Last month, I had the honor of teaching a master’s class at the Aspire Leadership Institute, founded by Harvard Business School professors Tarun Khanna and Karim Lakhani. The Aspire team also gave me a great overview of the program, which currently reaches thousands of future young leaders around the world, with their top countries, including India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Kenya. They hope to grow to reach 100,000 students in the coming years, and their program is open to any student between 18-29 years old who come from from lower income levels, and who are first-generation students to go to college.
Their curriculum features three modules: a four-week course on personal and professional development, a four-week immersive learning environment featuring master classes from top thought leaders and academics, a six-week horizons course that develops advanced leadership skills, and then students join a growing alumni network across the world. My contribution was a master class on global citizenship, which is included in an article in their newsletter and is featured on their website. The class reached nearly 1000 students from around the world, and I tried to connect these students with examples of global citizens who have shaped the world and helped promote peace and a deep understanding of our common humanity. The talk featured quotes from Diogenes, Rabindranath Tagore, Daisaku Ikena, Wanjira Mathai, Anthony Kwame Appiah, and others, and I look forward to contributing to their future cohorts with additional talks in the coming years. You can see that link here: