Uganda looks a little different since my first trip there in 2007 – when you had to find an internet café to send a message and you had an AT&T calling card with 20 numbers to punch in to call home for about $5 a minute. GLI also looks a little different since my first imaginings in 2007. We now employ over 40 highly qualified individuals in Uganda and Rwanda who support our best practices community development work through the lens of Listen. Think. Act.

The most recent series of immersion trips through our global classrooms included the following: an inspiring group of students and faculty from Spelman and Morehouse as we led one of our first Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) experiences in East Africa; a team of brilliant engineering students from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs; and a White House delegation interested in learning more about how to provide international opportunities for students from underrepresented communities.

Grit is defined by courage, resolve and strength of character. But what exactly is it and how does it translate into the local languages of East Africa? More importantly, how exactly do you get grit? The way I see it, you can't just decide to have grit. Grit is earned and it takes a lot of work to achieve. A baby doesn't have grit, because it is just a little baby! You have to be around for a while before you earn the status of having grit!

The GLI has a story to tell in 2020 about murals we painted, youth we activated, and research we conducted on everything from gender-based violence to early childhood education. The stories are reminders that when we think differently and think big we can do our best community development work. During a year when it was at times hard to see the light and when it wasn't always easy to be brave, our team and our communities rose to the occasion. And we made great stories along the way.