1) Hi Nada, can you tell us what you've been up to since graduating from THINK Global School in 2022? Since graduating in 2022, I've been pursuing a passion I found while at TGS, sustainability, and I am currently majoring in engineering in renewable energy systems at Al Akhawayn University, in Ifrane, Morocco. But there is way more than that! I've had a chance also to explore the world of...
Read MoreTHINK Global School is pleased to announce that Class of 2015 graduate Isaac Forsland is the recipient of this year’s Symposium Scholar grant. Isaac will be joining our staff and students in Florence, Italy, to deliver his winning talk on Embracing Aura at the 2nd annual THINK Global School symposium.
This is the first year that TGS is offering a travel grant to a member of its Alumni Network. The selection process involved two rounds of proposals–in both written and video form–both analyzed in a fashion similar to the well-known TED Talks.
Isaac is this year’s winner
The 2015 Symposium
The concept and actualization of the TGS Symposium came about during our 2015 spring term in Athens, Greece. The humanities team of Nick Martino, Chung Man Chan, and Breanna Reynolds decided that the Greek symposium, which typically consists of academics and scholars deliberating on a chosen topic, was the perfect platform to discuss the progression of thought, starting from Ancient Greece and moving into the contemporary.
Last year, the theme of ‘Legends to Legacies’ was chosen as a way to showcase exemplary student work created during our time in Greece.. Our ninth and tenth graders selected a topic that spoke to them personally, and then engaged our audience’s faculty of wonder by presenting it in a carefully researched, TED-style presentation. Topics ranged from questioning the functionality of democracy, explaining the terms cynicism and ancient Greek cynicism, the power of theater, the rise of neo-Nazism in Greece, and the visibility of all sexual orientations.
The 2016 Symposium
This year, our talks revolve around the concept of ‘Outsiders and Outliers,’ and due to our geographical proximity to the migrant crisis over the last year, we expect our students’ viewpoints on the concept to be especially passionate and insightful. In the leadup to the Symposium, we will be tailoring curriculum segments, place-based interactions, and our weXplore program to help our students understand these complex global issues, as well as themes such as innovation, design, gender and identity.
Along with Isaac’s talk–or, in TGS terms, his Dialogo–eight students handpicked by our selection committee will present their talks to the entire student body and TGS staff, as well as viewers around the world tuned in via a livestream. The talks will be rounded out with an art exhibition, musical performances, an art jam, and performances of spoken word poetry, accompanied by an academic showcase from all disciplines.
After a catered dinner, the night will conclude with our 5th annual Traveling Shorts Film Festival, featuring short films along the theme of Outsiders & Outliers told from the viewpoints of filmmakers worldwide.