Our First Cohort Experience
As we close our very first semester of Global Academy Guilford, we’ve been reflecting on what this pilot cohort has shown us in their academic progress and their personal growth. Our advisor Minyan captured it best when she shared:
“But what felt even more important was that they were not only learning what to study, but also starting to understand who they are. They reflected on their identity, their interests, and what kind of future they want, which is something that cannot be rushed but needs the right environment to grow.”
Throughout the semester, students showed curiosity and courage as they stepped into new experiences. As Minyan also noted:
“What I see in this cohort is openness. They are willing to try, to adjust, and to grow, even when things feel unfamiliar.”
That openness shaped everything—from classroom discussions to community activities—and it’s what made this first cohort so special. Their stories, which follow in the next section, show just how much growth can happen in a supportive, exploratory environment.
Mindfulness practices help remind us that constant mental stimulation can be an addiction we use to avoid the discomfort of being with ourselves.
Student Stories
We asked some students what were some of their most memorable learning experiences this year at Guilford College. Here is what they shared:
Jenny Fan
I have gradually stopped feeling anxious about other people’s progress and learned to shift my focus back to myself. In the past, I was very perfectionistic. I always wanted everything to be perfect, and I would sometimes doubt myself when I saw others finishing faster or performing better. After coming here, I realized that everyone has a different pace of learning and growth. Instead of only chasing a perfect result, what matters more is whether I am making effort, reflecting, adjusting, and improving throughout the process. This change has helped me reduce a lot of internal stress and become more patient and positive toward my own growth.
Yang Di
This semester I chose a special course called Women,Gender and Sexism. I chose this course not only because I am a feminist, but also I want to learn the evolution and development of Western feminism! In this course, the biggest gain is that I met many girls that they are kind, interesting, intelligent, creative and have their own interests and opinions. I can learned that they were also regarded not good at physics, mathematics. But they fight, encourage everyone to create a truly “gender equality.” Also Anna as my teacher in this semester, we both shared different living styles or feminism thoughts! She helped me a lot!
Jerry Yang
Michele Malotky teaches BIOL 203 001 Intro Biol:Molecules and Cells. She had a good impact on me. She is very nice and elegant lady. She would like to help students, and she had given me many valuable opportunities out of class. And her course was interesting and useful you can really learn the foundations of biology. Additionally, she has made a lot of difficult problems in exams, while she let students to make problems to earn extra credits in exams.
Art, Emotion, & Self-Understanding
At the end of the term, our teaching team led a unique reflective art project to help students pause, look inward, and make sense of the five-week journey they had just completed.
As Minyan shared,“Students actively participated and reflected on their emotions and experiences over the past five weeks. We also created a coordinate system to help students visually map and better understand their emotional states and personal growth.”
Activities like this highlight Global Academy’s commitment to helping students explore themselves in many different ways—intellectually, creatively, and emotionally. By giving them tools to visualize their growth, we help them build self-awareness, resilience, and confidence in their next steps.
