The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) recognizes 43 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) as 2022 Fulbright HSI Leaders for their noteworthy engagement with the Fulbright Program during the 2021-2022 academic year.

The 2022 Fulbright HSI Leaders were announced by ECA Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs Ethan Rosenzweig on October 10, 2022, during the annual conference of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). The recognized colleges and universities include four Associate Institutions, five Baccalaureate and Special Focus Institutions, 10 Masters Institutions, and 24 Doctoral Institutions in eight states across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

This initiative is part of the U.S. State Department’s long-standing commitment to continue to build diversity and inclusion within the Fulbright Program and all the Bureau’s international exchange programs.  ECA established this designation in 2021 to acknowledge the strong partnerships between the Fulbright Program and HSIs, and to encourage all HSIs to increase their Fulbright engagement on campus.  Having strong HSI participation in the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program is critical to fully representing the diversity of the United States through the Program.

In his remarks, Rosenzweig noted the strong relationship between HSIs and the Fulbright Program stating, “The Fulbright Program’s success with HSIs is built on real collaboration with you and your institutions.” He thanked HSI leaders for their collaboration and for recognizing the value of the Fulbright Program in deepening campus internationalization efforts; and he recognized Fulbright campus liaisons and advisors for recruiting and advising applicants.  Rosenzweig also commended current Fulbright participants and alumni from and hosted by HSIs for sharing “their expertise, experience, perspective, and enthusiasm with their institutions, their communities, and their societies.”

Later this fall on November 7, a Fulbright HSI Virtual Workshop will feature representatives of Fulbright HSI Leaders sharing best practices for HSIs to leverage Fulbright Program engagement to support students and faculty, increase campus internationalization, and build global networks.  This virtual event is open to the public and while all are welcome, the session is specifically designed for HSI faculty, staff, and stakeholders.  Institutions can sign up at https://apply.iie.org/register/HSIWorkshop2022.

The Fulbright Program has designed and implemented a wide range of initiatives to increase participant diversity and inclusion.  The program strives to ensure that its participants reflect all aspects of the diversity of U.S. society and of societies abroad. Its diversity efforts include collaboration with associations and organizations such as the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the White House Initiative on HBCUs, the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange, the American Association of Community Colleges, and Diversity Abroad, among others.  The Program also works with diversity-focused media platforms and is engaged with hundreds of minority-serving institutions and other diverse colleges and universities.  The Program is committed to inclusion and to ensuring that all participants have successful and rewarding exchange experiences.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's flagship international educational exchange program.  Since its inception over 75 years ago, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 U.S. students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad, and their foreign counterparts to engage in like activities in the United States. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

For more information on the Fulbright Program’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, see the Fulbright U.S. Student Program website: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/diversity-inclusion.

2022 Fulbright HSI Leaders

Doctoral

  • Arizona State University - Downtown Phoenix, AZ
  • California State University, Long Beach, CA
  • City University of New York - City College of New York, NY
  • Florida International University, FL
  • Montclair State University, NJ
  • New Mexico State University, NM
  • Northern Arizona University, AZ
  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark Campus, NJ
  • San Diego State University, CA
  • San Francisco State University, CA
  • Texas Tech University, TX
  • University of Arizona, AZ
  • University of California, Irvine, CA
  • University of California, Riverside, CA
  • University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
  • University of California, Santa Cruz, CA
  • University of Central Florida, FL
  • University of Houston, TX
  • University of Illinois at Chicago, IL
  • University of New Mexico, NM
  • University of North Texas, TX
  • University of Texas at Arlington, TX
  • University of Texas at El Paso, TX
  • University of Texas at San Antonio, TX

Masters

  • California State University-Chico, CA
  • California State University-Los Angeles, CA
  • California State University-Northridge, CA
  • California State University-Sacramento, CA
  • CUNY Hunter College, NY
  • CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, NY
  • CUNY Lehman College, NY
  • New Jersey City University, NJ
  • St. Edward's University, TX
  • San Jose State University, CA

