Skip to main content
IES Abroad Home
  • Advisors & Faculty
  • Alumni
  • Parents
  • Donors
  • 800.995.2300
  • Request Catalog
  • Favorites
  • Sign Up
  • Sign In

Search form

Apply now
  • Study Abroad
    • Overview
    • Benefits of Study Abroad
    • How to Study Abroad
    • Picking Your Program
    • What's Included
    • Diversity Resources
    • Community-Based Learning
    • Contact a Past Student
  • Internships
    • Overview
    • Summer
    • Semester
    • Virtual
    • Internship Fields
    • Contact a Past Intern
  • Our Programs
    • Program Finder
    • Programs by Location
    • Programs by Area of Study
    • Programs by Interest
    • 2021 Study Abroad
  • Scholarships & Aid
    • What We Offer
    • How to Apply
    • Application
    • Additional Resources
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do
    • Why IES Abroad
    • Our Leadership
    • Diversity Commitment
    • Health & Safety
    • News
    • Awards
    • Film Festival
    • Global Citizen
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs
  • Blogs
    • Student Blogs
    • Correspondent Application
global citizen of the year logo on top of a scenic background with water
  • Global Citizen
  • How it Works
  • Awardees
  • Media Coverage

You are here

Home | About Us | Global Citizen | Awardees

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.

2016
2017
2018
2019
Yazmin Baptiste sitting on a boat

Yazmin Baptiste

2019 Global Citizen of the Year Award Winner

IES Abroad Rabat & IES Abroad Rome | Lafayette College

Yazmin's passion to support immigrants and refugees led her to volunteer in Rabat and Rome, research for-profit companies benefiting from immigration in Italy, and conduct field research in New York and Texas about U.S. immigration issues.

Learn more about Yazmin's experiences connecting with the immigrant communities in Rabat and Rome, how she challenges 'voluntourism', and her efforts to start conversations about mental health at her home university.

Read Yazmin's Story

Volunteering is complicated. It can be good one day. It could be bad the next. It could be iffy in the middle. Having a strong sense of accountability for what you do in the world is important ... have patience with others and yourself to think through the ways that we can improve our future.

Yazmin Baptiste, 2019 Global Citizen of the Year Award Winner
2019 Finalists
Sam Hochberger
Sam Hochberger

IES Abroad Granada
Macalester College

Sara Jacques
Sara Jacques

IES Abroad Santiago
Penn State University

Pheonix Pittman
Pheonix Pittman

IES Abroad Buenos Aires
Spelman College

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
breana ross in cape town

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
2018 Finalists
idil tanrisever headshot
Idil Tanrisever

IES Abroad Buenos Aires
Lafayette College

jeremy marks headshot
Jeremy Marks

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

phoebe forlenza headshot
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
headshot of yesenia ayala

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 headshot
Kathleen Blehl

"The Influencer"
IES Abroad Milan
Villanova University

Dayna Mathew

"The Advocate"
IES Abroad London
Loyola University Chicago

marie salem headshot
Marie Salem

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

lucy sternbach headshot
Lucy Sternbach

"The Storyteller"
IES Abroad Granada
Yale University

Will Turett headshot
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 headshot

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
Hannah Dallman headshot
Hannah Dallman

"The Educator"
IES Abroad Cape Town
Gettysburg College

John Luke Hawkins headshot
John Luke Hawkins

"The Activist"
IES Abroad Cape Town
Hope College

reed foster standing in nature
Reed Foster

"The Anthropologist"
IES Abroad Buenos Aires
Occidental College

2016 Honorable Mentions
Ileana Exaras headshot
Ileana Exaras

"The Musician"
IES Abroad Vienna
Lehigh University

Sophia Iosue headshot
Sophia Iosue

"The Volunteer"
IES Abroad Vienna
Harvard University

alice woods headshot
Alice Woods

"The Advocate"
IES Abroad Cape Town
University of Miami

foggy morning in Feldberg, Germany
How Are You a Global Citizen?
Share with us

CONNECT WITH US

instagram icon youtube icon facebook icon blogging icon linkedin icon twitter icon

  • Explore
    • Study Abroad
    • Request a Catalog
    • Student Diversity & Access
  • Find a Program
    • All Programs
    • By Area of Study
    • By Location
    • By Interest
  • Learn More
    • Career Benefits
    • Global Citizen of the Year
    • Ambassadors
  • Get Started
    • Create an Account
    • Apply
    • Deadlines
    • Application Requirements
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do
    • Health & Safety
    • Jobs
    • Media Outreach
    • News
    • Make a Donation

IES Abroad

Founded in 1950, IES Abroad is a not-for-profit provider with 140+ study abroad and internship programs around the world for college/university students.

IES Abroad comprises study abroad programming, Customized & Faculty-Led Programs, IES Internships, and the Study Abroad Foundation (SAF).

IES Abroad is a 501(c)(3) entity. The federal tax identification number for IES Abroad is 36-2251912.

Contact Us

800.995.2300
[email protected]
33 W. Monroe St., Suite 2300
Chicago, IL  60603

Submit an Inquiry

IESAbroad
IES Internships
Customized & Faculty-Led
Study Abroad Foundation

© Copyright IES Abroad 2021. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy