What happens when 140 storytellers from 60 countries come together in New York to talk about the impact of international exchange?
You get three days of conversations, stories and connections, culminating at the United Nations Headquarters.
Among the storytellers were four Alliance Abroad participants: Jade Vargas and Miguel Apolinar from Mexico, Ntasana Makuwa from South Africa, and Laura Mota from Portugal. Their experience at the Made Impact Summit offered a chance to meet people from around the world, share their own stories and reflect on how international exchange can change the way we see ourselves, each other and the world around us.
From Ellis Island to the United Nations, their journey was a reminder that international exchange is about much more than traveling somewhere new. It is about the people you meet along the way.
What was the Made Impact Summit about?
The Made Impact Summit brought together international education and exchange leaders, partners and storytellers in New York City to explore the impact of international exchange.
The experience took place across two days and two very different settings. Storyteller Day was held on Ellis Island on August 31, 2026, followed by the main summit at the United Nations Headquarters on September 1.
Across workshops, conversations and storytelling sessions, participants explored how international exchange can create connection, broaden perspectives and contribute to human potential, prosperity and peacebuilding.
Alliance Strategies is one of Made Impact’s founding partners, and Alliance Strategies CEO James Bell also joined the summit as a keynote speaker.
A meal, a conversation and a chance to connect
Before the summit officially began, members of the Alliance Abroad team, Anna Downes, Laura O’Rourke, and myself, Gabriela Ross, got together with Jade, Miguel, Ntasana and Laura.
It wasn’t a formal meeting. There were no presentations or program paperwork to go through. We simply had time to eat, talk and get to know each other a little better.
We asked how their experiences abroad were going. We talked about what they had learned, what had surprised them and some of the challenges they had experienced along the way.
Those conversations were a reminder that international exchange is ultimately about people.
The programs, applications, flights and paperwork are part of getting there. But the real experience happens in the relationships you build, the perspectives you encounter and the moments you don’t expect.
Why does international exchange matter?
International exchange can mean different things to different people. For some, it is the opportunity to gain professional experience abroad. For others, it is learning how to live independently, navigating a new culture or making friends from around the world. But one of the biggest impacts can be perspective.
As Chef Ntasana shared during the summit, international exchange gives people the opportunity to learn about other languages and cultures and build stronger relationships.
It can also change the way you see the world.
“You are able to travel, you are able to be liberated, and you are able to see that no dream is too small.”
For Ntasana, one of the most valuable parts of international exchange is the opportunity to encounter different perspectives.
Not everyone experiences the world in the same way. Not everyone sees people, places and challenges through the same lens. Being exposed to those differences can help us become more open-minded. It can also help us become better versions of ourselves.
Can international exchange help create peace?
One idea that stayed with Laura Mota during the summit was surprisingly big: international exchange programs can be one of the keys to achieving peace.
At first, that might sound like a huge statement. But think about what international exchange actually asks us to do:
- Travel somewhere unfamiliar.
- Meet people you don’t know.
- Listen and ask questions.
- Share your own experiences.
- Find what you have in common.
That’s where connection starts.
Those connections may begin with something small: a conversation at work, a roommate from another country, a meal with new friends, a question about someone’s language or culture. Small interactions can change the assumptions we carry about the world and about one another.
The Made Impact Summit itself was built around strengthening the global understanding of international education and exchange and exploring its potential to contribute to peacebuilding, human potential and prosperity.
Everyone is walking around with a story
Another theme that came up again and again during the summit was storytelling.
One simple idea stayed with us:
You’re walking around with a story. It’s time to tell yours.
That does not mean every story needs to be dramatic. Your international experience might include a moment when you got lost in a new city and figured it out on your own.
It might be your first day at work in another country. It might be a friendship you never expected to make. Maybe it is an unexpected opportunity that changed the direction of your career. Or maybe it is simply realizing that you are more adaptable, persistent or brave than you thought.
Those stories matter because they help us understand the human impact behind international exchange.
Behind every visa, job placement, flight and program application is a person having an experience that could change how they see themselves and the world around them.
Why do our international stories matter?
One of the most practical lessons shared during the summit was that storytelling does not have to be complicated. Sometimes, having a framework can make it easier to organize your thoughts and share an experience clearly.
Ntasana shared three storytelling frameworks that stood out to her.
The HEART method:
- H — Happening: What happened?
- E — Emotion: How did it make you feel?
- A — Affect: How did it affect you or others?
- R — Realization: What did you learn?
- T — Transformation: How did you change?
5 Ws and H:
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- Who, What, Where, When, Why and How.
Situation, Behavior, Outcome:
- What was happening, what did you do, and what happened as a result?
These frameworks are useful because they remind us that our experiences have shape. And sometimes, putting that shape into words helps us understand the experience more clearly ourselves.
Travel doesn’t always go according to plan, and that’s part of the experience
International experiences are not always easy. Travel can bring unexpected situations. Living abroad can require patience, persistence and adaptability.
You may need to solve problems you never expected to have. You may have to laugh at yourself sometimes, too. And honestly, a sense of humor can go a long way. But those moments are often part of the growth.
The unexpected chances, the missed trains, the first difficult conversation in another language, the job that challenges you, the person you meet by accident, the moment you realize you can handle more than you thought.
You don’t always know which experience will stay with you. That is one of the reasons giving yourself the opportunity to travel can be so valuable.
What can you gain from an international experience?
No two international experiences are exactly the same. You might travel abroad with a clear goal: gaining professional experience, building your resume or exploring a new country; and you can absolutely do those things. But you may come home with something you didn’t plan for:
- A new perspective
- More confidence
- A better understanding of another culture
- A friendship that continues long after the program ends
- A clearer idea of what you want next
Or simply the realization that the world is much bigger, and more connected, than you once thought.
International exchange gives you the opportunity to step outside what is familiar. Not because traveling automatically solves everything or because every experience abroad is perfect; but because putting yourself in a new environment can create opportunities to learn things that are difficult to learn from the same place.
You grow professionally. You grow personally. And sometimes, you discover possibilities you did not know existed.
Your story can start with one opportunity
You don’t need to have everything figured out before taking an international opportunity. You don’t need to know exactly how the experience will change you. And you definitely don’t need to have a perfect story ready before you begin. Stories are often easier to understand when you look back.
For now, maybe the first step is simply giving yourself the opportunity to go, to travel, to learn, to meet people, to try something new. To be uncomfortable sometimes, to adapt, to laugh, and to see where the experience takes you.
At Alliance Abroad, we know that taking the first step toward an international experience can feel overwhelming. There are many programs to explore, applications to complete and plenty of questions along the way. That’s why our team is here to help guide you from day one.
For Jade, Miguel, Ntasana and Laura, their journeys led them to New York City, Ellis Island and the United Nations Headquarters.
Your story might take you somewhere completely different. The important part is that you give yourself the opportunity to begin.
The story? That’s yours to create.