Associates

  • City University of New York - LaGuardia Community College, NY
  • Miami-Dade College, FL
  • Pima Community College, AZ
  • Skyline College, CA

Baccalaureate and Special Focus

  • City University of New York - New York City College of Technology, NY
  • Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico-Miami campus, FL
  • Purchase College, State University of New York, NY
  • University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, PR
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX

Follow the Fulbright Program’s social media accounts and websites for highlights on HSIs and Fulbright:


 

Music offers people an opportunity to express themselves and share their values. The U.S. Embassy in Cuba teamed up with the Arts Envoy Program to launch “Find Your Voice," a video series supporting the freedom of expression and human rights of artists from Cuba and around the world. The program consists of five short videos, each featuring an Arts Envoy, offering a message of solidarity with the Cuban people and especially Cuba’s artists, many of whom have been incarcerated or detained due to their activism. The videos highlight the work of Americans who have found their voices through art and advocacy, demonstrating the importance of freedom of expression. The artists share a message that is relevant to artists on a global scale: in the face of challenges and suppression, keep finding your voice!


Lachi - Never Let Your Fire Dim - New York City, New York
 


Renee Goust - Su Voz es Su Verdad (Your Voice is Your Truth) - Nogales, Arizona
 


Danielle Mastrion - Your Craft is Forever Yours - Brooklyn, New York
 


Jose Gonzalez - This is What I See - Los Angeles, California
 


Precious Perez - Soy Una Campeona (I am a Champion) - Boston, Massachusetts

 
 

Cultural property, art, and antiquities are vulnerable to looting, theft, and trafficking by criminal and terrorist groups around the world.  Reports of looting and trafficking of Ukrainian cultural property by Russian forces are a timely example of the threat to cultural heritage, and the United States and international partners are on guard to prevent any illicit trafficking of this material.   

To address these and other emerging threats, the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF) and the Smithsonian Institution held its 18th training program for U.S. federal law enforcement personnel.  The four-day training, “Preventing Trafficking and Protecting Cultural Heritage,” was held virtually and served as a refresher and update for 27 seasoned agents, officers, and legal advisors from across the United States who work on cultural property cases.  The training was organized in partnership with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Conservation Institute and Office of International Relations.

Trainees engaged with cultural heritage experts and other experienced art crime investigators on a wide range of topics.  Presenters discussed new U.S. cultural property agreements and import restrictions, shipment targeting trends and analysis, provenance research, and several investigative case studies.  Trainers also familiarized agents with key cultural heritage databases and resources, such as the Cultural Property Expert On-Call Program.  Speakers included representatives from the State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center, Smithsonian Institution, HSI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FBI, the Department of Justice, and the private sector.

This program has now trained over 400 law enforcement personnel since 2009.  In 2022, the CATF and Smithsonian Institution also organized a virtual cultural property anti-trafficking workshop series that covered cultural property from Central Asia and Latin America.  Collectively, member agencies of the CATF have successfully repatriated more than 20,000 pieces of cultural property to more than 45 countries since the Task Force was established in 2004.

About the Cultural Antiquities Task Force

Created by the State Department in 2004 at the direction of Congress, the CATF comprises federal agencies that share a common mission to disrupt cultural property trafficking in the United States and abroad. Since its creation, the CATF has supported more than 100 domestic and international cultural property training programs. CATF is a law enforcement focused working group of the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee.  Both are managed by the State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center.

ukraine_concertstory.jpg

Stage at the Kennedy Center Photo Credit: Jati Lindsay

Music is the sound of freedom and on September 9 at 9 PM EST, PBS will air The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra's Kennedy Center concert, which originally took place on August 20, just days before the six-month mark of Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, its people, and its cultural identity.

Assistant Secretary Satterfield joined Kennedy Center Chairman David Rubenstein and Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova to welcome the audience, telling them that what they would hear was the sound of freedom and an expression of a unique cultural identity that no aggressor will be allowed to silence. The orchestra included 74 Ukrainian musicians – recent refugees, Ukrainian members of European orchestras, and some of the top musicians of Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and elsewhere in Ukraine. It came together with international effort, conceived by Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson and Metropolitan Opera director Peter Gelb, supported by the Polish National Opera, and celebrated by audiences throughout Europe and New York City before completing their tour in Washington, DC.

