- Editor’s Note: Besa Luci has kept busy since she was a KAEF fellow at the University of Missouri. After graduating with a master’s degree in Journalism and Magazine Writing, Luci co-founded Kosovo 2.0, an independent media organization, that sheds light on issues of injustice, discrimination, human rights, and current affairs in the country and the world. Initially launched as Kosovo’s first blogging platform, K2.0 grew to become an established media outlet with an ever-growing audience.… Read More
- Editor's note: We are so thankful that in the midst of so much change, our alumni and participants have been a constant source of encouragement with their hard work and community efforts. As part of our celebration of virtual volunteerism and Giving Tuesday Now, we've rounded up a few of the alumni from AC-administered programs who are working to combat COVID-19. Dr. Valentyna Goloborodko is a Future Leaders Exchange alumna from Ukraine, who went on exchange in the early ‘… Read More
- Almost all of the students who packed their bags for American Councils’ Politics and Public Diplomacy in Contemporary Russia program in 2018 were just that: students. All except Samantha Williams. Unlike the rest of her cohort, Ms. Williams was used to grading finals rather than studying for them. As an English teacher who primarily works with immigrants, she was motivated to study abroad in Russia to better understand the culture of her students and better relate to them when she… Read More
- Editor’s note: In 2019, out of 1,020 Open World participants, 321 came from Ukraine. Among them is Tetiana Skaprovska, a member of an Open World Ukrainian delegation that came to the US on a program focused on media literacy education. Ms. Skaprovska shared some of her impressions with us about Open World and the US. My journey began at American Councils’ office in Kyiv, where my fellow Open World participants and I attended a pre-departure orientation to prepare for our 10-day… Read More
- Nearly two dozen Open World alumni were elected or reelected to serve as members of parliament in Ukraine's snap parliamentary elections last month, according to a press release from the Open World Leadership Center. Representing a diverse political scope, including both single-mandate delegates and party lists, these Open World alumni have demonstrated key leadership roles within their government and communities. Among the newly elected Open World alumni are single-mandate delegates:… Read More
- In the suburbs of Almaty, Irina Abasova found her niche. Or rather, she molded it. She started off in the banking industry, but after becoming a mother and with some encouragement from friends, she realized she wanted to be her own boss. So she started her own 3D printing with one used printer. Eventually, she shifted her focus to plastic molds and today she leads a staff of 15 at Creat3D. Last month, she won a government grant through a program that promotes innovative ideas that will… Read More
- Exchange years are formative for many high school students, and Andriy Shevchenko was no exception. A native of Ukraine’s rugged and tradition-steeped western region of Ivano-Frankivsk, he traveled to Alameda, California in 1993 through the Future Leaders Exchange program, which was founded by US Senator Bill Bradley. Today, the Ukrainian ambassador to Canada credits Senator Bradley for inspiring his own political career.Speaking during the 20th anniversary celebration of the FLEX program… Read More
- 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. He assumed he would be placed in a big city, like he had seen in movies – New York City or Chicago. He was placed in Lyle, Minnesota. In… Read More
- 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. She… Read More
- 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… Read More
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