The Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) is an annual entrepreneurship gathering that empowers emerging entrepreneurs, investors and supporters from around the world to take their ideas to the next level. As part of GES 2017, 110 exchange program alumni will convene in Hyderabad, India from November 28-30 to participate in networking, mentoring and workshops with fellow entrepreneurs.

James Morrissey, a 2011 alumnus of the Critical Language Scholarship Program (CLS), took a moment to share some insights with us about entrepreneurship and attending the Summit.

How did your experience in your exchange program inspire you as an entrepreneur?

Being overseas as part of the State Department's CLS program helped me realize how much I love constant learning and ambiguity. As I searched for more of both, I found that startups are a great fit for me.

In addition, because my co-founder and I both studied and lived overseas multiple times, and faced similar challenges as international students ourselves, we realized there was opportunity for schools to better support international students. This directly led to us starting our company, Shearwater, where our first product focused on helping schools better support international students in acclimating and expanding their comfort zone in a foreign environment, so that that can maximize their learning experiences. 

You are now going to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit! What do you hope to accomplish while at the Summit?

I am excited to meet other entrepreneurs from all around the world, and to collaborate and learn from their diverse experiences. I’ve been very lucky to be part of a thriving startup community in Boston, and would love to help connect the resources of our network with other networks around the world.

Also, I’ve never been to India and have been trying to go for a long time, so I can't wait to explore Hyderabad, its culture, and its local foods. 

The theme of GES is "Women First, Prosperity for All." What does the phrase "Women First, Prosperity for All" mean to you?

Entrepreneurship is such an essential part of a thriving economy and culture. However, I believe there is a gap—women may not have equal access to the resources and mentorship that help lead to successful ventures. My mother immigrated from Taiwan and, when I was a child, she started a small business which ultimately failed. I know that she would have benefited from more guidance, and that she did not have the same access to resources that I do today. I think there is an opportunity to better support female entrepreneurs with those resources, which would create more diversity in companies, leading to increased innovation and more prosperity for all. One such resource is mentorship. At my company, Shearwater, we partner with a number of universities to provide mentorship to at-risk students, including women in STEM.

Mentorship helps these students graduate on time, develop important skills such as self-efficacy and leadership, and enhance their career trajectories, leading to more prosperity for all.

FFSB Chair Jeffrey Bleich with Humphrey Fellows at UC Davis during a Humphrey Enhancement Workshop in March 2017.

277th Meeting: Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board Celebrates International Education Week with Distinguished Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows

The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) held its 277th quarterly board meeting on November 14 in Davis, California. Thank you to UC Davis for hosting.

As part of the agenda, three distinguished Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows from Pakistan, Tunisia, and Trinidad and Tobago will deliver remarks about their academic projects at UC Davis. A Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship alumnus will also present on his experience in Malaysia and Ecuador. Later tonight, Board members will meet Fulbright and Humphrey grantees and alumni at a special reception hosted by the university.

UC Davis, a strong supporter of international exchanges with a diverse community of international students and scholars, ranks 11th among U.S. universities in the number of international students. They will be celebrating International Education Week 2017 throughout the week with a wide range of events highlighting the benefits of international education and worldwide exchange.

UC Davis is also a strong partner of the Fulbright Program, sending and hosting a number of U.S. and visiting Fulbrighters each academic year. Further, UC Davis is one of 13 universities in the United States selected to host recipients of the prestigious The Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship Program.

Humphrey Fellows are future leaders – early- and mid-career professionals – from designated countries who are selected through a merit-based process to spend a year in the United States for non-degree graduate level study, leadership development, and professional collaboration with U.S. counterparts.

Sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Aspen Institute’s J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative has announced thirteen new grants to expand the Initiative’s reach to 30,000 students in 17 countries in the Middle East and North Africa and 29 states in the United States. The Stevens Initiative uses online, collaborative learning to increase cross-cultural understanding and equip young people with the skills needed to thrive in a 21st century economy. Most programs will launch in Fall 2017 and continue through the end of 2018.

