What happens when you bring together 16 high school students from 12 countries, unplug their devices, and give them a real-world challenge? You get something rare: powerful ideas, deep human connection and a glimpse of what tomorrow’s changemakers look like.
That’s exactly what played out at IE University during the Junior Advisory Board (JAB) 2025—a six-day immersive experience that challenged young minds to explore how sustainable design can create positive impact in the world.
But JAB isn’t just a program. It’s a platform—a launchpad—for purpose-driven students to collaborate, lead, and be heard. As JABBER Prajwal Bhandari from Nepal put it:
“Representing myself and Nepal at IE University wasn’t just an honor, it was a transformation—from local to global. I left with more than I arrived with.”
Student projects powered by sustainable thinking
The 2025 theme? Designing a more sustainable world. But this wasn’t theoretical. These students rolled up their sleeves and built actual projects—from the ground up.
Through team-based work, peer-to-peer collaboration, and expert-led workshops (all offline, by the way), they tackled topics like:
- Upcycled fashion: reinventing the lifecycle of clothing through creative reuse.
- Inclusive innovation: developing solutions that serve diverse communities.
- Education reform: rethinking systems to make learning more equitable and engaging.
- Gamification: using game design to promote behavioral change and community action.
Each group presented their work to IE University’s senior leadership, showing how design isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about agency. These weren’t high school assignments. These were prototypes for the real world.
12 countries, one shared future
JAB participants came from across the globe—South Korea to Slovakia, the US to Uganda—but the borders didn’t matter once they arrived. Within hours, language barriers gave way to shared goals and unfiltered collaboration.
IE University’s Segovia campus, with its blend of historical charm and cutting-edge energy, served as the perfect backdrop for this melting pot of minds. And yes, the entire program was unplugged—no phones, no scrolling, no digital escape hatches.
Turns out, that’s what it takes to create real connection.
Students learned as much from each other as they did from the curriculum: exchanging ideas, comparing perspectives and forming friendships that’ll outlast any workshop. “I got to meet amazing people who were strangers at first,” Ana Sofia shared, “but who now hold a special place in my heart.”
As Manushri, a participant from the Philippines, reflected, the most powerful part of JAB wasn’t just the challenge—it was “the incredible people you meet, friendships you make and things you discover about yourself and your interests.”
A seat at the table—literally
What makes the Junior Advisory Board different is its name isn’t symbolic. These students are advisors. They work directly with IE University’s leaders, offering fresh insight into how education can evolve—and why it must.
In the past, JAB cohorts have contributed ideas that influenced curriculum design, sustainability strategy and campus innovation. This year’s group was no exception. Their reflections on sustainable design and student engagement weren’t just heard—they were documented, analyzed and brought into internal discussions.
For many, including Prajwal, the experience was deeply personal. “Being part of JAB was an experience that challenged and changed me—whether it was navigating challenges, embracing cultural difference or finding clarity and confidence,” he said. “To every Junior wondering if it’s for them, it undoubtedly is.”
Why the junior advisory board matters
The world’s biggest challenges need ideas that haven’t been thought of yet—from people who haven’t been told how to think yet. That’s the power of this experience.
For the students, JAB is a launchpad: a rare space to test leadership, stretch creativity and speak up. For IE University, it’s a pipeline of possibility—young talent ready to rethink everything from policy to planet.
You don’t need a degree to start changing the world. But six days at IE University might help you figure out where to begin.
The junior advisory board: more than a moment
At its core, the Junior Advisory Board is about listening—really listening—to the next generation. It’s about creating space for young leaders to challenge assumptions, collaborate across cultures, and shape the future of education, sustainability, and society.
For students bold enough to apply, JAB isn’t just an experience. It’s a calling.
And for the world watching? It’s a sign of what’s coming.
Because if the 2025 cohort taught us anything, it’s this: the future’s not waiting. And neither are they.