What Our Alumni Say About Futures Forge
Each student’s experience is their own. On this page, Futures Forge learners share their perspectives, their growth, their turning points, and where the path has led them.
Highlights
"In 2 weeks I made more progress on skills than I have with the other 17 years of my life."
-Saleh Aljetawi, S4S 2025
"This program can only give you as much as you put in! It's incredibly valuable, but only if you're ready to grow!"
-Finn Barrett, S4S 2025
“Just do it!. You’ll learn more in 2 weeks than in 2 years of high school. You learn so many useful skills that you never learned in high school and you meet lifelong friends."
-Zeybek, S4S 2024
"You feel like more of the designer of this system, and it feels like you're really part of it instead of school where you just feel irrelevant to the system"
-Aahil, S4S 2025
“This program has triggered me to grow myself. By creating an environment for innovative approaches, facilitating open feedback and by putting students in situations where they need to problem solve effectively, Futures Forge taught me so much.”
-Olivia, S4S 2024
"This program is a breath of fresh air from the traditional American pedagogy"
"I came into Futures Forge feeling genuinely nervous. I didn’t know what to expect or if I’d connect with anyone. But by the end, I left with some of the strongest peer connections I’ve ever had.
The two weeks flew by, and saying goodbye wasn’t easy. The program becomes your routine. You wake up focused on solving that day’s challenge and go to bed already thinking about how to do better tomorrow.
What made it different from school was the way it was structured. There weren’t standard rubrics, just open-ended, real-world problems. We were thrown into things like fixing major infrastructure breakdowns, turning around failing companies, and selling niche products.
I failed a lot, but I learned more from those failures than from most A’s I’ve gotten in school.
Outside the challenges, I grew in other ways too. Exploring Boston, walking around Harvard and MIT, Fenway, Newbury… it didn’t feel like a class, it felt like living.
By the end, I felt sharper, more confident, and more prepared to face things that don’t come with instructions. The team behind the program, MIT and Oxford grads, actually took time to talk with us. Not just about the work, but about life, college, entrepreneurship. They were real with us.
My only regret? I wish I found this program sooner."
-Vedant Tiwari, S4S 2025
“This is one of the few courses that can take you from overachiever to over-overachiever.”
-Gian (Nicaragua), S4S 2024
“The 2 weeks at Skills for Success are invaluable. These skills and attributes are incredibly relevant to your personal, academic, and professional life.”
-Aaden (Singapore), S4S 2024
"If you're looking for something completely different from normal school and really want to develop life skills, then this course is for you."
-Diego Montoya, S4S 2025
"Futures Forge is such a unique and engaging program. It's set apart from other programs because it's really different from an ordinary school environment. You are given the freedom to grow on your own and make your own decisions."
-Maggie Li, S4S 2025
"Skills for Success is a gateway to success in any kind of future career or path. The soft skills taught and emphasizes are essential to achieving success at the highest level in any field."
-Chunghyun Kawata, S4S 2025
What did you most improve during your 2 weeks at the Skills for Success Course?
Emotional Intelligence
"I improved most on emotional intelligence. The four super close friends that I’ve made in these two weeks have helped me learn more than anyone in my life and they’ve also taught me how to be better at being around friends that I don’t know as well. They taught me how to stop coping with not being unique enough, bringing out the positive in others by using my own positive energy, and showing me just how passionate I am but my own interest. At the end of the day, the friends you have to let go of are the ones that matter the most."
-Abhiram Pasumarti, S4S 2025
Feedback
"I significantly improved my ability to take and give feedback—I used to be reluctant to take feedback, taking it as an attack to my ego, and thus struggled to give constructive feedback, thinking others thought about feedback in the same way as me. Now, I am able to give and take constructive feedback with an open heart."
-Kyle Yan, S4S 2025
Self-Discovery
"The biggest thing I improved upon is self-discovery. Through coaching sessions and long discussions with Erik, Nat, our facilitators, and my friends, I believe I achieved a new understanding of my aspirations in life and what I am destined to do. This may seem bizarre, as Skills for Success doesn’t market itself as a course in enlightenment, but it truly is my biggest takeaway. I believe Futures Forge platforms all students who are willing to devote their immense focus to realize this same potential. Being thrown into an environment where you meet smart, like-minded individuals and are forced to collaborate and learn from each other really brings an immense amount of perspective. The coaching sessions that follow further aid in that awareness."
-Shimon Levy, S4S 2025
Teamwork
I think my sense of working in a team of capable individuals definitely increased. Skills that I had not really developed because I was so used to doing everything on my own were being put to the test during S4S. Some of these skills include better communication and integrating my teammates’ ideas.
-Seyoung Kim, S4S 2025
Communication
During my two weeks at S4S, I grew the most in my social skills. Before coming to Futures Forge, I rarely branched out. I stuck to a close circle of friends and avoided forming new connections. But S4S pushed me far outside my comfort zone. I had to adapt and communicate with my roommates and teammates in order to truly succeed. Because of this, I built meaningful relationships and made lifelong friends. I still text my Futures Forge friends every day—and I don’t plan on stopping.
