C11 Program Testimonials

“Without the introduction of the C11 Program at my high school, I wouldn’t have gained the leadership skills or vision needed to create positive, multigenerational change through my career. My gratitude for Mary and the Thrive in Joy community is beyond words, and I was honored to give back by joining the Board. I thought my journey with Thrive in Joy would end after high school, but being invited to serve as a Board Member has allowed me to continue my involvement in a more professional capacity. This role has exposed me to real-world professionalism and ignited my desire to help more young adults experience the same transformative growth that I did.”

— Amy Godinez, C11 Program Coordinator

2024-2025 Student Leaders

  • “My experience with Thrive in Joy has been incredibly rewarding so far. The Summer Leadership Summit gave me valuable insights into effective leadership and community impact, which I’ve been able to implement as a club lead. In the first month, I've recruited members and started the first Thrive in Joy Club at my school. I'm excited to continue building a supportive and motivated club environment and it’s been inspiring to see the enthusiasm and commitment from members."

    —Eddy Ju, Senior, University Prep Value High

  • "My experience with Thrive In Joy has been so impactful on my leadership abilities. I have been pushed out of my comfort zone, grown my public speaking skills, and helped me make friends in weird places. I see the beauty in everything and have learned to be grateful for everything I have."

    —Allison Aguilar, Junior, Esperanza High College Prep

  • "I look forward to managing organizations and being able to help my community, further advancing my leadership skills. I'd like to see how my club can grow and improve, learning how to take leadership too. I'm also looking forward to building new connections that can later on advance me in the future."

    —Kimberly Navarrete, Senior, University Prep Value High

  • "My initial experience with Thrive in Joy has been nothing but very welcoming and a peaceful environment. From the moment we started the Summer Leadership Summit, I felt very welcomed and excited to start this new journey as a lead. I always look forward to the next club meetings and planning them out."

    —Andrea Palapa, Senior, USC Hybrid High College Prep

International Partners

  • “C11 has helped us so much with our leadership development initiatives this year at GLA, using the C11 program was a privilege because of the content and how the programme is structured. It is easy to use and full of knowledge and wisdom. We have seen kids learn more about themselves and understand the importance of a team. It has been wonderful to see kids explore their strengths and understand their weaknesses to help them develop into the leaders they can be. "

    — Le Roux Broodryk, Program Director,
    Global Leadership Academy

  • "For most of my life, I thought being a leader means being the strongest person and that is the ability to do everything on their own. But throughout the C11 program where we had to organize a bunch of events, I learned that you need a team. You cannot do everything on your own because you have weaknesses and you have strengths, but that is why you need your team so that you can build together and grow together."

    —Chris-Marie Hamilton, Student,
    Global Leadership Academy

  • "The C11 program taught me that humility is really important in being a leader and part of leadership is to serve and if you're a leader that's like, "Hey, you do this, you do that," you're not really going to bring the best out of people. But if you humble yourself and you try to walk with them and help them serve them as well, that will bring the best out of everyone and they'll be able to perform at the best of their ability."

    —Ethan Abrahams, Student,
    Global Leadership Academy

  • "The C11 program has been absolutely amazing because it has enabled us to identify our strengths and our weaknesses as individuals but as a group as well. During the course of this year, we have learned how to build one another up in areas that others may lack in. It has been significant in becoming more like a team."

    —Sarah Breytenbach, Student,
    Global Leadership Academy