Ubuntu: Developing Future STEM Leaders With Michigan's Leadership and Technology Global Course in Cape Town

This article explores the conceptualization, design, and implementation of the University of Michigan's inaugural Leadership and Technology Global Course in Cape Town, South Africa. This 3-week study abroad experience centered the perspectives of gender-minoritized leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to demonstrate the importance of diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency for effective leadership practice. The values of Ubuntu (i.e., interconnectedness, community, compassion/empathy, responsibility, reconciliation/healing) frame the themes that emerged each week of the course and illuminate leadership best practices. With the voices of the 12 participants foregrounded, this article presents counternarratives, to disrupt both leadership and study abroad stories most often told.