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Anouk Vos
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Content created by Virtual Intern Benjamin Bosland
Anouk Vos works as a cyber security and innovation leader at a Dutch consulting firm focusing on high-tech issues. In addition, she serves as chair and co-founder of Cyberworkplace, a nonprofit in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, dedicated to helping vulnerable youth develop the skills they need for finding cybersecurity positions, internships, and training.
After an introduction during her International Leadership Visitor Program (IVLP), Vos now collaborates with Cultivating Coders, an organization based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Together, the two organizations created an in-depth ethical hacking course called "Cyberheroes," which brought American students to the Netherlands to learn about cybersecurity best practices. They are working on several follow-up projects to train additional trainers and students from New Mexico and increase their impact in Albuquerque and with youth from the surrounding Navajo nation.
Vos has won multiple awards, including the Lof Spotlight Prize for Female Leadership in 2015 and was voted one of the 50 most influential women in cyber security by SC Magazine.Anouk Vos is a Dutch cyber security specialist committed to ensuring that women and vulnerable youth can obtain valuable 21st century skills.
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Arina Araratian
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Content created by Virtual Intern Erick Bonne
Arina Araratian is an Armenian choreographer and founder of the professional dance studio Pictures from Exhibition. She has organized masterclasses for professional dancers and produced international dance projects. In 2008, Araratian participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on a "Performance Arts Management" project where she and five other participants traveled throughout the United States to view American productions, learn about intellectual property rights protections, and study the challenges of producing, organizing, and securing sponsorship for the arts.
After her experience with IVLP, Araratian gained a new perspective on art production strategies and an expanded network. She returned to Armenia to create two exceptional works—Girl on the Moon and Unlimited Movement. Both projects featured performers with disabilities to raise awareness of inclusion in Armenian society. Next year, Araratian hopes to create a new project focusing on the theme of Women, Peace, and Security.
Arina Araratian demonstrates the cultural traditions of Armenia and showcases the integration of people with disabilities in everyday activities and particularly through the performing arts.
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AraratianIVLP Alumni
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Eva Truuverk
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Content created by Virtual Intern Ingrid Liu
Eva Truuverk spearheaded the 2008 clean-up campaign “Let’s Do It!” in Estonia, and the national cleanup event engaged over 50,000 people in a country of 1.3 million. They cleaned up 10,000 tons of illegal waste. In 2010, Truuverk participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) entitled "Volunteerism: United We Serve." Inspired by the other participants and volunteers, Truuverk decided to expand her initiative and take it global. Her IVLP connections helped recruit others for a worldwide cleanup, and a fellow IVLP alumnus still leads the “Let’s Do It World” team in their country today. On September 15th 2018, 17.8 million people from 157 countries participated in The World Cleanup Day. The movement received several awards, including the 2018 UNESCO - Japan Prize.
Eva Truuverk received Estonia’s Citizen of the Year Award in 2018. After 13 years she estimates that more than 56 million people from 180 countries have participated in the “Let's Do It!” movement. Truuverk is has stepped away from her leadership role in "Let's Do It!" to focus on a new project called Rohetiiger (Green Tiger), an economic concept that promotes cooperation among various sectors to achieve effective resource consumption in Estonia.
Eva Truuverk is a leading advocate for environmental awareness, and her legacy continues to positively affect communities and support global activism.
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Chunlei Liu
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Content created by Virtual Intern Chhim SokkuntheaAfter working in the telecommunications industry for nine years, Chunlei Liu became interested in reducing environmental pollution in China. He planned to use technology to collect and analyze information that could lead to environmental improvements.
Liu created Shanghai Qingyue Environmental Protection Center, a non-governmental organization that reviews and collects data on the environmental impact of existing policies. The Center uses the data to create policy recommendations that give governmental entities information so they can improve current policies and reduce overall pollution.
In 2015, Liu traveled to the United States as part of an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) focused on climate change, the environment, and clean energy. During his IVLP, Liu learned how various government entities in the United States work together to reduce pollution in their communities. Based on his experience, he has integrated new ideas into his work.
The Center’s suggestions on environmental credit, green finance, and emissions disclosure have been well-received and have led to some policy changes.
Chunlei Liu is a forward-thinking environmentalist who is taking steps to bring cleaner air and healthier communities to China. He proves on a daily basis that the actions of one person can improve the quality of life for millions of people.
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Sunitha Krishnan
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Content created by Virtual Intern Adelle BarkhuizenSunitha Krishnan is an Indian social activist whose work combating human trafficking and protecting victims has saved lives and motivated people around the world to build a safer world for women and children.
After founding Prajwala in 1996, which rescues and protects victims of human trafficking, Krishnan has built the nonprofit from a small initiative to prevent inter-generational prostitution to an organization that has worked with survivors on a comprehensive Anti- Trafficking Bill, launched a “#ShameTheRapist” campaign - the first of its kind in the world, trained police officers, and built more than a dozen transition and learning centers for survivors.
Krishnan visited the United States in 1999 through the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), and her convictions were strengthened when she met with U.S. organizations combating trafficking and with people from other parts of the world working on the same issues.
Krishnan noted that through the IVLP she learned how to view the issue of trafficking from the perspective of the victim, and to consider the impact of demand on her anti-trafficking initiatives. She returned to India with new ideas and techniques in mind, adapting them to the local context.
With more than 500 organizations joining her cause, Sunitha Krishnan's work is an inspiration as she attempts to reach her goal of ending sex slavery across the globe!
