Global Student Leadership Summit Empowers Students to Lead Across Borders

Sponsored by Alan Elliott Merschen 

From May 18 to 23, a group of 23 undergraduate student leaders from across the Webster global network gathered at the Webster Geneva campus for the 2025 Global Student Leadership Summit (GSLS). This leadership development experience, presented in partnership with the Gleich Honors College, offered students the opportunity to build cross-cultural leadership skills, expand their global perspectives and collaborate with peers across continents. 

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Webster alumnus and Board of Trustees member Alan Elliott Merschen, the GSLS was fully funded for all selected participants. 

The 2025 cohort included students from seven Webster campuses: Athens, Geneva, Leiden, Tashkent, Tbilisi, Vienna and Webster Groves. During the spring semester, participants completed a 16-week online course that introduced them to Kouzes and Posner’s Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) and allowed them to explore critical global issues such as mental health, financial instability, environmental sustainability, artificial intelligence use, and inequity in access to resources. Students engaged with business leaders and faculty experts to deepen their understanding and prepare for the in-person experience in Geneva. 

 

While in Geneva, students: 

• Focused each day on one of the five LPI leadership practices.
• Participated in experiential, team-based exercises that explored leadership through multiple cultural and ethical lenses.
• Collaborated in mixed-campus teams to address leadership case studies.
• Visited international organizations such as the Red Cross Museum and Espace Tourbillon, gaining insight into social impact work in action.
• Reflected on their growth and learning while building deep connections across campuses and cultures. 

During the summit, students worked in campus-based teams to plan Global Ambassador initiatives they will implement at their home campuses to further Webster’s global mission in partnership with the Fall 2025 International Education Week. Through this role, they’ll share what they’ve learned and lead conversations and projects focused on the critical issues they explored during the summit. 

The Global Student Leadership Summit is a transformational experience designed to empower students to lead with purpose and create change both locally and globally. 

GSLS 2025 Participants

Athens, Greece Campus 

• Melita Chkhaidze
• Natalina Hanna 

Geneva, Switzerland Campus 

• Stanislav Hrytsan
• Breanna Ndwiga
• Serra Khengden Phuntsho 

Leiden, The Netherlands Campus 

• Jaycie Haugen
• Eraj Mahmudov
• Michel Decrock
• Farida Boboeva 

Tashkent, Uzbekistan Campus 

• Odina Askarova
• Maryam Islamova
• Matusadona Rixsiboyeva
• Shoxista Saidrasuleva
• Diyora Shermuxamedova

Tbilisi, Georgia Campus 

• Elizaveta Bauzhadze
• Luka Okropirashvili

Vienna, Austria Campus 

• Nelly Hashemi
• Sofia Opferkuch
• Gus Oswald
• Mariia Konycheva

Webster Groves, USA Campus 

• Muazuddin Mohammed
• Layla Halilbasic
• Oriana Foster
• Kelsey Kozuszek

Learn more details about the Global Student Leadership Summit learning outcomes.