Baret has taken a bite out of the Big Apple: indeed, they’ve taken a bite out of North America. This adventurous cohort, hailing from 28 countries, had a bracing first month, filled with adventure and learning.

MORNING PROGRAMAt our Morning Program, they have already heard from speakers like the acclaimed screenwriter Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3), the cultural anthropologist Christian Madsbjerg, the CEO of Andes Acciòn, a nonprofit dedicated to reforestation and ecosystem restoration (Florent Kaiser), as well as an award-winning director, producer, and author, (Tricia Brouk). They've been serenaded by an opera singer (James Valenti) and a singer-songwriter (Simone White), pitched their business ideas to an experienced executive (Andrew Essex), heard from an expert in ethical AI (Elizabeth (Liz) Ngonzi), and saw a host of documentaries from the Telluride Film Festival, as well as an an exclusive preview of Joshua Seftel's latest documentary.

In their last week, they were in dialogue with Richard Stengel, former editor of Time and Under Secretary of State for Barack Obama, Graham Novak, a leading figure in decentralized finance, Ariana Stolarz, the Global Chief Strategy Officer at Accenture Song, and Chris Crolley, an expedition leader hailing from South Carolina.

SITE VISITS & AFTERNOON OPTIONS

Baret also makes a point of taking Scholars out on excursions. Site visits included tours of the Guggenheim Foundation, Brooklyn Museum, and gallery hopping in Chelsea, as well as a visit to Success Academy Charter Schools High School of the Liberal Arts. They were also treated to an exclusive rehearsal of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance.Baret's Traveling Team has been leading them all the way. They’re getting feedback on their start-up plans from Baret’s founder Chris Whittle, making a film with Ronan MacRory, journey through NYC’s various museums with Tom Snow, and discoursing on politics and philosophy with Omar Knio and Claudia Kahindi.

FELLOWSHIPS

When their time in the Big Apple came to an end, they embarked on Fellowships. They journeyed through embassies in Washington D.C., listened to Jazz in historic clubs in New Orleans and made a documentary, stepped into ancient ruins and modern museums in Mexico City, went on ecological excursions through bayous and swamps in Charleston, S.C., and visited the headquarters of Google and AirBnB in San Francisco.This is just a small selection of their first month – indeed, of their year.

As they make their way around the globe, they will study the world, not from the stuffy remove of a library, but in the bustle of the world’s greatest cities, among the night sounds of remote jungles, the howling wind at the tops of mountains, and the pristine silence of at the ends of the Earth. They will follow their passion and curiosity and create the blueprints they need for the rest of their lives.