Navan Partners with Nonprofit Global Glimpse to Provide Equitable Access to Travel
Samantha Shankman
•21 Nov 2022•
Navan believes in the power of in-person connections so deeply that it’s working to support as many young people as possible in experiencing the world. Travel has the power to expand students’ world view and open up so many doors.
To that end, Navan last month announced a partnership with Global Glimpse, a nonprofit organization that partners with high schools to provide students with a powerful travel experience focused on service learning, cultural immersion, and leadership development.
With the support of donors and partners, Global Glimpse has provided more than $14 million dollars in scholarships to send 7,500+ students and more than 700 educators on transformative international experiences. Over the past 14 years, Global Glimpse has served thousands of students across 100 underserved high schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as New York, Chicago, and Massachusetts.
Global Glimpse and Navan share a vision of making travel more attainable to people from all backgrounds to foster positive social change. Navan will contribute the returns from its electronic waste recycling program to Global Glimpse’s scholarship fund, enabling the nonprofit to serve more students from low-income backgrounds.
“With Global Glimpse, we found a like-minded organization to partner with that aligns with our mission of providing equitable access to travel,” says Whitnee Hawthorne, Chief Customer Officer of Navan. “Navan is honored to collaborate with Global Glimpse to contribute to the program’s offering of international travel experiences to students at such a pivotal age.”
Navan and Global Glimpse have designed exclusive opportunities for the Navan team to engage directly with their work and students over the next year.
Navan team members can play a role in reviewing student applications. They can help students prepare for their trip through virtual pre-trip workshops on topics such as youth leadership, globalization, culture, and Latin American history, and even experience the program firsthand by participating in their annual Leadership Trip.
Gabrielle Quezada, who leads the DEI program at Navan and built this new partnership, joined the Global Glimpse Leadership Trip to the Dominican Republic in 2022 to see the program in action. “Experiencing the transformational energy of these programs firsthand is undeniable. We engaged with communities in rural towns, with multiple cohorts of students in varying stages of their Global Glimpse journey, and with diverse in-country partners—it was quite special,” said Gabrielle.
Employees across all teams are also excited about the partnership and opportunity to support young people as they broaden their perspectives through travel.
“This is an exciting partnership as we believe in the power of in-person connections, and this group of young people gets to do just that. They dive deep into the different cultural aspects of the communities they visit and diversify their experiences at an early stage of their lives,” said Steven Falconer, Navan Liquid Operations Manager.
Navan Commercial Customer Success Manager Rebekah Sprole agreed. “Traveling and having the opportunity to learn by immersing yourself in a different culture is life-changing. I’m excited to work alongside students that are afforded such a tremendous experience,” she said.
Navan Proposal Manager Rachael McDaniels noted how the partnership aligns with the company’s commitment to diversity and equity. “Helping give kids potentially life-changing experiences they would otherwise not have is so meaningful. Postcards and photos just don't compare to the real thing, as cliche as that sounds, and these kids will get to learn that firsthand,” she said.
This is only the latest initiative from the Navan DEI program, which is dedicated to intentionally advancing equity and access to travel through partnerships with social impact organizations.
Since its inception, Navan team members have sought to contribute positively to their local communities. Whether it’s donating tech equipment to unfunded high schools, preparing food donations for families across the Santa Clara and San Mateo communities, providing direct support to Ukrainian refugees, or joining the employee resource group TakeActions to engage in regular volunteer opportunities, the Navan value of “One Diverse Team” expands beyond Navan teammates and outside of office doors into the community.