, and you've got this!
You should expect a lot from GYEL! You will learn so many new things that will allow for you to make a long lasting impact in the world and your community.
I would advise you to participate and attend office hours because you will be able to engage with other students and the instructors, allowing for you to learn more and become more involved.
A change making mission that you should join should be based on whichever SDG you feel most connected to and most passionate about to explore and learn more about and create an impact.
I learnt how to put emotion into a speech so that its more effective. I am now aware of how healthcare isn't solely about innovatiion, but also about access. A global problem I see differently now is the importance of education and how there is a butterfly effect from the first group that is uneducated to perpetuate it.
Before doing this course, I always thought that one problem had one solution, but learning about SDGs and how many overlaps there are, one simple solution can create a long lasting impact. I am so happy that GYEL has allowed me to grow and learn more about our world and the issues and solutions that we can create to make the world a better place and impact billions of lives.
Thank you so much for being our teacher Hannah! I’m really lucky that I got to have this experience! - Anahadh Multani
Thank you so much Ms.Hannah! I appreciate all that you have taught us and I have learned so much!! - Shradha Goel
Culture mapping and Radical candor absolutely blew my mind as it was something new that I did know about. The SDG's that connect to me emotionally are SDG 13, 14, and 15. However I am most passionate about working on SDG 7. I want to say thank you to the UN and Ms. Hannah for helping me become a leader and teach me things that makes me a better person today.
Hi Hannah! In the past 16 weeks, I have loved each session and all the lessons, hearing your stories along with others experiences. Because of this, I learned lots from it, so I just wanted to thank you for these past months and the experiences we shared every Sunday! - Arvin Kodak
You may be wondering what to expect, and what stands before you. Well, I can tell you immediately that the next 16 weeks will transform you, and will help you develop skill such as public speaking, and business pitching for starters. However, the program will only have as much of an impact on you, as your are willing to put energy into it. I would strongly advise your to give every assignment your all, and try to participate as much as you can in the group discussions. Treat this as if it is another class you are having at school. Only by dedicated as much time as you can will you gain the most out of this program. When I went through this program, I was incredibly fascinated in healthcare and SDG 3. I quickly learnt that access to healthcare is the main issue that surrounds this field. Although innovation is important, it is useless if it isn’t distributed to the right people. I would strongly encourage you to get involved in healthcare, and utilizing relationships and outreach to help distribute healthcare to countries that need them. Of course, you might not be as interested in SDG 3, but no matter what SDG you choose, outreach is still important.
"I can" and "I will" are the two most powerful phrases one can utter or simply think. In GYEL, you learn to use those phrases to motivate not only yourself but your peers as well to create change in the world. From webinar lectures, to listening to literal legends like Kevin O'Leary during a guest speaker session to exciting and inspiring office hours, GYEL will transform you in one way or another(and you might not even notice it till later on)! Keep your head up and out your heart and hands into what you do even if it's just a homework assignment because that small presentation might be the root of a future dream for you. There are many change making missions and projects, but the most important one is to help. You could be helping one person or a whole country, just help because the world won't get any better if you don't.
If you want to join GYEL it is a commitment, but you should also enjoy it. The weekly meetings are fun and engaging. Use office hours less for help and more for enrichment; going above and beyond. My main advice to you, is to not procrastinate. Do NOT wait until 2 days before the homework deadline; do it ahead of time, and refine it a little closer to the deadline; 90% of it should be done by the week before. I would say as far as change-making; you can do anything. No matter what it is; even the smallest thing, it will have a ripple effect.
On the GYEL course, you should expect fun debates and thinking processes that help you become a better leader. One piece of advice I can give is don't be afraid to speak, constructive criticism is what awaits. I would urge the future student to focus on the SDG's and develop events and their desired SDG with their community.
My biggest “aha” moment during this course was when I began to understand how much this 17 issues are affecting the world and that we, as students can do things to help change the outcomes. One global problem I now see differently is how hard it is for people to find employment opportunities because of their personal backgrounds.
One thing I see differently is health inequality, I used to think it was mostly about hospitals or doctors, but it's mostly tied to education, income, geography and systemic injustice. A thing I did because of this course was setting up an initiative at my school to connect volunteer opportunities to people.
Dear Future GYEL Students, I now understand how much our actions matter. I have increased my sustainabiliy and climate education through the GYEL program, shaping my habits and chocies I make today! I feel extremely connected to Climate Action as a whole, and if I could say something to the UN tomorrow. I'd say this: What are we so afraid of, that we keep on pushing off something as simple as keeping our world healthy and safe? Ultimately, my habits have become more environmentally friendly, and I am more cautious about things like overconsumption and plastic use!
Thank you so much for these past few months Ms. Hannah! These sessions have been amazing! I'm going to miss your sessions the next few Sundays! I cannot thank you for everything enough! - Aditi Padakanti
Now understand how much our actions matter. I have increased my sustainability and climate education through the GYEL program, shaping my habits and chocies I make today! I feel extremely connected to Climate Action as a whole, and if I could say something to the UN tomorrow. I'd say this: What are we so afraid of, that we keep on pushing off something as simple as keep our world safe?