- 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
- Angela Gjekanovikj isn’t an ambassador yet, but she’s been practicing for years. She was only a teenager when she traveled from Skopje, Macedonia, to Bakersfield, California, to start her academic year abroad with the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study program. “It was the moment I stepped out of the plane I started sharing Macedonia,” she said with a laugh, during a recent phone interview. “In Macedonia we kiss (three times), and I kissed all of them.” Her host parents and host… Read More
- Editor's note: 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. What story do you tell the most when people ask, "What was your program like?" When people ask me about my… Read More
- 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. After four intensive years studying Mandarin and taking courses in economics at Arizona State, Danica attended Nanjing University in China for one semester. She then interned in Suzhou at a social… Read More
- 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. Today, Naimul is back in Florida, finishing his final semester of university, but plans to look at graduate schools abroad. "I want returning to and temporarily living in Taiwan to be a part of my life story," he said. What story do you tell the most when people ask, "… Read More
- Another Open World alumna earned a top post in Ukraine this month. Olga Stefanyshyna, a 2017 Open World participant, was named the Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine. Ms. Stefanyshyna was hosted in Sacramento, Ca. by the Sacramento Friendship Force for the "Legislative Developments in Health Care" session through Open World. At the time of the program she was executive director of the charitable foundation, "Patients of Ukraine," where she advocated to make medical treatment accessible for… Read More
- When Jelena Jevtic first heard about the UN Youth Assembly, she wasn't sure if she should apply. But she did. She will be one of more than 1,000 students from around the world involved in the prestigious gathering next month in New York City. This year, the theme is "Innovation and Collaboration for a Sustainable World." Born in Serbia, Jelena is a senior at Bluefield State College in West Virginia, where as the student government association president she has spearheaded the celebration… Read More
- KYIV This year's Top 30 Under 30 Ukrainian Leaders includes politicians, entrepreneurs, athletes, and two Future Leaders Exchange Program alumni. The Kyiv Post announced their second annual 30 under 30 list this week, recognizing the brightest, young leaders in the country. The inaugural winners selected this year's honorees, a group which included Rimma El Joueidi, FLEX class of 2007, and Roman Tychkivsky, FLEX class of 2005. Last year, El Joueidi co-founded Teach for Ukraine, which… Read More
- WASHINGTON DC A US-CAEF alumnus accepted an award this week for a project that could revolutionize healthcare in Italy. Ulukbek Abdubaliev, a 2015 fellow in the US-Central Asia Education Foundation Enterprise Student Fellowship Program, is part of the team that won the Smart Civis competition. The contest is hosted by the nonprofit, The Common Good, and is open to students at Italian universities. The Kyrgyzstan native entered while he was on an Erasmus exchange semester in Milan through his… Read More
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