Haley Lepp joined Global Visionaries as a sophomore in high school with no idea what to expect. She was thrown into a world of new experiences and new people. After months of fundraising and planning she was thrown into another new experience – travelling abroad. While staying with her host family in Guatemala, Haley was surprised at how they disposed of trash. The norm was to dump it in the street or take it to visible dump sites. Before then, she had never considered where her own waste went when she was home. Global Visionaries taught Haley the importance of self-reflection and when she returned from her trip, Haley made an effort to eliminate plastic waste in her daily life.
The impact of the trip to Guatemala stayed with Haley long after Global Visionaries. She studied international affairs in college, where she participated in multiple international exchange programs, abroad and in the United States. Even now, Haley continues to be inspired by the cross-cultural learning and activities she found at Global Visionaries. After college, she was accepted to a fellowship with the U.S. Department of Education and moved to Jordan. While there, she helped develop youth leadership programs for local displaced youth. Now, Hayley is the program associate for an international education nonprofit. She’s currently working on an online peacebuilding and exchange program between 200 U.S. and Iraqi teenagers.
