Below we present the testimony of Tomas Martinez, who participated in ILS for the spring semester 2009. After finishing the program, he attended and won a contest to join the Italian Air Force in which he was selected from among 3500 participants. He is currently a pilot in the Italian Air Force.

Participating in the ILS had an important influence on my life.  It allowed me to meet amazing people from many different cultures, and have so many experiences with them. We learned so much together.

I also received some great spiritual lessons, which I look forward to applying to my everyday life.

I would recommend ILS to someone who wants to learn leadership in a special way: learn by living it. That’s what ILS does best. And I think it’s the only real way to acquire this particular skill.

ILS it’s not just about hitting the books or tourism. It’s more about helping you to find the great potential you have in yourself, and getting the maximum out of it.  Learning to help yourself and to help the others.

For example, you will be assigned a project, and then be guided through it, being evaluated and counseled by experts in that subject. The learning is very personalized.

One last area to highlight are the classes. They are so varied, and contain material essential for understanding our present culture, which most people don’t ever learn about. The lessons are also expanded by attending top-class to seminars on current issues.

One bit of advice: here you get what you give. Put all your energy into the semester, and at the end you will be amazed by the things you have achieved, the knowledge you’ve gained and how much you´ve grown.

I wish you all the best,

Tomás