I just returned from the capstone experience for GALA (Goizueta Advanced Leadership Academy) and I can say it 
completely blew me away. What an incredible experience! Towards the end of the fall in the second year, full time students can apply for fellowship in GALA – another leadership development opportunity at Goizueta.
GALA has about 30 students involved (selected through an application and interview process.) As a fellow, you participate in a number of activities outside of your normal class schedule. We have conversations and lectures with more leaders like Robert Spano, Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (and one of my favorite speakers – as soon as he started drawing an org chart out of his orchestra we knew he could relate to us 
), have another round at Winshape, volunteer to practice Servant Leadership, and study our team Birkman profiles to develop a better understanding of our teammates.
And then there’s the capstone experience. In past years groups have gone to the British Virgin Islands (like we did this year) and to the Marine Corps base at Quantico. I have never been involved in something like this and it was truly transformational. As business school goes on, we get fairly used to team activities that sometimes seem silly (like tying a group into big knots while we all hold on to one piece of rope) but which illustrate business situations and things like interpersonal communications well. GALA is like the grown up version of all this – after a semester of self-evaluation and teamwork we fly to BVI, and are given $300K boats to control, live on, and race. We have an instructor there to keep us from crashing the boat in dire circumstances and a facilitator to observe and lead the debriefs at night. Let me put this another way: you are “locked” onto a 48′ boat to live and compete with your four other teammates against other teams for six days. You are responsible for sailing the boat, cooking and cleaning for teammates, navigating by nautical charts, leading the team and even more critical on some days – being a really good follower. 
Each day ends with a debrief where everyone gives each other open and candid feedback. Here we not only learn that our peers can see everything (stress reactions, the things we do well, the things we don’t, etc) but we all have to practice giving very good and constructive feedback, because when the debrief ends the furthest you can get from one another is about 20 feet. I found it to be an incredible experience and one I would not hesitate to do again. It certainly doesn’t hurt at all that BVI is breathtaking either 
And of course there’s a little down time at the end of the day to swim and get clean (water is very precious on such a short boat – so we bathe by diving off the back.)
Goizueta is the only business school to have a program like this and which goes to BVI for a capstone experience. I am so glad I was able to participate in this experience, and it is incredible to me that last year at this time I was in China seeing that incredible country, and this year I have been racing around the gorgeous Virgin Islands in a 48′ catamaran. Goizueta has truly given me some amazing opportunities.
Read the full article: GALA 2010