Learning from the past, building the future
For 11 Georgia Tech undergrads, summer 2025 started with a five-week, 8,000-mile journey that took them across the Atlantic to have transformative encounters with South African history, present-day communities, and future-leaning thought leaders.
Grand Challenges is an interdisciplinary living-learning community housed in the Office of Leadership, Education, and Development within Student Engagement and Well-Being. With the launch of its first study abroad program, Grand Challenges Global Experience (GCGX), in May 2025, Grand Challenges expanded its reach and its role in the Institute.
Come with us as we celebrate the first GCGX cohort, students in majors ranging from Biology to Business Administration, and Public Policy to Computer Engineering, who explored the intersection of sustainability, technology, and policy within the diverse social, political, and environmental ecosystems of South Africa.
During the first week, students attended class at Wits University, located in the heart of Johannesburg, where they were immersed in a powerful introduction to South Africa’s complex history and vibrant present. At Constitution Hill, they confronted the harsh realities of apartheid within the walls that once held political prisoners.
- Eileen Brook, Biology
“The GCGX: South Africa study abroad program far exceeded my expectations and left a lasting impact. It wasn’t just a trip; it was an experience that challenged my assumptions and reshaped how I view the country, its people, and its turbulent, racially charged history. From apartheid’s lasting legacy to the resilience of the communities we visited, I gained a deeper understanding of how the past continues to shape the present.”
The second week of GCGX found the students at Naval Hill lookout in Bloemfontein, centrally situated in South Africa’s Free State, as well as Gariep Dam, located in the Karoo Desert between the Free State and Eastern Cape provinces. In the small town of Colesberg, located in the Northern Cape, they toured a township with a local guide, Lindile (Lala) Khetelo, and his family. On this very personal tour, they visited Lala’s parents’ graves, learned about the Colesberg Four –— an uprising that led to four deaths and over seventy arrests in July of 1983 — and enjoyed homemade Gatsby sandwiches.
- Arizbeth Lopez, Business Administration
"One of the best experiences of my college journey to date! Thank you everyone who worked hard to make this possible and thank you to my cohort for being the some of the best people I have met at Georgia Tech! 💛 🐝"
The third week in South Africa brought the students face to face with zebras, elephants, and the critically endangered black rhinoceros. They also left dry land and sailed to the Knysna Heads, located in the Western Cape, and daringly took on the Tsitsikamma National Park suspension bridge.
- Andria Wang, Computer Engineering
“GCGX was a completely unique experience. While most study abroad opportunities are just about taking classes in a different country (and maybe traveling on the weekends if there's time), with GCGX, being in a new country is integral to even the coursework. You learn about sustainability just feet away from a herd of elephants; you feel the gravity of apartheid in cramped prisons, guided by people who suffered through political imprisonment first-hand; and you gain new perspectives talking to local students, South African activists and historians.”
In the fourth and final week of the program, the GCGX experience ran the gamut from making herbal tea with leaves they had harvested at the Sustainability Institute in Stellenbosch, to visiting the District Six Museum in Cape Town, a memorial to the forced movement of 60,000 inhabitants of various races in the 1970s, where they spoke with a former resident of District Six who recounted his family’s forced removal and witnessing the demolition of his home during Apartheid. They also went to the Cape of Good Hope, where the African penguins did not disappoint, and helped combat food insecurity with FoodForwardSA, PepsiCo’s non-profit volunteerism effort in Cape Town.
- Ilya Gokhman, Ph.D., Faculty Lead, Grand Challenges
"The inaugural Grand Challenges Global Experience exceeded all expectations. Students engaged with a diverse array of stakeholders and contexts, gaining firsthand insight into the rich complexity of life in South Africa. I was struck by the depth with which they grappled with course content, immersed themselves in South African culture, and thoughtfully applied their learning to their personal and professional aspirations. I couldn’t have imagined a better start to what promises to be an incredible global initiative that will empower students to improve the human condition, both globally and in their local communities."
GCGX will bring a new cohort to South Africa in the summer of 2027. Interested students should check the Atlas website and the Grand Challenges Global Exchange website for registration information, scheduled to open during the fall semester 2026.