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Pawan Ghimire
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Content created by Virtual Intern Christopher Belden
Pawan Ghimire is a pioneer in Nepal for people with disabilities. Blinded by Maoist insurgents during a military operation in 2003, Ghimire discovered cricket as a rehabilitation therapy. He now serves as the chair of the Cricket Association of the Blind - Nepal, helping blind men and women in Nepal find strength through the game of cricket.
In 2016, he participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) titled "Access for All: Enhancing the Lives of People with Disabilities." While in the United States, Ghimire had several valuable experiences he took back to Nepal. He was inspired by the opportunities for people with disabilities to support themselves in the United States and shared the message with several organizations in Nepal.
Shortly after returning to Nepal, he assisted in establishing an all-female sporting event for athletes with disabilities, promoting the idea that disabilities are not barriers, but opportunities.
Ghimire helps children with disabilities view themselves as more than their disabilities and to strive for success. Through the association, Ghimire has made blind cricket players more visible in Nepali society. The men’s blind cricket team participated in a World Cup, and the women’s team defeated Pakistan in a tournament.
Through his work with the Cricket Association of the Blind-Nepal, Pawan Ghimire has improved the perception of people with disabilities in Nepal and works to ensure that people with disabilities can enjoy fundamental rights.
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Justice Joaquim Barbosa
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Content created by Virtual Intern Bridget RaymundoJustice Joaquim Barbosa has dedicated his career to public service, the law, and education. Justice Barbosa served as a public servant since age 19. In 1984 he started his career as a federal prosecutor. In 2003 he was named as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, the first Afro-Brazilian to hold that position. In 2012 he became Brazil’s Chief Justice.
In addition to his duties on the bench, Justice Barbosa spent more than seventeen years as a part-time law professor at Rio de Janeiro State University teaching students so that they might follow in his footsteps.
In 1999, Justice Barbosa traveled to the United States on the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and built a network in the United States that he would utilize in the decades to come. Justice Barbosa was nominated by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013 and symbolized the promise of a new Brazil committed to multiculturalism and equality. As a jurist he presided over the country’s largest political-corruption trial. Now retired from public service, Justice Barbosa continues his work as a legal consultant.
Justice Joaquim Barbosa, hailed by one Brazilian newsweekly as “the poor boy who changed Brazil,” continues to be a disseminator of knowledge and learning.
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Michal Helwak
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Content created by Virtual Intern Radha Varadan
Michal Helwak is a Polish film-maker who touches not only his local community but global audiences through his candid documentary filmmaking.
Through his May 2017 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Helwak visited Hamtramck, Michigan, a city that was once a hub for Polish Catholics, but is now the first American city to have a Muslim majority in its local government. Inspired by this history and the contacts he made through through the IVLP, Helwak soon crafted a new documentary idea.
This new documentary compares and parallels the demographic changes in Hamtramck with challenges of inclusion in Poland. Through collaboration with Oscar-nominated artistic supervisor Piotr Rosołowski and producer Marcin Wierzchosławski, Helwak’s documentary was brought to life.
Helwak cites the IVLP as both the inspiration for his documentary and as a motivating and inspiring experience in his ongoing battle with a genetic condition that impacts his mobility.
Through the medium of film-making, Michal Helwak establishes relationships and builds trust and understanding between community members.
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Dr. Mamudu Bugre
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Content created by Virtual Intern Melanie Ourhaan
Originally from Ghana, Dr. Mamudu Bugre immigrated to Malta in 1990 and works closely with African migrant, immigrant, and refugee communities. Dr. Bugre is one of the government's key advisors and promotes integration into Maltese society. Dr. Bugre has addressed a number of international conferences on issues related to migration such as social inclusion, language and literacy, employment, and community support.
In 2010, Dr. Bugre participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in a project focused on immigration and refugee issues in the U.S. The exchange inspired Dr. Bugre to establish two NGOs, the Foundation for Shelter and Support to Migrants and the Third Country National Support Network Malta (TSN Malta).
TSN Malta has made amazing strides with a membership of 15 migrant and immigrant organizations, bringing together African, Arab, Eastern European Russian-speaking, Chinese, and Filipino communities. The network provides direct support to communities as well as training and capacity building to its member organizations.
This network platform is the first of its kind in Malta and remains a model and a best practice for other European Union Member States. In fact, TSN Malta was selected as a Best Practice in a European Community co-funded project and in 2012, the President of Malta awarded Dr. Bugre with the highest honor for service to the Republic of Malta.
Dr. Mamudu Bugre is a bridge builder who helps migrants, immigrants, and refugees overcome their daily challenges.
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Anwar El Sadat
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Content created by Virtual Intern Bridget Raymundo
Anwar El Sadat served as the third President of Egypt from 1970 until his assassination in 1981. During his time as President, Sadat introduced greater political freedom and a new economic policy to Egypt.
Sadat grew up in Egypt under British rule and advocated for dialogue and building relations between countries for peace. In the early 1950s, he and several others overthrew the ruling monarchy in Egypt. In 1966, Sadat participated in the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). It was the first opportunity that allowed Sadat to see the United States and Americans at home.
In 1977, President Sadat addressed the Knesset, Israel's legislature, where he spoke directly to the Israeli government on the need for peace. In 1978, he signed the Camp David Accords, which outlined a historic peace agreement with Israel, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that same year.
In December 2018, the former Egyptian president was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for leading Egypt to peace with Israel. President Anwar El Sadat's peace efforts and mastery of diplomacy made history and remain relevant to this day.
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