We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Julianna Yang about her experience with MEDLIFE’s Global Perspective Leadership Workshop and the impact it had on her personal growth as a student and MEDLIFE chapter member. Through participation, Julianna was introduced to SMART goals, a framework that helped her transform the way she approaches planning, productivity, and leadership in her life.
MEDLIFE’s Global Perspective Leadership Workshop is a premier student leadership workshop, offering interactive online experiences designed to cultivate essential leadership skills for students. Taking place on April 20th and 27th, this year’s GPL provides a unique opportunity for teens to embark on a journey of self-discovery, global health education, empathy building, and leadership development. Through sessions like these, students not only learn practical tools like SMART goal setting, but also develop the mindset and confidence needed to lead with purpose.
Julianna Yang
MEDLIFE: So first I'm going to get you to share your name, your school and how you first got involved with MEDLIFE.
Julianna: My name is Julianna Yang. I go to Erindale secondary school. I'm in grade 11, and how I got involved through the GPL, the president of MEDLIFE at Erindale sent out an announcement for the school's daily announcements calling people who were interested in a workshop about leadership and global health. And I was like, "hey, I like those." I'm someone who really likes anthropology and health care and that type of stuff. So I thought that sounded really cool. I went to the info meeting, and I was like, "yeah, I'm gonna sign up for this." And that's basically how I got involved with MEDLIFE. And then I met Martha and everybody.
MEDLIFE: Could you share a little background on your experience with that GPL? How did it affect your leadership skills afterwards, any unique insights that you took away from it?
Julianna: I think the biggest concept that I took away from the GPL was the idea of setting SMART goals. I've always been someone who is writing new year plans, goals, to do lists, and manifesting things, and I would often write really unattainable goals, or just goals that I would never finish by the end of the year. And I would get really frustrated with that. So, learning about the SMART goal process of actually having things that are time bound, or actually realistic, that definitely did help. And SMART goals are the template I use now to plan things from the way I work in other clubs at school, but also just the way I set up my to-do lists at home. But I think the GPL also helped me learn about emotional intelligence. The empathetic side that comes with being a leader. And I think my idea of being a leader was always about dominance and kind of powering over people. And then after this, I was like, no, there’s a very big empathetic and emotional part to this. It's not always just about you. I think when you're a leader, you're also part of a team. It's kind of like a flower. This might sound really crazy, but the flower, it comes with its petals, and it comes with its stem. And what's a flower without a stem? That's like the team to me. Everyone works together.
MEDLIFE: How did you feel about the format of the GPL? What was it like to participate in a workshop over zoom?
Julianna: I was scared that maybe I would have internet problems, or would maybe miss the entire meeting. But no, my internet was good, and I liked it a lot. It was cool because a lot of people had their cameras on. I was also scared that I would be the only one with my camera on, or everyone wouldn't really participate. But there were a lot of participants, and I thought it was really fun to have the main speaker talking, but you can also see everyone else's faces in their own little rooms. And you just feel a nice sense of belonging. But, yeah, I did like the structure, and we even had breakout rooms, and those went pretty smoothly as well.
MEDLIFE: I'm curious about how the GPL influenced things in your personal life afterwards? Things like scholarship applications, school clubs, work, school. Did that have any kind of influence on you?
Julianna: Yeah, again, with the SMART goals. Seriously, that was groundbreaking for me. It does help a lot with how I plan for my exams. And my New Year's goals for 2026 as well. Those were all made with SMART goals. Since grade 10, I've kind of upped the ranks in the clubs that I'm in. For example HOSA, which is an international healthcare related competition for students. Now I'm the vice president of that. And I introduced the idea. I was like, “hey guys, why don't we have SMART goals for what we're going to do in our school's chapter?” And they were like, “what are SMART goals? I don't know that.” So I introduced it to the club, and everyone liked it! And now we have a bunch of SMART goals for the team. That made me happy.
MEDLIFE: And what would you say to someone who's maybe considering joining the GPL, but is a little bit unsure?
Julianna: I would tell them to definitely join it, because you have basically nothing to lose and everything to gain. It's just two sessions. It's not too much of a time commitment, and you learn so much. Plus you can also build unexpected friendships. I actually made a couple of friends during the GPL. One girl I remember during break, she told me that she liked my room decor. And I was like, “oh thanks!” And then we started talking after the workshop, and it was really fun. I'm still friends with her. You can make unexpected friendships, it's an unexpected networking opportunity. And you learn. If you're sociable and you like to learn about helping others and about global health, it's just something you should definitely go for.
Julianna is one of many students who have taken away positive lessons from the GPL. Check out what Ryan Woodland had to say about his experience with the Global Perspective Leadership workshop here!
Thank you Julianna for sharing your thoughts and committing to the MEDLIFE mission so passionately.
How Can You Join The GPL?
The workshop is available to any high school students who are looking to expand their leadership skills. Registration is 100% free and closes on Friday April 17th! Register today before seats fill up! Registration and completion of the workshop also qualifies you to earn MEDLIFE Advocate Rewards points as well as a LinkedIn badge and even the opportunity to found your own MEDLIFE chapter.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience and be part of a connected network of young change-makers!