IE University takes pride in bringing individuals from diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives together to enrich the learning experience and better understand the challenges of our globalized world. In fact, over 130 nationalities are represented on our campus. And it was with this goal in mind that the Junior Advisory Board (JAB) was born.
Each year, we select high school seniors from around the globe who stand out for their inquisitive minds and innovative spirits, as well as their academic achievements. The goal? To foster their strong commitment to diversity and encourage both ethical and humanistic values through activities and workshops centered around a different topic every year.
This April saw the 11th edition of the Junior Advisory Board, taking place on Madrid and Segovia. The topic of this year’s JAB was the future of higher education, focusing on the impact of technology—more specifically, Artificial Intelligence. Students had the opportunity to express their opinions and expectations, as well as debate with and learn from their peers and expert IE University faculty members.
This year’s board was made up of 14 students selected from a pool of over 140 candidates from schools all around the world. Participants represented 14 different nationalities: Ireland, the United States, France, Canada, Spain, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Germany, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Jordan, and Kazakhstan.
The JAB members spent a week at IE University campus, located in Segovia and Madrid, participating in exciting activities and workshops, and learning about essential business skills, such as performance, teamwork, innovation, leadership, and communication.
“What I really like about JAB is how they are taking our ideas into consideration. They’re looking at the perspectives of high school students and applying them to both a more globalized perspective and to what we are looking to explore more in depth in today’s universities.”
Sameer Jessa
Toward the end of the week, all participants had to give a final presentation, summarizing their conclusions about the future of higher education to IE University’s board. One aspect all participants agreed upon was the importance of making education more engaging and interactive—driving students to become catalysts in their own learning journeys. They also expressed their disapproval of education systems in which students solely digest information without putting their knowledge into practice.
“Students are going to need to be able to adapt to the ever-changing workplace to come up with new ideas, and to compete and collaborate with technology in an effective way.»
Miriam Cooper
But it wasn’t just about the academic content of the program, the students’ favorite aspect of the experience was meeting other students from diverse parts of the world, all with very different cultures and backgrounds, to work together as a unified team. By sharing and listening to each other’s stories, the students were able to open their minds and deeply understand different lifestyles and traditions, leaving the experience rife with new perspectives.
“What we truly gained from this experience was the opportunity to learn from one another, understanding how we can use different cultures and perspectives to play to each other’s strengths and create an impact on the future of education.»
Sameer Jessa
After participating in the program, all JAB candidates are granted an 80% scholarship to pursue their studies at IE University, giving them the opportunity to take their newly acquired knowledge on the latest technological changes in business and explore them under the guidance of our world-class faculty.
Additionally, candidates can participate in future editions of JAB, inspiring even more high school students to live out IE University’s mission of driving change around the globe. Programs such as JAB are just one way we make our future-thinking campus a hub for diversity, cultural exchange, and innovation—a place where visionaries become disruptive leaders.