International Scholars

Each International Scholar in our program is expected to choose a destination abroad that fuels a passion or stretches them out of their comfort zone, ensuring their travels will be a pathway to having a global edge.

Our students participate in several programs, including our International Scholars Program, our 8-Week Learning Journeys, our Young Ambassador Program, and other local, regional, international and virtual opportunities.

Some of our international scholars complete multiple-week virtual internships where they discuss topics like the Northern Triangle, climate change, Black Lives Matter, diplomacy and ambassadorship, natural disasters and preparedness, and human rights with teens their age from around the U.S. and from several countries, including Kosovo, Mexico and El Salvador. They also work on special teams focusing on Social Media & Marketing, Research, Fundraising & Sponsorship, and organizational operations.

Meet some of our scholars below.

Jordyn

“I think this program had a large impact on how I view social justice issues and it helped me understand it from other people’s perspectives from around the world. But the most exciting thing I learned was about virtual Learning Journeys. It taught me how to do research about countries to learn about culture, architecture, food, and tourism.”

Taylor

“YPT Global Edge will allow kids to have a new perspective on how others live in other countries and that everyone deserves to live the life that they choose. Something Young People Travel Global Edge taught me this summer is communication skills, teamwork, and learning about new experiences.”

Max

“Because of Young People Travel Global Edge, I am now more comfortable applying for colleges further from home than I was before I started this program.”

Lindsay

“Young People Travel Global Edge will impact the world by giving black youth who may be unfamiliar with the world outside of theirs a platform to learn and discover new outlooks of life in other places”

Board Members

Sanya Weston

Founder

Tanya Duncan
Crystal Sanford-Brown
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Melissa Halpin
Janel Johnson
Stephen Ball
Sandy Anderson
Shannon Steel
Shannon Steel

Trustee

Shannon Steel is the co-owner of the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Hotel in Southfield, becoming the youngest Black woman in the country to own a hotel, when the property was purchased in 2019. Steel and her partners put more than $3 million into renovating the 9-story, 239-room hotel, formerly branded as the Embassy Suites by Hilton Hotel.

Shannon was raised in Detroit, where she played basketball at Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School for the legendary William Winfield. Steel earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Houston where she hooped and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics. She is also a graduate of Harvard Business School Online, earning a certificate of finance.

Advisors

Tongie Leonce
Destiney Finch
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Harold Hogue
Margaret Mutumba

Our Partners