Category: Alumni Updates

  • Thomas Burns, seated on a staircase, hands folded, looking at the camera
    Alumni Updates
    By Thomas Burns, RLASP alumnus

    Perspective: Thomas in Russia

     In 1996, Thomas Burns decided to take his study of the Russian language to the next level by spending a semester in St. Petersburg and what is now the Russian Language and Area Studies Program. Since then, he's lived and worked in several other countries while building his career as a visual storyteller. Today, he is based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
  • A close up shot of a still life painting of fruit and a vase, in color, with Nikola's signature in the corner
    Alumni Updates
    By Nikola Jeremic, FLEX alumnus

    Perspective: Nikola in Texas

    Editor's note: Nikola Jeremic traveled from Serbia to America in 2018 to spend an exchange year in Longview, Texas.

  • Open World Alumni
    Alumni Updates
    By American Councils Editorial Staff

    Open World Alumni Elected to Ukrainian Parliament

    Nearly two dozen Open World alumni were elected or reelected to serve as members of parliament in Ukraine's snap parliamentary elections last month, accordin

  • Irina, smiling in the center, stands next to a model building with her company's sign, 3D Create, in the background
    Alumni Updates
    By American Councils Editorial Staff

    Creating Her Own Career

    In the suburbs of Almaty, Irina Abasova found her niche. Or rather, she molded it. 

  • Maria in America
    Alumni Updates
    Maria Karapetyan, FLEX alumna

    Perspective: Maria in America

    Editor's note: Maria Karapetyan arrived in Wisconsin in 2003, an exchange student on the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) progr

  • Raina, wearing a cap and gown, smiles at the camera in this portrait shot
    Alumni Updates
    By Rania Goncalves, Alumna of the US-Timor-Leste Scholarship

    A Letter of Thanks For My Exchange

    An American friend recently sent me a message about how proud she is of me. She said that I have come a long way, overcoming my obstacles and challenges.

  • Egzon, dressed in a graduation cap and gown, poses on the lawn of his university.
    Alumni Updates
    By Egzon Halili, KAEF alumnus

    Perspective: Egzon in New York

    Editor's note: Egzon Halili is one of the newest fellows to complete a degree through the Kosovo American Education Fund (KAEF), but when he

  • Amb. Andriy Shevchenko
    Alumni Updates
    By Yarema Bachynsky, American Councils Ukraine country director, and Matthew Floyd, FLEX participant recruiter

    Inspired by a Senator

    Exchange experience is a formative time for many high school students, and Andriy Shevchenko was no exception. Today, Ambassador Shevchenko credits Future Leaders Exchange program founder Senator Bill Bradley for inspiring his own political career. 
  • Emir Hasanovic
    Alumni Updates
    By American Councils Editorial Staff

    From Public School to Public Diplomacy

    Growing up in the capital city of Macedonia, Emir Hasanovic learned about America through pop culture and Hollywood. When he applied for the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program in 2008, social media did not have the same level of prominence that it does today. After he was accepted, he imagined how his American story would unfold.
  • Vanessa E. Beary
    Alumni Updates
    By American Councils Editorial Staff

    Going Further With Farsi

    Before she studied abroad in Tajikistan with American Councils, Vanessa E. Beary, Ed.D already had extensive international experience. She first studied Farsi while pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Cambridge in the UK in 2005. She later worked as a public diplomacy officer for the US State Department in Iraq, a role that earned her the Outstanding Civilian Service Award from the Department of Defense. It is the third-highest public honor a civilian can receive.
  • Nataliya Bugayova
    Alumni Updates
    By American Councils Editorial Staff

    From Writing Bylines to Making Headlines

    Nataliya Bugayova has never let unlikely odds get in her way. It was unlikely that she would become the first female CEO of a major Ukrainian publication at 25, but she did. It was unlikely that she would be accepted to a master’s program at Harvard at 21, as an international student, but she was. In 2004, it was unlikely that she would be selected as a Future Leaders Exchange student, but she was.