1. Tony Memmel - "Never, Never, Never Gonna Give Up (Anthem)" - live in Amman, Jordan

   

   Tony Memmel and His Band perform "Never, Never, Never Gonna Give Up (Anthem)" at the Roman Theatre in Amman, Jordan - a 6,000-seat, 2nd century theatre.

2. Alexander Shmidt

   First Name

   Alexander

   Participant Headshot

   

   Short Biography

   

    

   Content created by Virtual Intern  Helen Zeidman

   Alexander Shmidt is a social entrepreneur and leader who works to provide opportunities for communities in Israel and overseas. As a social business specialist, consultant, and lecturer, Shmidt is a connector of people.

   In 2013, Shmidt participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), focusing on Community Leadership Development. Shmidt gained an appreciation for creating partnerships with other people by visiting four different states and meeting with over 60 socially responsible organizations. Shmidt says, "I came back from the IVLP as a different person... changed by witnessing the power of diverse teams in changing the world."

   Shmidt uses knowledge of team-building gained during IVLP in his work today. Through facilitating incubators, he encourages the development of socially conscious businesses and non-profit organizations. His human-centered approach focuses on promoting people before businesses. Shmidt teaches project managers how to think like designers and build business models that will build community.

   Shmidt currently serves as the Representative of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in Belarus. JDC has been on the ground in the former Soviet Union for decades, caring for the region’s elderly Jews when the majority of the world didn’t even know they existed. Alex and his team, through JDC network of Hesed Social Welfare Centers, works on a massive scale to ensure that the former Soviet Union’s Jews in need are able to not only to survive, but age with dignity and with support of a caring Jewish community.

   As a socially-oriented entrepreneur, Alexander Shmidt helps aspiring businesses and community organizations develop plans to change the world one community at a time.

   Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

    

   Home Country

   Israel

   Last name

   Shmidt

   IVLP Alumni

3. Dr. Liliya Hrynevych

   First Name

   Liliya

   Participant Headshot

   

   Short Biography

   

    

   Content created by Virtual Intern  Adelle Barkhuizen

   Dr. Liliya Hrynevych, a Ukrainian educator, politician, former Member of Parliament, and ex-Minister of Education and Science, has devoted her career to eliminating corruption in and developing the Ukrainian education system.

   Through her visit to the United States on the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Dr. Hrynevych immersed herself in American culture and history leading her to re-evaluate how she approached her own work in Ukraine. She took particular note of the issues that arose because of educational policies and the importance of transparency and integrity in universities. During her exchange, Dr. Hrynevych recognized the value of ensuring that quality education is available to people across Ukraine.

   Since returning to Ukraine, Dr. Hrynevych advanced fundamental reforms in Ukrainian secondary and higher education and introduced standardized testing to decrease corruption in admissions to higher education institutions. Dr. Hrynevych also initiated the first reform of secondary education since Ukrainian independence, improving the quality of education across Ukraine in rural and urban schools. She has actively promoted academic integrity and been a crucial advocate for legislation to reduce corruption, plagiarism, and cheating in Ukrainian education and science. Additionally, Dr. Hrynevych was instrumental in adding media literacy as a core subject in the Ukrainian education curriculum.

   The impact of her work in education reform was documented in a sociological study showing a decrease in corruption at the entry-level of higher educational institutes and, in her own words, "the introduction of a transparent admission process in Ukraine is considered one of the most successful educational reforms and is supported by 70% of the population."

   Dr. Liliya Hrynevych is an education innovator who has made higher education more accessible to Ukrainian students and brought the Ukrainian education system more in line with western standards.

   Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

    

   Home Country

   Russia

   Last name

   Hrynevych

   IVLP Alumni

4. Michael Zantovsky

   First Name

   Michael

   Participant Headshot

   

   Short Biography

   

    

   Content created by Virtual Intern  Helen Zeidman

   Michael Zantovsky is a Czech diplomat, politician, and author who leverages the power of words to advance international understanding. Zantovsky became the press secretary and spokesperson for Czech president Vaclav Havel after the Velvet Revolution. In 1990, when President George H.W. Bush visited Prague, Zantovsky met the White House press secretary which laid the foundation for Zantovsky's exchange experience in the United States.

   In 1991, Zantovsky traveled to the United States through the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) to learn about American media relations. "My still largely intuitive and improvised press operation back home was a far cry from the well-organized and systematic manner in which the White House media message was elaborated and processed, and the various talking points prepared," he said. During his IVLP, Zantovsky said that "I had access everywhere and could speak to everyone. In the ten or so days I spent there, I learned a whole lot. It was something between sitting in a front row at a world class boxing match and going back to school."

   Zantovsky later became Ambassador to the United States, Israel, and Great Britain and after serving as a diplomat, he wrote Havel: A Life, a biography of Vaclav Havel that was popular in both Czech and English. In 2015, Zantovsky became the Executive Director of the Vaclav Havel Library in Prague, and through conferences and events, the library and its archives shares the life of Havel with the people.

   Michael Zantovsky advocates for international diplomacy on and off the page and for increasing access to information through literature.

   Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

    

   Photo

   

   

   

   Home Country

   Czech Republic

   Last name

   Zantovsky

   IVLP Alumni

5. The IVLP through the Lens of a Trafficking in Persons Report Hero

   Each year, the U.S. Department of State honors individuals around the world who have devoted their lives to the fight against human trafficking and made exceptional contributions in their home countries to combat the crime and assist trafficking victims.

6. Food Security Seminar Lincoln, Nebraska

   

   Fulbright Foreign Students and U.S. Experts Gather in Lincoln, NE, to Discuss the Critical Issue of Food Security.

7. Dance! Diplomacy in Motion

   

   Check out the four dance companies scheduled to tour around the globe in 2012 as part of the U.S. Department of State's DanceMotion USA program.

8. Groundbreaking Musical Exchange - Center Stage

   

   Center Stage, is a groundbreaking cultural diplomacy initiative that connects foreign artists with American communities through the performing arts.

9. Hoba Hoba Spirit Will Tour The United States

   

   Hoba Hoba Spirit, a "Morocc'n Roll" band from Casablanca, is one of the seven musical acts that will tour the U.S. in 2014 with the Center Stage cultural exchange program.

10. A Conversation That Blossomed Into a Collaboration

    The “Entrelazando Experiencias” event created networking opportunities for 400 exchange alumni from 9 Latin American countries.

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