Every Alumni will say that they have “The Glion Spirit”, but for people that have not gone to Glion it is incredibly hard to explain what the Glion Spirit actually stands for.
The Glion Spirit comes to life when you first stand on the parking lot in Glion and you look out to the beautifully stunning view. It is your first day and your heart is pounding; your mom is crying because it is such a special place where she is leaving her child and you cannot wait to be on your own and meet your new roommate. That is when it starts, the magic of the view and the excitement of knowing that you are going to be part of something, of not just an education, but of a lifestyle. Glion and the Glion Spirit prepare you for real life, life after Glion, even though you do not realize this yet.
The rules of the school, the discipline in class and the restaurants, wearing a suit, looking presentable each day, the great academic professors that make you believe you can do anything and especially the life outside of the classroom is what makes Glion so special and builds the foundation of the Glion Spirit. Living in one building (or probably two or three by the end) with people from all over the world, all with different religions, backgrounds, traditions and culture. Having fun together, being sad together, studying together, living together and learning from each other opens every Glionnais’ eyes to the world. It teaches you to be open to other people’s thoughts, languages, cultures and accept differences. You live together, you breathe together, whether you like it or not. (PICTURE – subtitle; This picture was taken in 2003 – my first semester doing Kitchen Training)
As a leader and individual this has helped me understand people better later in my career, opened my mind to the world, and not just my world. It has made me realize that my truth was not always true and that you are stronger when listening. Being open to innovative suggestions and ideas, working together as a team and listening to where people are coming from.
I believe this is the reason why Glion Alumni are so successful in their future careers and as leaders; not just because of the great academic program, but because of the Glion Spirit. Indescribable and forever.
