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Sofi Noli, a 16-year-old high school student from Thessaloniki, Greece, has long been interested in entrepreneurship due to her father’s business career, and was seeking a summer program that would teach her practical business skills and apply them in real-life contexts.

Although Noli had never visited the United States before, she was drawn to the curriculum and mentors in the Iacocca Global Entrepreneurship Intensive (IGEI), and is now spending four weeks on the Lehigh University campus participating in the immersive program.

“I think it’s one of the best preparations I could have for the outside world,” Noli said. “When I take my first steps into entrepreneurship, I feel like I’ll be much more prepared thanks to this program.”

IGEI is an intensive, hands-on program that combines experiential learning and intercultural connection, allowing emerging leaders from around the world to enhance their skills in entrepreneurship, leadership, and global citizenship. The four-week residential program began on July 6 at Lehigh, and will run through August 1.

IGEi is designed for globally-minded high school students from both the United States and internationally. Participants are rising high school seniors between the ages 15 and 17. Now in its 23rd year, the program has a network of over 1,400 alumni from more than 66 countries, according to Iaccoca Institute Executive Director Scott Koerwer.

Aashvi Geddam, 17, lives in the Bay Area of California, but joined IGEI on the recommendation of a friend. She was especially excited to learn more about artificial intelligence and data analytics through the curriculum, and has found the program to be both competitive and fun.

“It’s a very good, intensive, informative program, and I learned so much just within the first week of being here,” Geddam said. “It’s been great meeting a bunch of different people from different countries and different states, and getting to know what they’ve already experienced has helped me kind of already excel.”

IGEI participants are encouraged to see opportunities to improve systems—starting businesses, streamlining processes, or addressing overlooked needs—using a “move beyond tradition” mindset for broader impact. The program focuses on collaborative teamwork, understanding one’s strengths, taking service-oriented risks, and uplifting one another.

“Students in IGEI come from around the world, and through the program they learn to appreciate different perspectives, collaborate across cultures, and embrace a shared sense of humanity,” Koerwer said. “It’s all about building critical thinking, adaptability, and teamwork in a truly global setting”

IGEI students participate in a rigorous, collaborative curriculum combining a small business boot camp with classroom learning led by Lehigh faculty across various disciplines. Participants engage in civil discourse seminars and workshops that build practical skills such as design thinking, intercultural communication, and leadership.

One of IGEI’s central features is the team-based consulting project, where students work in groups to develop solutions for real-world challenges posed by actual companies. The student groups made pitch presentations about their projects, which were judged by a panel of entrepreneurs who selected a winner.

Geddam was part of the team that created the winning project, called HeartWatch. A predictive software designed to predict and prevent heart attacks, it targets individuals over 40 years old—a demographic particularly at risk—and seeks to address heart disease as a growing health issue in America.

IGEI includes field trips to corporate sites and institutions like the United Nations, offering hands-on exposure to business environments and global policy settings. The program also emphasizes social bonding and cultural exchange through structured activities, providing a holistic educational experience that prepares students to think entrepreneurially and act as globally competent leaders.