The Government of Ukraine supported the project by allowing male musicians to put down weapons and take up their instruments in a remarkable demonstration of the power of art over adversity.

Assistant Secretary Satterfield reiterated the words of President Biden and Secretary Blinken noting: “The American people will continue to stand with the brave Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.”

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) recognizes 19 institutions of higher education as “Fulbright Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Institutional Leaders” for their noteworthy engagement with the Fulbright Program during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years. ECA established the Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders Initiative to recognize and commend the strong partnership between the Fulbright Program and HBCUs and to encourage all HBCUs to increase their engagement with Fulbright. This initiative is part of the U.S. State Department’s long-standing commitment to build diversity and inclusion within the Fulbright Program and within the Bureau’s exchange programs overall.

 

Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield commended the 19 HBCUs receiving the Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader designation, noting that “HBCUs are an important part of the American and global higher education communities, providing life-changing exchange opportunities for American and international students, faculty, and administrators alike,” and expressed the hope “that these institutions’ success encourages all HBCUs to engage further with Fulbright and with the State Department.” 

Throughout the week of September 19-23, Fulbright's social media platforms will highlight Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders through stories and videos in collaboration with Watch the Yard, a platform for Black Greek life created by Fulbright alumnus Jonathan Rabb. The Fulbright Program’s Instagram account will also team up with Fulbright alumna Ashleigh Brown-Grier, founder of the Fulbright HBCU affinity group, to document the “Lifecycle of a Fulbrighter,” sharing Ms. Brown-Grier’s Fulbright experience in South Africa.   

Later this fall, on November 3, a Fulbright HBCU Virtual Workshop will feature representatives of Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders sharing best practices for HBCUs to leverage Fulbright Program engagement to support students and faculty, increase campus internationalization, and build global networks. This virtual event is open to the public and is specifically designed for HBCU faculty, staff, and stakeholders.

The Fulbright Program has designed and implemented a wide range of initiatives to increase participant diversity and inclusion. The program strives to ensure that its participants reflect all aspects of the diversity of U.S. society and societies abroad. Its diversity efforts have included collaboration with associations and organizations such as the White House Initiative on HBCUs, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange, the American Association of Community Colleges, Mobility International, and Diversity Abroad, among others. The Program also works with diversity-focused media platforms and is engaged with hundreds of minority-serving institutions and diverse colleges and universities. The Program is committed to inclusion and to ensuring that all participants have successful and rewarding exchange experiences abroad.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's flagship international educational exchange program. Since its inception over 75 years ago, the Fulbright Program has given over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. 

For more information on the Fulbright Program’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, see the Fulbright U.S. Student Program website: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/diversity-inclusion.

Follow the Fulbright Program’s social media accounts and websites for highlights on HBCUs and Fulbright:

 


2022 Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders

        • Alcorn State University, Lorman, MS 
        • Bennett College, Greensboro, NC 
        • Bluefield State University, Bluefield, WV 
        • Central State University, Wilberforce, OH 
        • Delaware State University, Dover, DE 
        • Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC 
        • Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, Tallahassee, FL 
        • Howard University, Washington, DC 
        • Huston-Tillotson University, Austin, TX 
        • Jarvis Christian University, Hawkins, TX 
        • Lincoln University, Lincoln University, PA
        • Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena, MS 
        • Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 
        • North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 
        • Spelman College, Atlanta, GA 
        • Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 
        • Texas Southern University, Houston, TX 
        • Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 
        • Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA 

*based on their engagement with the Fulbright Program in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years

screen_shot_2022-08-26_at_6.04.05_pm.png

18th-Century Altarpiece, Comayagua Cathedral, Honduras, Courtesy of the Cultural Heritage Center
On July 15, 2022, the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF) held a virtual training workshop for law enforcement officials from the United States to enhance their knowledge of cultural property from Latin America and to build capacity to disrupt its trafficking.

