GUA News: Global networking meets Growth-mindset
Global networking + Growth mindset = The GUA Rising Circle
September 10, 2025
by Diane Nolan
Curiosity Is the ONLY Currency and Networking Really Matters at the Global Undergraduate Awards and our Annual Summits. So we are opening the door just a little wider to give more entrants the opportunity to attend, with the goal to foster growth – Introducing the Rising Circle!
With thousands of penultimate or final year undergraduate students almost reaching the top, the opportunity for another chance to rise up lies in giving these future thought leaders an opportunity to learn from all their collective experiences on an international scale. This means offering the opportunity to a select few to attend a GUA event where the aim of the collective experience unlocks individual potential.
When Nadirah first attended the Undergraduate Awards as a Highly Commended student, she never imagined how transformative the experience would be on her remaining undergraduate journey or growth as a writer. Surrounded by peers from around the world who shared her passion for ideas and creativity, Nadirah found the spark she needed to believe in her own voice. That moment became the catalyst for her journey — one that would lead her, just a year later, to be named the Global Winner for Literature.
That question stayed with me. By my final undergraduate year, I felt I had grown — as a writer, as a researcher, as a person — and so I submitted again. When the call from Ireland arrived, it felt surreal: I was a Global Winner. To return to the summit and present my work onstage was a full-circle moment I will never forget.
Growth takes time, and the journey to get here is a reminder of that. If you keep learning, keep trying, and dare to return, you may just find yourself exactly where you once only dreamed of standing.
Building your network often gets a bad reputation. Too many people imagine it as hours filled with awkward silences, small talk, business cards, or subtle future transactional exchanges. But at its core, networking is something far simpler—and far more powerful.
Much is written about its power and strength, most recently in Forbes, where Julia Korn discusses how the most effective networkers are those who lead with curiosity—asking questions, showing genuine interest and building trust through authentic connections – read that article here
At its best, the action of networking should be one that opens minds, and that’s exactly what the GUA Global Summit is about.
The most impactful connections don’t start with “What can you do for me?” but with “Tell me more about your story”.
For students and young professionals, curiosity creates unexpected bridges across disciplines, cultures and ideas. It sparks collaborations that go beyond a single project and often blossom into lifelong friendships, mentorships and global networks. It also inspires those in the room to seek a higher potential, to see something they can reflect and grow from.
At the GUA All Ireland Ceremony and GUA Summit, conversations happen everywhere: in lecture halls, over coffee, during poster sessions, or at the Gala Dinner. The magic lies in not knowing where one curious question might lead.
More and more we understand this power and the growth potential in what we do, with or without the highest accolade and from this we are inviting a wider participation at the 2025 Summits!
A Wider Invitation: Join the Rising Circle
Traditionally, the GUA Summit has been a gathering for award winners—some of the brightest undergraduates in the world. But this year, we’re opening the doors a little wider with our new Rising Circle.
This open invitation means more people can take part in the Summit’s global dialogue. The Rising Circle is a chance to step into a community built on curiosity and come away invigorated and future-focused.
It’s about saying: you don’t need to arrive with a trophy in hand—you just need the willingness to listen, share and grow.
Growth takes time, and the journey to get here is a reminder of that. If you keep learning, keep trying, and dare to return, you may just find yourself exactly where you once only dreamed of standing.
Who is Part of the Rising Circle?
The Rising Circle is made up of:
- Students who are in their penultimate year of study
- Whose work advanced through the judging process
- And came close to distinction but just missed the mark this year.
Rather than seeing that as the end of the journey, we see it as the beginning of something exciting for an author that has the potential to rise even further.
The aim of the Global Undergraduate Summit has always been to elevate students and promote a growth mindset. For Rising Circle attendees this is a chance to learn from others and leave invigorated knowing that they can return to their studies armed with the knowledge to submit to the Global Undergraduate Awards again and let their ideas flourish — a milestone on a longer journey and an experience that serves as an opportunity to learn, reflect and come back stronger.
Why Attend?
By attending the Summit you become part of the wider knowledge capital, with the opportunity to:
- Learn from other Winners and take away the winning formula
- Connect with like-minded peers from across the world and build a network in your field and beyond
- Grow skills, ideas and resilience for future success
- Practice curiosity in action and learn how to start meaningful conversations that matter
- Belong to something bigger by joining a global circle of rising thinkers and doers who are shaping tomorrow
The GUA Rising Circle represents the very nature of aspiration, helping to develop future leaders in the making — and we look forward to fostering this growth-mindset until we meet again.
