• Carlo Aragon
    Alumni Updates
    By American Councils Editorial Staff

    Learning Arabic While Learning to Lead

    The first time he applied for an international exchange program, 17-year-old Carlo Aragon didn’t realize he was starting down a path toward a career in the US Foreign Service. He was in high school, at a meeting of the international club, when  he heard about the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y). The president of the extracurricular club at the time had just returned from a summer studying Arabic in Egypt and recommended that Carlo apply for the State Department scholarship program.
  • 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.
  • Anush, wearing a straw hat and an olive, long sleeve button down shirt, looks off into the sunset.
    Alumni Updates
    By American Councils Editorial Staff

    The Picture of Exchange

    Long before she was on the shortlist for the Sony World Photography Award— before she ever considered becoming a professional photographer— Anush Babajanyan was an exchange student with a 35 mm film camera.
  • Jesse Lynch, pictured at the Krak des Chevaliers in Syria, during his year on the Arabic Overseas Language Flagship program.
    Alumni Updates
    By American Councils Editorial Staff

    Language Immersion to Leadership

    It’s been 11 years since Jesse Lynch and Lisa Roman lived in Damascus. As the two reflected on their time in Syria, and the global careers they have built since, they agreed that The Arabic Overseas Language Flagship program was essential to their success.

  • Zana Idrizi is a 2009-2010 alumna of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program from Kosovo, who was hosted by American Councils in St. Paul, MN.
    Alumni Updates
    By Zana Idrizi

    Perspective: Zana in America

    Zana was part of the inaugural group of Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program students from Kosovo in 2009. Today, she continues to apply the lessons she learned during her YES year.
  • Hands on a book
    Alumni Highlight
    Alumni Updates
    Mariyam Mohammed Suleman

    My Civic Education, Six Years Later

    About 25 years ago, Benazir Bhutto made history when she took oath as the first woman Prime Minister of Pakistan. Her story is inspiring for many young women in Pakistan today, including me.
  • Rebecca Gailey smiling
    Alumni Updates
    Alumni Highlight
    American Councils Editorial Staff

    Dreaming in Swahili

    Editor's note: In March, American Councils is featuring profiles of alumnae in different stages of their careers. They are studying and working in different fields, but they all got their start through an exchange program and they're all headed for success.
  • Angela smiling
    Alumni Highlight
    Alumni Updates
    American Councils Editorial Staff

    An Ambassador in the Making: Angela

    Angela Gjekanovikj isn’t an ambassador yet, but she’s been practicing for years.

  • IOP
    Alumni Updates
    Alumni Highlight
    American Councils Editorial Staff

    Perspective: Laura in Indonesia

    Laura Garvie has called many places home, including the "Paris of East Java," Malang, Indonesia. She attributes her professional-level language skills to her semester-long study through the Indonesian Overseas Program (IOP) in 2016. Laura is currently pursuing a master's degree and continuing to connect with the Indonesian community in her current home, Paris, France.

  • Danica
    Alumni Updates
    Alumni Highlight
    American Councils Editorial Staff

    Flagship Alumna Focuses on International Trade

    Danica has been passionate about languages for as long as she can remember. When she enrolled in Arizona State University, she originally intended to study Spanish. However, the Chinese Language Flagship program at ASU, designed to lead toward professional fluency in Mandarin, altered her course.

  • TISLP
    Alumni Updates
    Alumni Highlight
    American Councils Editorial Staff

    Perspective: Naimul in Taiwan

    Naimul Chowdhury spent the summer of 2017 immersed in the sights and sounds of Tainan, Taiwan. The Florida native had not considered living abroad before, but the Taiwan Intensive Summer Language Program (TISLP) changed that.