In the second semester of high school, while most JDS students walk through the familiar JDS hallways to their classes, junior Sami Goldin navigates the bustling streets of Central London, learning about global policy and leadership at the School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL).
SEGL is a semester-based study abroad program for high school juniors with campuses in Johannesburg, South Africa, London and D.C. Each campus has a particular focus, with the London program emphasizing international relations and culture abroad. Sami left for London on Jan. 24, and for her, being able to live abroad and explore different cultures and communities was something she found very appealing.
“I love learning about leadership and working to create better accessibility for people,” Sami said. “As I continued my research into SEGL, I realized that it would both be an amazing way to expand my knowledge about the world and meet people from all over the U.S. and all over the world with very different perspectives and experiences than my own, but also to be able to gain more leadership skills and knowledge about how to lead.”
The program’s curriculum is a blend of regular classes (such as English, U.S. History and Math) and special classes like Ethics and Global Leadership, where students have opportunities to write collaborative policy documents and meet with global leaders such as members of the British Parliament and the Greek embassy.
Sami first discovered SEGL from a late-night search for high school programs centered on leadership. Sami previously represented JDS at the Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership program and felt drawn to its focus on ethical diplomacy after being inspired by her sister, who applied to a boarding school for her senior year. Though Sami’s parents, Alicia and Matt Goldin, had lived in London and shared a love for the city with Sami, the prospect of their daughter being abroad for a full semester of her junior year required careful consideration.
“We were not expecting for her to leave us for a semester junior year,” Alicia said. “It was a lot to process, and we had to do a lot of research to evaluate and get comfortable with the idea.”
Having Sami go abroad for this semester was especially challenging for Alicia and Matt because it is the same year that Sami’s older sister went off to college. Though it was hard to have both of their daughters away at the same time, they knew it was only temporary, and both wanted Sami to have this experience.
Due to JDS’s specific graduation requirements, including Hebrew and Judaic studies, the transition required close collaboration with the school administration. High School Assistant Principal Aileen Goldstein, along with Sami’s college counselor Victoria Garner, worked alongside the Goldin family to ensure the transition was seamless.
To bridge the gap left by the secular SEGL curriculum, Goldin completed an independent study in Hebrew, which included speaking the language with locals and watching Israeli television. She also maintained bi-weekly virtual meetings with Garner to remain on track for her senior year. Despite the initial challenges, Goldstein believes the program offers something unique and important in a student’s life.
“I think the idea of being exposed to something different in the world at any age is a huge benefit,” Goldstein said. “The ability to learn with people from all different backgrounds is a huge benefit, and in this particular program, where they’re talking about ethics and values of leadership, and meeting with and learning directly from world leaders.”
Beyond the leadership in the SEGL classrooms, the program emphasizes social responsibility through its residential life. Sami lived in a townhouse in the Bloomsbury neighborhood with 17 other juniors from across the U.S. Together, they managed the household, sharing chores and cooking meals.
Additionally, the work of students is very immersive in learning about leadership and global policy. Sami recently helped draft a collaborative policy document regarding the Spanish short-term housing crisis and is currently developing a social venture project to implement upon her return: a website dedicated to navigating dietary restrictions in school environments.
Though the program officially ended on May 17, Sami’s parents traveled to London to attend her graduation, and returned home with Sami on May 19. For Sami, the experience was not only about learning and leading in a new way, but also about developing many leadership skills and meeting people who helped her grow as a person.
“I think that the main benefit … is being able to meet people of diverse backgrounds that are not the same as your own,” Sami said. “There’s a social responsibility aspect of cleaning and doing chores, and these things where you have to communicate with people diplomatically, but also the learning opportunity of being able to live in another country or another city and being able to explore and take classes in so many different topics and gain that independent experience.”
