Senior Isabella Brocato was awarded a Global Citizen Scholarship from EF Education First, the world leader in international education. The EF Global Citizen Scholarship program is designed to identify and reward students across the United States who have come up with a big idea to tackle a pressing global challenge, while helping the Global Citizens to develop important, “real world” skills including global awareness, critical thinking, and leadership.

For this year’s challenge, EF asked students to conceptualize a viable idea to address food-related challenges in their home communities. Brocato’s proposed project focused on how unhealthy ingredients exist within modern foods. It explored how current federal agencies and policies allow for food companies to incorporate these ingredients in the food that they produce. She then emphasized the need to use education as a tool to engage the population with what is actually in their food, so that they can adjust their diets accordingly. Criteria for the 2017 Global Citizen Scholarship included a video or essay submission highlighting the project. A panel of global education experts reviewed hundreds of submissions before selecting the 20 scholarship recipients.

Brocato, with her fellow Global Citizens, traveled on a ten day immersive educational tour of Italy to experience the country’s history and beauty, and learn about its world-renowned food industry. The trip culminated with a two-day Global Leadership Summit where students collaborated to study and respond to a project-based learning challenge. EF Educational Tours launched the Global Leadership Summits in 2013 to unite American high school students with their peers from around the world with a goal of tackling some of the world’s most pressing issues. This year’s summit focused on the future of food. “From the impact of climate change on food supplies to the nutritional value of cricket flour and the benefits of composting, it’s clear that technology and innovation are reshaping the future of food,” said Shane Steffens, President of EF Educational Tours. Keynote speakers included the host of CNN’s No Reservations Anthony Bourdain, Raj Patel, and Stephen Ritz.