The projects include:

  • An entrepreneurship program for students in Michigan, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia to develop an idea and enhance their pitches;
  • An engineering program addressing common environmental and public policy challenges through collaboration between students in Arizona and the Palestinian Territories;
  • A virtual design studio that connects bioengineering students in Maryland and the Palestinian Territories to develop low-cost healthcare solutions;
  • A program that uses virtual exchange to improve global citizenship and problem-solving skills among hospitality students in the United States and Jordan.

Virtual exchange is an educational approach that uses technology to help young people learn key career and global skills, including collaboration with international peers, digital literacy, and language skills. The Stevens Initiative is an international effort to grow and enhance the field of virtual exchange, and to build career and global competence skills for young people in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa. The Initiative honors the legacy of Ambassador Chris Stevens, who devoted his life to building bridges between people from different cultures.

To see a full list of the 2017-2018 grantees, click here. 

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs congratulates Fulbright Program alumni Dr. Michael Rosbash and Dr. Kip S. Thorne on their recent recognition as 2017 Nobel Laureates.

Dr. Rosbash received the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, with Dr. Jeffrey C. Hall and Dr. Michael W. Young, for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm. As a 1965-1966 Fulbright U.S. Student to France, Rosbash conducted research in chemistry at the Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique in Paris. Dr. Rosbash now serves as the Peter Gruber Endowed Chair in Neuroscience and Professor of Biology at Brandeis University and as an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Dr. Thorne received the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics, with Dr. Rainer Weiss and Dr. Barry C. Barish, for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves.  In 1966, Dr. Thorne received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to France, where he taught theoretical physics at Les Houches Summer School of Theoretical Physics. He is now the Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Emeritus at the California Institute of Technology.

Dr. Rosbash and Dr. Thorne are the 58th and 59th alumni of the Fulbright Program to receive Nobel Prizes. To see the complete list of Fulbright alumni Nobel Laureates, visit https://eca.state.gov/fulbright/fulbright-alumni/notable-fulbrighters/nobel-laureates.

Interested media should contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at eca-press@state.gov. Follow the Fulbright Program on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using #Fulbright.

 

The Cultural Property Advisory Committee will meet October 23-24 to consider the proposal to extend the U.S.-Cambodia cultural property agreement (or “Memorandum of Understanding”). The Department invited public comment on the proposed extension. The public may attend the virtual open session of the meeting on October 23 from 10 to 11 am EDT. A history of U.S. actions concerning the agreement can be found on the Cambodia Country Page of the Cultural Heritage Center website.

The Review Process

The State Department will decide whether to extend the U.S.-Cambodia cultural property agreement that creates U.S. import restrictions based on four determinations. Before making a decision, the Department will consider the findings and recommendations of the Committee.

The four determinations (summarized):

1) The cultural patrimony of the State Party is in jeopardy from pillage of its archaeological or ethnological materials;

2) The State party has taken measures consistent with the Convention to protect its cultural patrimony;

3) The application of import restrictions, in the context of a concerted international effort, to archaeological or ethnological material of the State Party would be of substantial benefit in deterring a serious situation of pillage, and less drastic remedies are not available; and

4) The application of import restrictions in the particular circumstances is consistent with the general interest of the international community in the interchange of cultural property among nations for scientific and educational purposes.

Comments on the Proposed Extension

Public comments on the proposed extension were collected using www.regulations.gov, docket DOS-2017-0036.

Attend the Virtual Open Session

The virtual open session of the Committee meeting will be held on October 23 from 10 to 11 am EDT using Zoom, a web conferencing service. Anyone may attend. It is not necessary to pre-register. The webinar will include a chat space for conversation among observers. The chat space will not be monitored by the Committee and will not be incorporated into the record of the meeting. If you are new to Zoom, these tips will help you get started.