The training brought together 100 participants and presenters from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the State Department, the Smithsonian Institution, international partners, and representatives from U.S. universities and museums.  Participants learned about current trends in cultural heritage crimes and legal frameworks for disrupting cultural property trafficking, as well as detailed information about different types of cultural property from Latin America.

This training was the fifth in a series of cultural property anti-trafficking workshops supported by the CATF and organized by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Conservation Institute and Office of International Relations, in collaboration with HSI, CBP, and FBI.  The workshops provide law enforcement with knowledge and capabilities to help identify, investigate, and prosecute some of the most-trafficked categories of cultural property.  Previous workshops addressed trafficking in coins, manuscripts, fakes and forgeries, and cultural objects from Central Asia.

This workshop supplements the CATF’s annual training program that, in partnership with HSI and Smithsonian, has now trained over 360 law enforcement personnel since 2009.  Collectively, members of the CATF have successfully repatriated more than 20,000 pieces of cultural property to more than 45 countries since 2004.

About the Cultural Antiquities Task Force
Created by the State Department in 2004 at the direction of Congress, the CATF comprises federal agencies that share a common mission to disrupt cultural property trafficking in the United States and abroad.  Since its creation, the CATF has supported more than 100 domestic and international cultural property training programs.  CATF is a law enforcement-focused working group of the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee.  Both are managed by the State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center.

groupphotosupremecourt.jpg

group photo in front of Supreme Court Photo credit: IVLP Interpreter Hee Seok Chae

On August 24, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield, Acting Assistant Secretary for the East Asia Pacific Bureau Jung Pak, and Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose Fernandez met with parliamentary leaders from Japan and the Republic of Korea who are participating in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. They discussed how trilateral cooperation amongst these three countries can contribute to a more peaceful, just, and secure world.

conference_room_table550.jpg

sitting around a conference room table Photo credit: U.S. Department of State

This meeting was part of the group’s five days of professional programming in Washington, D.C. The participants also attended meetings with the National Security Council and the Department of Defense to discuss regional policy. During their remaining time in the nation’s capital, the visitors will meet with think tanks and academia to discuss trilateral cooperation. This IVLP aims to strengthen U.S. legislative ties with Japan and the Republic of Korea and allow the participants to connect with U.S. counterparts to discuss the Japan-Republic of Korea (ROK) bilateral relationship and trilateral cooperation related to security and prosperity in Northeast Asia.

Since 1940, the IVLP program has strengthened U.S. engagement with countries around the world and built lasting relationships by connecting current and emerging foreign leaders with their American counterparts.

 

At a time when it is unsafe for Ukrainian youth to return home due to the Russian government's unprovoked war, U.S. summer Camps Kenwood & Evergreen in coordination with the American Camp Association and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs have helped provide a degree of normalcy for BridgeUSA and Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) students in the United States. Check out the story of these Ukrainian youth.

The SXSW EDU Conference and Festival takes place each March in Austin, TX as a four-day event offering compelling sessions, in-depth workshops, engaging learning experiences, mentorship, film screenings, future-focused competitions, an expo, networking opportunities, and much more. The sessions below will provide an opportunity to conference participants to learn more about our mission, programs, and careers as Regional Public Engagement Specialists. Part of the SXSW pitch process is the crowdsourced “Panel Picker” where the community will have the opportunity to "Vote Up" or "Vote Down" on all session ideas (votes will be kept private) and add comments to each page.

Panel Picker 1:  Careers in Diplomacy - Reach Global Audiences
The Office of American Spaces is recruiting top talent to join the Regional Public Engagement Specialist Corps.  We will have an open conversation to speak with interested candidates about our careers and how American Spaces impact public diplomacy overseas. An American Space is a collaborative laboratory where audiences, private and public partners, and others can explore and be inspired by new ideas, skills, and opportunities that have the power to bring positive change to individual lives, communities, the host country, bilateral and regional relations, and global challenges.