-Sofia Arias, S4S 2025
Problem-Solving
Problem solving, resilience, and adaptability in team settings.
Learning problem solving behaviors helped me begin to think more critically and go through solutions logically before executing them.
As I previously mentioned, coaching helped me realize that there's always something I can do to contribute, which helped me make sure I'm always trying to stay in the game and push myself to find what I can do. Filling multiple roles depending on what's needed in the moment has also increased my adaptability because it's made me have to switch up fast and always find what's next.
-Finn Barrett, S4S 2025
A Day In The Life
"I felt lost with life, not following any real direction. Skills for success set me on the right track."
-Aiden Ashcraft, S4S 2025
Failure Is An Option
"The most powerful thing I learned during Skills for Success is that failure is an option. I always viewed failure as the worst case scenario, which made me not want to participate in activities at times. However, after Skills for Success I learned that the worst case scenario is not failure, it’s not participating at all because of fear."
-Mahmoud Khalifa, S4S 2025
The Power Of a High-Performance Environment
"Before coming to Futures Forge, I often felt like the odd one out. At home, many of my peers didn’t have clear goals or a strong sense of drive, which made me feel out of place. When I arrived at S4S, I was shocked (in the best way). I met incredible individuals who shared my ambition and cared deeply about school and their future. Being surrounded by like-minded peers motivated me to keep pushing forward and further motivated to keep working towards unlocking my full potential."
Sofia Arias, S4S 2025
Self-Awareness
"I was very fortunate to learn more about self-awareness and how to lead effectively. On the Fourth of July I was kind of strangely removed from the rest of my team when they had one on ones and had an irregular meeting scheduled with Erik and Colleen. In this meeting, Erik told me something about myself: some very blunt feedback and at first a little bit hard to take. However when I internalised it and thought on it, it completely transformed how I saw my impact on my team and how my team saw me. Erik gave me some great advice on creating alignment and how to manage a group of capable people in a way that doesn’t come off as Arrogant or Cocky. This completely changed my attitude through the week, and I saw great improvements in my development as a teammate and collaborator."
-Reid Moran, S4S 2025
What is the most powerful thing you've learned at the Skills for Success Course?
Feedback Is Fuel
"The most powerful thing I have learned at futures forge is that you're not always right. It might seem basic or simple, but when you really get into it, criticism isn't supposed to be a threat, it isn't an attack, its an opportunity to grow. This has happened a multitude of times, but it started with the bridge challenge. The idea I thought up was foolproof, the best thing we could put forward. Even though my group was telling me otherwise, I ignored them. I wanted to win. I didn't. When the bridge challenge came up in 1 on 1 coaching, Colleen, my facilitator and I discussed it, triggering a shift in my mindset. When I get constructive feedback, I now realize that this person wants me to succeed, to improve where im lacking, to grow."
-Thiago Behrendt, S4S 2025
Leadership
"I think I have learned that my ability to see and leverage the strengths of my team make me a good leader, despite my lack of confidence in being a leader. When my team went through the many challenges, our roles became fleshed out, and, knowing everyone's strengths, I helped increase my team's power and productivity."
-Benjamin Wang, S4S 2025
Responsibility
"The most powerful thing I learned at Futures Forge was the power of organization. In the first few challenges our team failed to delegate tasks effectively and that really had an impact on how much we rushed and our team dynamic. As the weeks went on we realized just how important it was to stay organized in a group, and after realizing this there was a measurable change in our performance."
-Kruthika Annapareddy, S4S 2025
What Happens When Students Spend 10-12 Weeks At Futures Forge?
"Coming into this program as a natural leader from Southern California, I was someone who always took charge—sometimes a little too much. I liked to be in control and often felt the need to steer every project I was part of.
That mindset was challenged during one of our toughest group challenges: helping a tech startup figure out how to retain its employees. For the first time, I didn’t have all the answers. I felt uncertain—but instead of pushing forward alone, I leaned on my teammates. I allowed others to step up, and I trusted in the group’s collective ability.
That experience was transformative. I learned that leadership isn’t always about taking control—it’s about knowing when to step back and make space for others. As I head into college, I’m carrying this lesson with me. Collaboration means giving others the chance to shine, and sometimes, the best ideas come when you let go and listen."
-Ella Ghazarian, S4S 2025
"The Future's Forge Skills for Success program was one of the most critical programs I attended in my life. While the course was rigorous and difficult, it was also incredibly helpful to my growth, teaching me everything from how to speak in front of a crowd, to the best way to step up as a leader--and allow others to step up and lead as well. From lifelong friends to mindset-shaping challenges, the Skills for Success course has altered my course in life, and made me realize that I have changed for the better after attending."
-Natalia E Kolheffer, S4S 2025
"This program teaches you how to manage all aspects of life by yourself. You decide how much work you put in, there are no grades. You decide when your lunch break is. You decide if you do the pre-program prep or not. This is my biggest takeaway from the program. It helsp you develop real world soft skills in an environment unlike anything in a traditional school setting."