To join as an observer:
Click the link to join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/930212235

Or Telephone:
    Dial: +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll) or +1 646 876 9923  or +1 669 900 6833
    Webinar ID: 930 212 235
    International numbers available: https://zoom.us/zoomconference?m=86mM81pZ7BFwN157KOhW89dmcizHsRV8

 

 

Civil society leaders and entrepreneurs of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) program from Latin America and the Caribbean convene in the United States to begin their individual fellowships in cities across the country. The fellows gain hands-on experience launching their own entrepreneurial ideas by working in conjunction with American businesses and civil society organizations to create action plans tailored to their home communities. Additionally, the fellows have the opportunity to network with global public, private, and nonprofit leaders in a three-day summit in Washington, D.C.

The YLAI Fellows build lasting connections to accelerate their entrepreneurial ideas that they are passionate about. Zuheydee Hurley, a 2017 Fellow, recognized that 80% of Panamanians don’t have credit cards. She invented an easy mobile payment app, and received the opportunity to go to PayPal in Austin during the program. And Adrian Valdelomar from Costa Rica cofounded a brewery featuring local ingredient flavors, so he was asked to meet with a microbrewery in Seattle.

Upon successful completion of the fellowship, YLAI Professional Fellows will continue their impact through sustained engagement with their U.S. partners and are eligible for Innovation Small Grants to fund startup or scaling activities, Travel Grants to attend conferences, and a chance to welcome a Fellowship Host to their country.

This program is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State. 

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Close up of a very large and old book being held opened, the pages are wrinkled and tainted yellow U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation supports preservation of Malian manuscripts in Timbuktu
For 20 years, the United States and Mali have worked together to reduce illicit trafficking of Malian archaeological objects and to support sustainable protection of heritage sites and collections.

The United States and Mali extended their Agreement to continue import restrictions on archaeological material from Mali. Originally signed in 1997, the Agreement and associated import restrictions will be extended for an additional five years and will be amended to include Malian manuscripts for the first time as a new category of ethnological material. This extension will allow U.S. law enforcement to continue combatting the trafficking of Malian antiquities. The Agreement will also foster continued relationships between U.S. and Malian scholars and museum professionals through academic research and exhibition loans. One such loan—of ancient terra cotta figurines from the Inner Niger Delta area of Mali—is currently on view in the “African Voices” exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History.

With the inclusion of ancient manuscripts as ethnological material under the import restrictions, the United States and Mali acknowledge new threats to this unique category of Malian cultural heritage. Manuscripts from Timbuktu and Djenné were produced by scholars in science, education, philosophy, and religion between the 12th and 20th centuries and greatly contribute to the knowledge of the origins, development, and history of the people of Mali.  Recent events in Mali have shown that terrorist groups have targeted heritage in Mali, particularly manuscripts.

Under the latest amended extension, the United States and Mali have agreed to work together on several areas including:

  • To encourage further interchange of Mali’s archaeological and ethnological heritage for cultural, educational, and scientific purposes.
  • For the Government of Mali to encourage neighboring countries to strengthen border controls in order to combat more efficiently pillage and illicit trafficking of cultural property from Mali.
  • For the U.S. government to facilitate the provision of technical assistance in cultural resource management and other programs.

Read more about the history of this Agreement and how the United States and Mali began protecting cultural property in the region here.

Forty American alumni of more than ten U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs came together in Washington, D.C. this month to expand on their experiences disrupting illicit trafficking networks, building resilient institutions and communities, and assisting victims and vulnerable populations. At the Illicit Networks: Preventing and Combating Trafficking seminar, part of the Alumni International Thematic International Exchange Seminar (Alumni TIES) Program, participants collaborated with fellow alumni working within a wide range of fields to combat trafficking in persons, wildlife, antiquities, and other illegal goods and services. 