Speakers

  1. Ana Ayala de Barbosa, Regional Public Engagement Specialist, U.S. Department of State
  2. Alison McKee, Regional Public Engagement Specialist, U.S. Department of State
  3. Sarah Ziebell, Regional Public Engagement Specialist,U.S. Department of State

Vote here: https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/125130

Panel Picker 2:  Tactical Media Literacy for Vulnerable Communities
In this session, we highlight the work of American Spaces (overseas American cultural centers) and how we tackle the misinformation crisis in vulnerable populations through tactical media literacy training. Youth engagement experts from Serbia and Indonesia share their strategies for combatting misinformation and dispelling stereotypes. Together, we will explore how our experiences can help media educators, librarians, and cultural programmers facing these challenges in their own communities.

Takeaways

  1. Showcase the impact of programming in the areas of media literacy and dispelling stereotypes through American Spaces partners’ first-hand stories.
  2. Orient American educators to the programs and strategies utilized by the U.S. Department of State to teach and model media literacy abroad.
  3. Demonstrate how the U.S. benefits by investing in programming related to media literacy and dispelling stereotypes overseas.

Speakers

  1. Sarah Ziebell, Regional Public Engagement Specialist, U.S. Department of State
  2. Milena Ognjanovic, Coordinator and IREX Citizen Trainer, American Corner Belgrade
  3. Christian Simanullang, MyAmerica Surabaya Director, U.S. Consulate Surabaya

Vote here! https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/122599

How to VOTE:

  1. Create a SXSW account (or sign in to an existing one) here: https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/
  2. Click on these links:

https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/122599
https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/125130

  1. “Vote up” our ideas
  2. Your positive feedback in each proposal’s “comments” section is optional, but warmly welcomed!

Voting is live through Sunday, August 21.

Learn more:https://eca.state.gov/programs-and-initiatives/initiatives/office-american-spaces

Gabrielle Hodes is a rising junior in the Dual Degree program between the Paris Institute for Political Studies and Columbia University interning with the U.S. State Department.  

[Washington DC, July 2022] Academy for Women Entrepreneurs alumna Cathy Perugachi is an Ecuadorian fashionista who is helping women redefine their self-image from the inside out.

retratos_cathy-handmadesquare450.jpg

Cathy Perugachi, alumna of two U.S. government entrepreneurship programs - Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) and Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI). Cathy Perugachi, alumna of two U.S. government entrepreneurship programs - Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) and Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI).

In 2015, Perugachi co-founded an e-commerce business, Quipu Pallay, to promote Andean heritage and bridge the gap between English-speaking American consumers and Spanish-speaking artists. Hoping to grow her business, she focused on increasing ties with the United States. She had already completed an undergraduate degree in Orange County, California at Chapman University when she saw an advertisement for the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) on U.S. Embassy social media. She applied on a whim, not thinking she was qualified and was shocked when she found out she was selected.

groupshot450.jpg

 Promoting Andean heritage through fashion has always been at the heart of Cathy Perugachi’s business.  Promoting Andean heritage through fashion has always been at the heart of Cathy Perugachi’s business.

“When they called to tell me about my acceptance, the first thing I said was ‘I think you have the wrong person,’” she recounts. 

This feeling of self-doubt is not uncommon; many women entrepreneurs talk about feeling an “imposter syndrome,” which is a tendency to doubt one’s own abilities and achievements or feel like a fraud. For Perugachi, AWE helped her to overcome these feelings. 

Perugachi says that participating in a U.S. Embassy-led initiative like AWE is prestigious thanks to its proximity to the U.S. business community. "It is not just any type of network, it gives you a golden pass to boost not only your business but also your professional growth,” she says. “It gives you a sense of name recognition and legitimacy.” 

As the youngest AWE participant in her cohort, Perugachi was thrilled to be surrounded by other women entrepreneurs. She was impressed to see how her AWE classmates – many full-time moms -- were taking a step towards economic empowerment for themselves, while also providing jobs in their communities and taking leading roles in their families. She soon realized that the AWE experience was helping her to feel part of something larger, and less alone.

ecuadorrs450.jpg

Perugachi standing by a wall of roses, which are one of Ecuador’s top export products.  She says that by being part of a larger community of women entrepreneurs, AWE helped her to feel less alone. Perugachi standing by a wall of roses, which are one of Ecuador’s top export products.  She says that by being part of a larger community of women entrepreneurs, AWE helped her to feel less alone.

