Alumni Updates

From Wild Dream to Wilder Reality

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Editor's note: Mikheil Benidze is from Tbilisi, Georgia, and an alumnus of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX). Through FLEX, he spent an academic year living with an American host family and attending high school in Adrian, Michigan in 2005-06. Since then, Mr. Benidze has earned a BA in business administration from Tbilisi State University and an MBA in business administration from the Porto Business School at the University of Porto. Today, he monitors the influence of social media on national elections as an executive director at the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) in Georgia. Mr. Benidze shared his story during a recent interview with Tatyana Movshevich.


"The '90s in Georgia are called ‘the dark times’ – and not only because of violence and poverty. Often there was no electricity, and at night we used candlelight or oil lamps to do homework. In such conditions, [my] dreams about studying in the US seemed wild," recalls Mikheil Benidze.

But even in those years his parents always looked toward the future. They sent him to a state school specializing in the English language and did their best to provide him with everything he needed for studying.

Mr. Benidze remembers how his Dad would occasionally leave the house with a bag over his shoulder. In this bag, he’d carry some of the family’s most prized and valuable belongings so he could sell them at a local market. But while money and, sometimes, even food was scarce, his family never lacked encouragement and inspiration.

"Strangely, I didn’t feel the severity of those years," Mr. Benidze said. "My parents completely sheltered me from it and only motivated [me] to do my best."

Then one day, what had once seemed "wild" came true with the ring of a phone.

It was a call to inform Mr. Benidze that he was selected as a finalist of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX), a program of the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. That meant that he had earned a scholarship to become a high school exchange student in the United States for an academic year – against all odds.

"It was my first time on a plane and first time abroad. But I can’t remember my very first days in America – everything went by in a blur. I just remember that it was really hot and humid and that I immediately liked my host family," Mr. Benidze said.

His first day of school, however, stuck in his memory. Mr. Benidze had joined his new American school's cross-country club and went to his first practice. There he noticed that his fellow classmates were behaving remarkably respectful towards him. At first, he couldn’t figure out why and attributed it to him being a foreigner. Soon after, he realized that they mistook him for a coach’s assistant – he had already grown a beard by that point and looked rather mature for a teenager.

While his whole year in the US was full of exciting experiences, Mr. Benidze said his time attending Civic Education Week in Washington, DC had the biggest impact on his future. It was during that week that he learned about democracy and good governance and met various stakeholders – from senators and congressmen on Capitol Hill to activists to journalists.

It was also during Civic Education Week that Mr. Benidze met fellow FLEX alumni who shared the same interests and cultural background as he did. Even now, 13 years later, Mr. Benidze remains friends with a few.

Inspired and full of ideas from his exchange year and Civic Education Week, he returned to his home country of Georgia two months later. Only there, reverse culture shock was waiting.

"Simple things annoyed me – puddles of water on sidewalks, bad roads, poor infrastructure. I was constantly frustrated and wanted things to be different. That’s when I decided to become an active citizen," Mr. Benidze said.

He became engaged in his community as he completed high school and through university, often alongside his fellow FLEX alumni. During that time, Mr. Benidze volunteered at orphanages, raised awareness about disability rights, and organized FLEX alumni and civic education activities.

Mikheil BenidzeHis active volunteer life eventually landed him with a role in election monitoring, where he truly found his calling. Today, Mr. Benidze is an executive director at the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) in Georgia. While the main focus of ISFED is on election monitoring, its broader aims include democratic reforms, promoting European integration, and encouraging citizen engagement.

Most recently, Mr. Benidze and his colleagues piloted a new initiative to investigate the role of social media in Georgian elections and advocate against aggressive influencing, extremism, and fake news.

"The 2018 elections [in the country of Georgia] were very polarized. There were lots of anonymous groups publishing discrediting or fake information online, including information about the work of the ISFED, and we tried standing up to fake news," said Mr. Benidze.

During the elections, Mr. Benidze and his colleagues at ISFED monitored how "fake news" campaigns influence public opinion and spread disinformation. They prepared an improvement plan and shared recommendations with the government on how to effectively manage social media during elections and how to mitigate potential human rights violations.

Even though Mr. Benidze describes his work as "hectic and intense," he still enjoys every aspect of it and, just like his parents in the '90s, looks toward a bright future for his country.

"I want to see real democracy in Georgia, and I know that it can only be established if we have the right systems in place, such as fair and transparent elections. There’s a lot to overcome – the difficult Soviet past, our current political and economic challenges. But I believe that there’s an opportunity for a great change and I want to be a part of it."

About the Future Leaders Exchange Program
The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program is a competitive, merit-based scholarship program funded by the US Department of State. FLEX students who pass multiple rounds of testing earn a scholarship to spend an academic year in the United States living with a volunteer host family and attending a US high school.

FLEX students gain leadership skills, learn about American society and values, and teach Americans about FLEX countries and cultures. FLEX is a highly competitive program with over 25,000 alumni who have contributed over one million hours of community service in cities and towns across America. The students return home to active alumni networks that carry out inspiring activities. Learn more at discoverflex.org.

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