Global Citizen of the Year Awardees | IES Abroad

Meet our Global Citizen of the Year Awardees who are changing the world through study abroad in their own unique ways—from living a zero-waste lifestyle to educating students in low-income communities.

Breana Ross

2018 Global Citizen of the Year Award Winner

IES Abroad Cape Town Customized Program | University of Miami

Breana took her passion for service from Florida to South Africa and back again. While studying abroad in Cape Town, Breana worked with SHAWCO Education to assist in the classroom with underprivileged students. What she learned there continues to influence her creative writing program with youth in Miami.

Learn more of Breana’s experience using storytelling, poetry, and education to build cross-cultural bridges of understanding.

Read Breana's Story

I learned that, while places and people around the world share differences, we share more similarities than we think we do.

Breana Ross, 2018 Global Citizen of the Year Award Winner

2018 Finalists

Idil Tanrisever

IES Abroad Buenos Aires
Lafayette College

Jeremy Marks

IES Internships Cape Town | IES Abroad Customized Shanghai & Beijing
University of Iowa

Phoebe Forlenza

IES Abroad Milan
Barnard College – Columbia University

I strongly believe that working with communities creates a bigger impact than working for them.

Yesenia Ayala, 2017 Global Citizen of the Year Award Winner

YESENIA AYALA
2017 Global Citizen of the Year Award Winner

IES Abroad Santiago | Grinnell College

As a first-generation college student, Yesenia Ayala understands the barriers that many low-income students face when pursuing higher education.

While in Santiago, Yesenia interned with Belén Educa, a Chilean non-profit organization that serves low-income communities by providing high-quality education to students. Learn more of Yesenia's personal experiences in the United States and abroad, as well as her plans for furthering her impact.

Read Yesenia's Story

2017 Finalists

Kathleen Blehl

"The Influencer"
IES Abroad Milan
Villanova University

Dayna Mathew

"The Advocate"
IES Abroad London
Loyola University Chicago

Marie Salem

"The Volunteer"
IES Abroad Buenos Aires
University of California - Berkeley

Lucy Sternbach

"The Storyteller"
IES Abroad Granada
Yale University

Will Turett

"The Researcher"
IES Abroad Vienna
Williams College

I plan to continue to advocate for our youth around the world and teach them that with determination, effort, and compassion they can be anything despite all doubt that they have experienced in the past.

Sydni Williams, 2016 Global Citizen of the Year

SYDNI WILLIAMS
2016 Global Citizen of the Year Award Winner

IES Abroad Madrid | University of Michigan

From Detroit to Madrid, Sydni followed her commitment to improve youth education around the world. Discover how her internship with the Social Services Center of Los Yébenes in Spain reinvigorated her passion – one which inspired us a student-focused, mission-driven, organization.

Read Sydni's Story

2016 Finalists