“AWE was a way to remind myself that other women have probably gone through the same experiences, and they have conquered their problems,” she remarks. “I was so scared of doing things on my own, I remember thinking that I was not good enough or that I needed a man to lead.” 

Being part of AWE’s community of strong women helped strengthen her identity as a woman entrepreneur, and pivot professionally. It gave her the courage to separate herself from male business partners and branch out on her own. 

In 2020, she founded a new business, Handmade LATAM, an artisanal consulting firm that currently supports designers and local brands in the U.S. reach out remote communities and coordinate successful manufacturing and exporting of artisanal products into their markets.

cropped450.jpg

Perugachi at a recent AWE alumnae event where she serves as Regional Coordinator for networking and professional development in the capital region. Perugachi at a recent AWE alumnae event where she serves as Regional Coordinator for networking and professional development in the capital region.

Her AWE experience helped her to be more independent in her decision-making, and she wanted to pay it forward. Perugachi currently serves as AWE Regional Coordinator and Grantee for Ecuador’s capital region, organizing networking and training events for hundreds of AWE alumnae to support their business development around Ecuador. She built a curriculum that focuses on helping women to overcome imposter syndrome, something she feels is a serious internal obstacle for women’s business development. 

Her AWE experience also exposed her to another U.S. government program, Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI), an educational exchange that sends young entrepreneurs from Latin America to the United States for six-week internships with U.S. companies. 

“While sitting in one of the AWE workshops for one U.S. government program, I learned about another!” The session was taught by a YLAI alum who talked about their experience with the program, inspiring Perugachi to apply. “You have to be open to continuous learning and other opportunities you may not have expected.” 

She was accepted to YLAI in 2021 did her fellowship with a host organization in Chicago dedicated to promoting the World Fashion Festival and Latina Expo, and also collaborated with 12PointFive, a women-owned consulting firm from Washington D.C., to design new strategies for her business. 

wavingrs450.jpg

Perugachi’s 2022 YLAI exchange to the United States helped her to build ties with U.S. businesses and other Latin American entrepreneurs. Perugachi’s 2022 YLAI exchange to the United States helped her to build ties with U.S. businesses and other Latin American entrepreneurs.

This was another pivotal experience. “YLAI helped me work with my mentor to translate a business challenge into a digital artisanal catalog for international buyers,” she says. She went on to design a two-month online workshop and workbook that included step-by-step guides and strategies to strengthen the artisans’ knowledge in cost structures, tariffs, logistics, and wholesale business.

adrs459.jpg

The advertisement announcing the launch of Perugachi’s Artisanal Catalog, which she created with her U.S. business mentor through the YLAI experience with the support of the U.S Department of State funding and IREX. The advertisement announcing the launch of Perugachi’s Artisanal Catalog, which she created with her U.S. business mentor through the YLAI experience with the support of the U.S Department of State funding and IREX.

“Opportunities come through international connections,” she says.

Perugachi now devotes her time to connecting people in both AWE and YLAI communities as part of a desire to “generate synergy” between the two programs. “I am applying the resources I got through YLAI through my work as Regional Coordinator for AWE. I see myself as the bridge between the two programs.” 

lastrs450.jpg

U.S. Embassy Quito implements one of the world’s largest AWE programs, with more than 1,000 graduates. U.S. Embassy Quito implements one of the world’s largest AWE programs, with more than 1,000 graduates.

The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, a program of the U.S. Department of State, gives women the knowledge, networks, and access they need to launch and scale successful businesses. Since 2019, AWE has trained more than 16,000 women entrepreneurs in nearly 90 countries. The U.S. Mission to Ecuador partners closely with Quito Chamber of Commerce to run one of the world’s largest AWE programs, training more than 1,000 women entrepreneurs in all 24 provinces of the country. 

For more information about AWE, please visit https://eca.state.gov/awe.

Pages

Subscribe to Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs RSS