-Ryan Xu, S4S 2025
From Webinars
How Futures Forge Students Are Different
Futures Forge Students Take Responsbility
Learning About Feedback
"Skills for Success taught me to things I didn’t even know I was bad at. But now I feel that I am 100% more confident in my future, from my school to my family to my first job. I learned how to properly solve problems, I built incredible friendships, and I learned how to give and receive feedback—a skill that is very undervalued in today’s culture. I am incredibly happy with the person Skills for Success has sharpened me to be."
-Agatha Schellack, S4S 2025
"Skills for Success by far is one of the best stepping stones in teaching you the critical skills you need that doesn’t have an academic avenue where you can improve them. If you make the most of the program and continue to learn once its over, it is by far something that is worth it."
-Pranava Kesarallimath, S4S 2025
"Futures Forge is a program that will highly benefit you if you are actually willing to put effort into it. The team setting is very realistic to a work environment, making it very good preparation for the workforce. You will also have tons of fun, competing with other teams, or bonding with your own, Futures Forge will definitely bring out the best of you."
-Aaron Sheng, S4S 2025
"The people who I met at futures forge have been amazing to hang out with, the freedom you get from the program allow you to explore the entire city and really get to know your peers."
-Manolis Georgakopoulos, S4S 2025
"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. A chance to find your strengths and weaknesses. A chance to collaborate. A chance to learn how to fail and how to respond to it. A chance to set yourself up for success."
-Mack Rottenberg, S4S 2025
"Skills for Success is more than just a summer program, but a place where bright minds connect and grow. In these two weeks, I have developed in not only problem solving, but developed strides in my emotional intelligence."
-Joanna Fang, S4S 2025
"This course was a truly life changing experience, I grew in so many different ways that I believe would have virtually impossible to learn in other places."
-Jake Moshel, S4S 2025
"At Futures Forge you are thrown into an environment that tests you every step of the way. It is up to you to understand challenges and come up with innovative and out of the box solutions to solve them, as a team of course. Almost all interactions that you have are with your team, which are advised to give you clear feedback, both constructive and reinforcing, so that you can grow as a team member and problem solver. Learning more about others in your group and understanding where they are coming from is vital to enhancing your team process over the two weeks here. Yes, it is extremely difficult, but I promise in the end it is worth it. In the beginning of the program, I could not imagine that our team would be able to communicate well, truly listen to each other and be content with our work, but all of this came true. The process of connecting with my team proved to be more valuable than our initial desire of “winning challenges."
-Victoria Bonev, S4S 2025
"Skills for Success was a truly transformative experience where each person grew in their own way through challenges and teamwork. Everyone left feeling empowered and ready to take on the world."
-Eva Popescu, S4S 2025
"I’ve learned more than I did in school, but also had a lot of fun."
-Andy Lee, S4S 2025
And Lot's More...
"This course really pushed me out of my comfort zone which not only allowed me to gain confidence but forced me to persevere through very hard challenges that i had little knowledge about"
-Jayla Dorbor, S4S 2025
"Futures Forge is a very special program in the way that it tests you at every moment. I would certainly recommend it if you are looking to be challenged and have fun along the way. Also, a lot of the other students here are unlike any other people I have met before."
-Coco Kaufmann, S4S 2025
"Future's Forge is an amazing program to teach you transferable skills regardless of the job you are aiming to get."
-Michael Shi, S4S 2025
"Skills for Success was an incredibly eye-opening program that helped me change as a person in ways that I never expected. Even in a brief 2 week course, I believe that my skills in collaboration and adaptability have improved significantly. Out of all the summer programs I have attended, Futures Forge had the largest impact on me as an individual and a teammate."
- Henry Liu, S4S 2025
"This is a pretty crazy program, it completely shifts the way people are used to learning in school. Challenges everyday sounds like hell, but they were awesome. I remember getting out of every roadblock during challenges, it hits you and you feel really complete, like you can solve anything. My world completely shifted when I got here, and I met some amazing people who were both students like me and facilitators/staff."
-Asher Podgorny, S4S 2025
"Futures Forge S4S is more then just a two week summer program, it is something that drives, pushes and expends your performance to a whole another level - a level of which you never even thought of before."
-Yan Barabash
"Skills for Success is an eye opening experience that, if taken seriously, can restructure many skills you may have thought you already mastered. The constant challenges with open ended instructions alongside diligent coaching is the perfect environment to highlight your greatest weaknesses. S4S is preparing students not only for the rest of their educational career, but creating a foundation of lifelong strong values."
-Thomas Klosterman, S4S 2025
"This course taught me critical thinking and presentation throughout the two weeks, and pushed me to become better in the classroom and out of the classroom."
-Alan Jith, S4S 2025
"Skills for Success has taught me everything I need to be ready in the real world."
-Elene Lin, S4S 2025
"This program is excellent if you’re ready to apply skills you believe you’ve gained through school to real-life issues and challenges, testing your true abilities."
-Cosette Gardinier, S4S 2025