About GSL

Michaela Walsh

founder and former president of Women’s World Banking founded the Global Student Leadership Program (GSL). Its inception was in 1990 with the help of  “Women in Community Leadership” a program offered at Manhattanville College.The program was initiated to train young women and inspire them to take up leadership for global gender equity in different aspects of life.

The first program was held in the summer of 2000 at Manhattanville College. There were 28 women, age 18-24 from 15 different Latin American countries. They were selected from a pool of 100 candidates nominated by affiliates of Women’s World Banking, The Inter American Development Bank and local professors.

The majority of the students enrolled for the summer courses at ELI (the English Language Institute) to improve their English proficiency and graduated with Action Plans to implement in their countries.