Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlene Campbell. Her team shares her story with us below:
“If you really believe that all kids are capable, then you would build environments that really worked hard to sustain engagement and nurture potential.” – Todd Rose
When you have a beautiful childhood, you are sure to impact a million lives in a positive way. Such is the story of Global Virtual Academy‘s founder, Charlene.
She grew up in and among her family’s business, a retirement home her Jamaican parents established in the 1980’s in Lakeland, Florida to give safe, loving care to the elderly.
The beautiful elderly faces who surrounded her, and the people she met throughout her global travels, became her pilots on the journey of infinite knowledge and imagination. She realized how impactful interactive, immersive learning can be!
She has been on a life-long personal mission to satisfy her curiosity of learning about cultures around the world and educate herself about the world around us. In 2020 she chose to share her developed leadership skills and passions with others, and Global Virtual Academy was established.
Students at Global Virtual Academy learn confidently wherever they are located because they have so many points of support including personalized administrators, active and involved live teachers, an award winning interactive textbook, and truly so much more. The purpose of Global Virtual Academy is to provide a safe, diverse, interactive, flexible learning environment that supports students worldwide and provides opportunities for real-world learning experiences. Global Virtual Academy gives students the opportunity to take real-world learning into their own hands.
Charlene’s global academic endeavors took her to Hillsong Leadership College in Sydney, Australia where she studied and was certified in Leadership. Her vision was clear, so she obtained her Bachelor’s in Education from Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. Furthermore, she completed her certification in TEFL for children in a Walt Disney Company and Columbia Teachers College, New York collaboration program.
Her teaching career began at a technology charter school in America where she created annual workshops for students and co-led the Technology Student Association Club. She was a Foreign Training Consultant with The Walt Disney Company: Disney English in Shanghai, China and began to understand the nitty-gritty of immersive storytelling. This then led her into excelling in the International Baccalaureate division of a Chinese school where her experience in leadership and education fulfilled a key role in the program that helped to steadily increase test scores to well above the IB world average; all while growing into the position of Director of Teacher Development.
To say the least, she is a lifelong learner, an avid traveler, and an education advocate who aims to provide an environment where learning happens purposefully, interactively, yet organically, to develop confident individuals who are as dynamic as the future in front of them.
When not working or pursuing educational endeavors, she can be found traveling and spending time with her friends, family, and her Australian Cattle dog-son, Oliver.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Business in and of itself is an obstacle/challenge – in a board game mindset kind of way. My biggest obstacle/challenge was thinking there would not be obstacles and challenges. Once I realized that business is just like life- a journey to plan your best, execute your best, put your blood, sweat and tears into, and believe that others will connect with your message.
The most nerve wracking period was the time between product launch and adoption that felt like an eternity. My most reassuring thoughts are knowing that dedication, persistence, and continual confidence in myself and what we are building is the true entrepreneurial journey- there is no sure and steady road.
This journey has truly prompted me to look deeply within myself and know that my passion is developing others. I am here to develop and build a program that honestly supports students worldwide and provides a safe, quality, flexible education. Knowing that I am helping families to confidently live the life of their dreams has become my biggest motivation.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Global Virtual Academy?
Global Virtual Academy is a US-based private school for grades six through 12 students worldwide to learn, collaborate and engage with topics of interest. Families choose from various programs to select the one that is their best fit. Upon graduating, students earn an internationally accepted diploma. Our staff is here to answer questions and equip families to make decisions that will empower each student on their educational journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.globalvirtualacademy.com
- Instagram: @globalvirtualacademy
- Facebook: @globalvirtualacademy
Image Credits
Charlene Campbell