Through participant-led panels, expert speakers, and other activities, the diverse group of alumni shared their own work, research, and experiences in order to explore new tools and ways of thinking about combating such a complex, multi-faceted issue as trafficking.  The alumni had an opportunity to hear from a number of expert speakers, including three representatives from Polaris, a national and global leader in the fight against modern slavery, and officials from the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law, and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Cultural Heritage Center. 

The multi-generational and multi-disciplinary group walked away from the seminar with new tools and networks to continue engaging in the global effort to combat modern slavery and other illicit trafficking networks. To build on their experience at Alumni TIES, all participants were given the opportunity to apply for up to $10,000 in small grants to implement projects aimed at combating or preventing trafficking in communities across the United States and around the world. 

When asked about the seminar, one Fulbright U.S. Student Program alumna stated, “I learned a great deal from my colleagues and feel newly inspired to delve into ways to better engage with my own community to support potential victims and survivors.”

 

Fulbright U.S. Student Program Alumni Ambassador Allie D. Surina (China, 2012-2013) shares her story with members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board during their quarterly meeting on September 14, 2017.

276th Meeting: Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board Discusses New Initiatives, Alumni Experiences, and the Impact of the Fulbright Program on Local Communities.

The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board convened September 14 at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. for its 276th quarterly meeting.

The Board was pleased to announce the release of the 2016 Annual Report (http://bit.ly/2wflSAF), which highlights the Fulbright Program’s worldwide impact and innovation, alumni achievements, outreach efforts, and program statistics. The 2016 edition showcases distinguished Fulbright Program alumni and the impact of the Fulbright Program on local communities in the United States and around the world.

Alyson Grunder, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), gave a warm welcome to the members of the Board, followed by discussions of exciting new initiatives and ways to strengthen collaboration among the program’s stakeholders.

Three distinguished Fulbright U.S. Student Program Alumni Ambassadors -- Jonathan Rabb (Germany, 2012-2013), Allie D. Surina (China, 2012-2013), and Chane Corp (Tajikistan, 2014-2015) -- shared their stories with the Board, including how Fulbright has helped advance their professional goals and the contributions they continue to make to their local communities as a result of the Fulbright effect.

From Left: Marianne Craven, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; Chane Corp, Fulbright U.S. Student Alumni Ambassador (Tajikistan, 2014-2015); Jonathan Rabb, Fulbright U.S. Student Alumni Ambassador (Germany, 2012-2013); Allie D. Surina, Fulbright U.S. Student Alumni Ambassador (China, 2012-2013); Jeffrey Bleich, Board Chair; Dr. Markos Kounalakis, Board Member; Christopher Fonzone, Board Member; Sam Brown, Board Member; Kristie Canegallo, Board Member.

Another highlight included a visit from representatives of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Arkansas, named for the former University President and Senator J. William Fulbright.

Fulbright U.S. Student Alumni Ambassador Jonathan Rabb (Germany, 2012-2013) shares his Fulbright experience with the Board during their quarterly meeting on September 14, 2017.

Five years after his first International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) experience, Dimitris Kalavros-Gousiou will return to the United States as a “Gold Star” IVLP alumnus.

Dimitris is the Founder and Curator of TEDxAthens, one of Greece’s most popular youth-oriented conferences that attract more than 2,000 attendees each year. He’s worked in the startup world, establishing his own startup accelerator, Found.ation, as well as a venture capital fund. These endeavors support young entrepreneurs, refugees and members of minority groups. His 2013 IVLP addressing social entrepreneurship was instrumental to his success, providing the contacts and ideas needed to further his career.

During his return trip to the United States, Dimitris will speak at the 'Diplomacy Begins Here' summit on September 19 at the Texas State Capital building, a Global Ties U.S. initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The single-day event will also include presentations by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk. 

Throughout his travels to Austin, Denver, and San Francisco, Dimitris will engage with successful entrepreneurs and innovators in sectors such as high tech, new media, retail, and consumer services to exchange best practices and develop more effective public-private partnerships.

Follow Dimitris’ journey on Facebook and Twitter at @StateIVLP.

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