- In the Institute for International Education’s 2021 report, data shows that only 8.6% of U.S. students studying abroad identify as having an AAPI background. American Councils believes it is important to highlight these students’ voices and experiences abroad that demonstrate how their AAPI identities, in combination with cross-cultural experiences overseas, have shaped their personal and professional development. American Councils will continue to share similar experiences from students of… Read More
- Editor's note: 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. Why did you decide to study abroad in Russia? I had been studying Russian at college in the US, but I just wasn’t… Read More
- 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
- 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 returned to Kosovo after graduation last year, he hit the ground running. He launched a company, Monego, that is already operating in cities around Kosovo. Now a CEO, he hopes to continue supporting young entrepreneurs, the same way he was supported through KAEF. This month, KAEF is celebrating awarding its 100th scholarship. You… 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
- 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
- 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. She has her mother to thank for that. They lived in a small town, away from the big… Read More
- Editor's note: Zana was part of the inaugural group of Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program students from Kosovo in 2009. She spent her academic year abroad in Minnesota. Today, she works with the United Nations Development Programme in Istanbul, where she continues to apply the lessons she learned during her YES year. Tell us a story about your program experience. I have many good experiences and great memories from my time on the program. If I had to choose… Read More
- 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. That’s why seeing her book on a shelf in Lorne Craner’s office caught my eye. I was meeting with Mr. Craner, the president of American Councils during Civic Education Week, in my capacity as an alumni mentor. Civic Education Week is a unique opportunity for Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study students… Read More
- Learning Swahili brought Rebecca Gailey to Tanzania the first time. A dream has kept her coming back.“Ota,” the Swahili word for dream, inspired the name of the educational program she helped start in 2013, while she was still finishing her undergraduate studies.That year, more than half of the country’s tenth graders failed their required standardized tests. For most of these students, failing the test meant an end to their educational opportunities. The lack of resources and huge class sizes… Read More
Sign up for our newsletter.