Since 2017, Lake Forest Academy’s Global Department has fostered an understanding of global perspectives for students, educating them on how to act as responsible citizens of the world. The program focuses on four significant domains of global competence: investigating the world, valuing different perspectives, cross-cultural communication of ideas and taking global action, teaching students important skills for interacting with others, both during their time in school and beyond.
The 2024-25 academic year marked the first year that LFA required freshmen to take a course in global education. The class, Introduction to Global Competencies, is a project-based seminar that meets once a cycle, incorporating interactive activities and off-campus experiences. By introducing global education early, LFA has opened the door for students to recognize the importance of global citizenship at a young age, which also encourages them to participate in more of the department’s courses later on. As Global Department Chair Yue Chen explained, “The reason we [LFA] have this as a 4-year track is that it offers students opportunities. LFA wants to be the leading school in global citizenship education, and the way they are doing it is through a department that offers a legitimate curriculum for students.”
After completing the introductory course, sophomores and juniors can choose to participate in a two-year concentration: Cohort & Capstone. The first year of the program enables students to collaborate with a cohort of classmates, allowing them to develop a deeper understanding of global issues. Then, while still working within their cohort, students in the second year of the concentration develop an individualized capstone project, engaging with a global community to create a final presentation.
The Global Department is also working towards introducing a fourth year of global education to students, specifically those who enter the two-year concentration program as a sophomore: an internship. Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, seniors who have completed their capstone project will be able to engage in hands-on experience and interaction with individuals working in the field of their project.
LFA’s expansion of the Global Department reflects trends of growing globalization around the world. As Chen shared, “Right now, compared to ten years ago, our world is very interconnected. This interconnectedness is not going to stop at a certain point. It is almost like it is required for us to know [information] beyond our own comfort zone.” The department also plays an important role in preparing students for the workforce, where they will have to collaborate with individuals from varied cultures and backgrounds — utilizing their global education to be more effective leaders.
As the department continues to instill values of global citizenship in students, it is also focused on expanding further. The cohort program has already begun to have increased participation since the introduction of the freshman seminar — this year has sixteen cohort students, as opposed to eight last year — and the department plans to build on this momentum, making global citizenship not just a course at LFA, but a defining part of every student’s educational experience.
