- Editor's note: Maria Karapetyan arrived in Wisconsin in 2003, an exchange student on the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program. Through the program she learned about American society and values, shared Armenian values with her community, and developed leadership skills. She has continued to hone her leadership skills through the years and in January 2019, she became a member of parliament in her home country of Armenia. Give us an overview of your… Read More
- 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. She watched me struggle on my first day learning English and adapting to the [American] culture. She praised my hard work on events on campus at Saint Michael’s College. She said I made a powerful impact and will leave a legacy that will stay forever in this school. She said that I am her biggest inspiration. I receive that compliment almost… Read More
- 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 23 mm film camera. It was a gift from her host mom, Judy Mothershead. As she recalled the story of her first camera, in an interview with American Councils, Ms. Babajanyan said she had never realized before that her interest in photography started back then, in Citronelle, Alabama. “I remember… Read More
- WASHINGTON DC Years after their experience with the Future Leaders Exchange Program ended, four alumni were back in the US this week learning how to GoViral. The four won spots in the inaugural GoViral Reporting Tour, which gave 20 journalists and media professionals from Central Asia, Armenia, and Georgia a chance to meet with industry professionals around the US and to learn about digital media. The tour is sponsored by the US Department of State and organized by the Foreign Press Center… Read More
- By Ma Jianhong, Teacher of Critical Languages Program 2016-17, on his experience as an exchange teacher at Izard County Consolidated Elementary School in Arkansas. When I learned from the award letter it was mandatory for a TCLP exchange teacher to complete 8-10 hours of outreach each month, my exhilaration of exploring a new country suddenly dissipated, followed by my worry about how I could accomplish such a mission. It had been looming large on my mind ever after. A lot of questions… Read More
- During a recent trip to Indonesia, Vice President Mike Pence met with 23 Indonesian alumni of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) at the US Embassy in Jakarta. The professional exchange initiative seeks to build the leadership capabilities of young professionals across the region, strengthen ties between the US and Southeast Asia, and nurture a community among the people of Southeast Asia. Dissa Ahdanisa traveled to the US for the first time last year on the YSEALI… Read More
- Two alumni from the Florida Atlantic University College of Business (FAU) discovered a way to prevent students from finding test answers online during exams. Elena Soboleva was pursuing her MBA at FAU on an international student visa when she noticed a large number of American students receiving high marks without studying; she discovered that many of these students find their test answers online. A local news station in Orlando, Florida had also investigated cheating methods at a local station… Read More
- This article was originally published in the Bradley Herald the hub for FLEX alumni and their stories. In the middle of the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan lies the city of Mary, built on an oasis next to one of the country's major rivers. And, in Mary a different kind of oasis exists for exceptional students: it's tucked away in an American cultural center, where local high school students discover international programs, participate in educational projects, and learn about opportunities to… Read More
- This article was originally published by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs International Exchange Alumni blog. In the summer of 2015, Elise participated in the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program in Rabat, Morocco. Through this program, she had the opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge about not only Morocco but also the Arab World and Islam. Inspired by this experience, Elise founded and serves as the president of the… Read More
- Young graduates of the US Department of State-funded National Security Language Initiative for Youth Program (NSLI-Y) assembled in Washington, D.C. in early January to learn how to represent the NSLI-Y Alumni Association nationally and in their home communities throughout the US The 16 alumni from across the country who learned to speak a critical world language abroad during their program were selected to serve as NSLI-Y Alumni Representatives for 2017 and attended a training on their… Read More
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