I am an international girl... I want to be a global citizen. But how can I get from the one to the other? The answer is easily articulated but difficult to attain: learning, challenges, travel, people, learning, challenges, travel, people. During this last school year I have been enrolled in the AP Human Geography course. We covered topics like demographic shifts, industrialization, global warming,etc., learning about the impact of people, ethnic and socio-economic groups, on cities, landscapes, and the planet. The course took us far beyond what I expected in terms of range of topics, class discussions and reading volume! But we examined excactly what the course title implies - our human footprint on this earth and I found it immensely interesting to think about and examine actual real-life problems instead of trudging through, for example, Shakespeare in Elisabethan English or the standard deviations in my statistics class. TBB is in some ways the practical, hands-on continuation of this class and with the academic foundation from this school year I hope that I will be able to experience the actual settings of some of the problems we dicussed. It would be, for me, a once in a lifetime chance to link high school course work with actual global issues.  

As their peers comb through course catalogs, shop for extra-long twin sheets, and seek out future classmates on Facebook, a small but growing number of students accepted by the nation's top colleges are postponing their long-anticipated freshman year.

The students say they desperately need a timeout after spending their high school years building impeccable credentials for entry into selective colleges. And more admissions officials, concerned about student burnout, are encouraging the high-achieving teenagers to step off the traditional path as a way to fuel their creativity and long-term motivation. 

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Thinking Beyond Borders has formally launced an Advisory Council. Advisors provide consultation and resources to address specific priorities and initiatives identified by Thinking Beyond Borders and its Board of Directors. Members of the Advisory Council provide expertise in business, higher education, international development, and law to specific projects within the organization. We are excited to introduce the first members of the Advisory Council: Sandie Davis, Eve and Jon Rounds, and Greg Weyandt.

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