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GLOBAL SCHOLAR/STEM DIPLOMA

distinguish yourself FROM OTHER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Fountain Valley's global curriculum looks to cultivate change-seekers who take action in their local communities and the world beyond by thinking globally yet acting locally. 

The pinnacle experience of the FVS Global Education curriculum is the Global Scholar / STEM Diploma, which challenges students to develop an international perspective by refining skills, mindsets and understandings to grasp the nature of global interdependence, pursue education and careers in the international arena, and understand the ways in which their future profession can have a global impact.
 

REQUIREMENTS

GSD Projects of the Past

Participants in the GSD program conduct primary research and deep investigation to acquire a greater understanding of a global issue of their choosing. Many FVS Global Scholars have continued with their topic in their college studies and all share their findings as part of a culminating Capstone presentation.

MUTUALISM OR PARASITISM?

Chinese currency
Questioning the Impact on China's Involvement and Investment in Tanzania

China’s involvement and investment in Tanzania has been integral to the infrastructural and economic development that’s transforming this country, forever solidifying the Chinese position in Africa as well as tying these countries together. With China’s support, Tanzania’s reputation has grown immensely and is now perceived less as a developing nation but a nation with the potential for great power and influence. Chinese presence, however, has had negative impacts on Tanzania’s culture, environment, and sovereignty.

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THE AMERICAN BASIS FOR NAZI POLICY

World War II tanks
A United States-Third Reich Comparative Analysis of Colonial Expansion

Prior to World War II, Nazi Germany was searching for a strategy for German expansion. The United States’ effective strategy of settler colonialism, centered on the genocide of indigenous populations, provided a framework for how Nazi Germany aimed to conquer and eventually settle Eastern Europe during and after the Second World War. Additionally, American Jim Crow laws provided inspiration for systems of racial hierarchy in Germany and regions under German control.

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THE FUTURE OF FUNGI

Student presents before a group.
Mushrooms in Remodeling Landfills and Rehabilitating the Waste Disposal Industry of the Western World

The world’s current method of waste disposal is not only economically archaic, but its wasteland contributes significantly to the greenhouse gas effect and is responsible for incalculable levels of groundwater and soil pollution, making landfills one of the foremost environmental concerns facing the globe today. Because there is no processing of material input and a limited amount of space available for waste storage, the current archetype of the landfill is both unsustainable and unscalable. However, there is a potential way to solve this.

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THE FAILED STATE OF VENEZUELA

Venezuela flag
Exploring the Impact of History, the Petroleum Industry, Corruption, and 21st Century Socialism on the Former Envy of South America

Since 1999, Venezuela has been in the midst of a severe political and economic crisis, which has worsened significantly due to ongoing political turmoil. The roots of this crisis can be traced to the nationalization of the oil industry in 1976, which in turn led to widespread decades-long corruption in the government, as government officials and leadership took advantage of an already weakening system. Widespread opposition and protests against the government over this corruption have led to extreme social unrest, fueled by government repression and crackdowns on dissent, thus pushing 93% of the population below the poverty line, aggravating violence and internal crime, and unleashing a massive migratory wave, the largest in Latin American history.

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THE INTANGIBLE PANDEMIC

Addressing the Complexity of Vaccine Hesitancy in the U.S., China and Brazil

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the enduring urgency of resolving vaccine hesitancy in order to restore the world to a more healthy and sustainable state. The growth of vaccine hesitancy in the United States, China, and Brazil is representative of factors that exist in developed and developing countries. By comparing and analyzing related studies from these countries, this research demonstrates that vaccine hesitancy depends on each country’s specific historical context, even when characteristics seem universal. Measures addressing the problem should be adjusted according to each country’s unique culture, society, and politics; only through these means can progress be made. 

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ATTENTION CALLED TO BRAIN DRAIN

The Cause and Effect of Intellectual Migration on the Economy of Vietnam

“Brain drain”–defined as the emigration of intellectual citizens from a country–in Vietnam dates to the end of the Vietnam War and the Doi Moi reform in 1975. For many years, the diaspora of talented labor and intellectuals to more developed nations in search of better education systems and economic opportunities has intensified. Despite statistics, the unnoticed benefits of brain drain to the people of Vietnam and its economy, including over 13 billion dollars in annual remittance, significantly promotes the growth of entrepreneurship and diversity within the labor market.  

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Introducing the STEM Scholars Diploma Program

Established in 2023, the year-long STEM Scholars Diploma program is for students who hold a deep passion for Science, Technology, Engineering & Math. Project topics range from designing an affordable and accessible prosthetic prototype for developing nations to building a computer from the ground up.

MEET OUR GLOBAL SCHOLAR/STEM DIPLOMA FACULTY