Mission Statement

To provide intellectually motivated high school juniors who represent the diversity of the United States with the best possible opportunity to shape themselves into ethical leaders who create positive change in our world.

Overview

The School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL) is a selective, semester-long residential program for motivated high school juniors from across the United States. We select students who have shown outstanding character, promise for leadership, and scholastic ability; our students also reflect the racial, socioeconomic, and geographic diversity of the United States.

SEGL provides our students with a unique curriculum emphasizing ethical thinking skills, leadership development, and international affairs. We have locations in Washington, DC, Johannesburg, South Africa, and London, England. Our affiliations with noted institutions and individuals ensure our students have access to the best of what these vibrant cities have to offer.

Our students graduate ready to create positive change in our world. They return home equipped with a greater understanding of themselves, an academic experience that will inform their college study, new leadership capabilities, and a powerful network of lifelong friends.

Values

Diversity and Belonging

Our mission establishes a community of remarkable diversity: we convene and mentor students who have different values, viewpoints, experiences, and identities. Each student is welcome and each student belongs at SEGL.

Our mission also establishes a community where these students have the best possible opportunity to shape themselves into ethical leaders. This requires proactive, ongoing, and intentional care from each community member.

Our teachers design curricula that challenges, inspires, and includes. They support each student, pursue professional development, and regularly evaluate their teaching practice.

Our students cultivate critical thinking and self-reflection. They participate in a robust exchange of ideas with respect, humility, grace, and curiosity. They question assumptions, ensure challenging conversations are also welcoming, and allow space for themselves and others to grow.

Our families support our values and our model. They trust in their children’s ability to grow at SEGL.

We believe that creating this kind of intentional community helps build a more just world.

Campus Discourse

Campus Discourse SEGL embraces growth discourse: discourse that maximizes students’ intellectual, interpersonal, and ethical growth. Growth discourse is at the heart of our mission to provide students with “the best possible opportunity to shape themselves into ethical leaders who create positive change in our world.” Growth discourse is hard. It requires vigilance, patience, good faith, curiosity, discomfort, persistence, and grace. It is also rewarding. It creates empathy, resilience, community, and change. In short, it is preparation for leadership. The School shares the following advice with students as they pursue growth discourse:

Begin with belonging

Each student belongs equally at SEGL. Each student has full membership in our community. Statements that affirm this build the trust that is necessary for growth discourse. Statements that intentionally question this are not welcome. Statements that unintentionally question this require reflection and repair.

Value intent and impact

Discourse - even when it challenges personal values and/or interests - is welcome when pursued in good faith. Students should assume good faith - positive intent - when engaging in growth discourse. Discourse can also cause unintentional harm, regardless of intent. Students should take care to learn from their impact on others and adjust accordingly.

Avoid echo chambers

Seeking support from those with similar beliefs and backgrounds can help students grow after a particularly challenging exchange. At the same time, simply venting behind closed doors can be toxic and limits growth. Use support systems to help re-engage, not disengage.

Follow the STAR

Our See - Think - Act - Reflect (“STAR”) critical thinking model provides students with important advice and key questions as they navigate campus discourse and their relationships with others. For example, the STAR model encourages students to “see” - to seek full understanding - before they “think” - reach a judgment about a statement and/or the person making it. This often means that discourse at SEGL is filled with questions rather than statements.