1. Young Basketball Players from the Democratic Republic of Congo Visit the U.S.

   

   The U.S. State Department welcomed a group from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for the first Sports Visitor program of the new year.

2. EMPOWER Participants Promote Disability Rights Around the World

   

   EMPOWER participants work together to promote disability rights.

3. Sports Visitors: Mongolian Wrestlers

   

   Partnering with USA Wrestling, the U.S. State Department brought members of the Mongolian men’s and women’s national freestyle wrestling teams and their coaches to New York.

4. Fulbright: Engage the World!

   

   March, 2013, Secretary Kerry addressed a group of Fulbright students and encouraged them to use their Fulbright opportunity to make lifelong connections and to become full global citizens by engaging with the world around them.

5. U.S. Fulbrighters in South Africa, Featuring Mark Nehrenz

   

   Fulbright U.S. Student Program participants to South Africa share their experiences.

6. IVLP Gold Stars Connect on the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

   The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is proud to champion inclusivity with its comprehensive programs. With alumni who are members of the disability community, the impact of their efforts goes beyond their time participating in their exchange programs.

7. Basketball Youth Visitors: Indonesia in Action

   

   From March 17 to 29, ECA led an action-packed basketball program with 12 Indonesian teenage basketball players—six boys and six girls—and two coaches.

8. Increasing Religious Tolerance in Tajikistan

   A 2011 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participant, Hotam Fayzulloev was inspired by the relationships he saw in the U.S. between people of different faiths.

9. Magdalena Waleska Aldana Segura

   First Name

   Magdalena Waleska

   Participant Headshot

   

   Short Biography

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   Content created by Virtual Intern Radha Varadan

   Growing up in Guatemala, Magdalena Waleska Aldana Segura was often the only female in her physics class. She took her love of science and built a successful career as a university professor teaching physics and mentoring students interested in science-related careers.

   Through workshops that have been attended by more than 4,000 high school students and 350 professors, she encourages women’s involvement in fields where they are underrepresented. Aldana Segura credits the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) as a driving force behind her recent activism. She took part in the 2017 #HiddenNoMore IVLP project that connected her with nearly 50 like-minded women in STEAM fields. These contacts from her IVLP have helped take her workshops to the next level, allowed her to organize conferences for children, and provided an opportunity to speak at a prestigious STEAM conference in Chicago.

   Her involvement in the Guatemalan Women in Science association (GWSA), the Association for American Advancement of Science (AAAS), and her long career as a university professor ensures that Magdalena Waleska Aldana Segura is illuminating the future of STEAM education by empowering one woman at a time.

   Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams

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   Media Links

   STEAM Strategy to promote Science interest at all levels

   Home Country

   Guatemala

   Last name

   Aldana Segura

   IVLP Alumni

10. Ibrahim Jalloh

    First Name

    Ibrahim

    Participant Headshot

    

    Short Biography

    

     

    Content created by Virtual Intern Shayna Canty

    Ibrahim Jalloh was an educator and the founder of the Volunteer Action Network (VAN), a non-profit organization that helped bring the concept of volunteerism to the general population in Sierra Leone.

    Jalloh's first exposure to the United States was on an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in 2017. He traveled with youth leaders from 22 countries and gained exposure to youth engagement and leadership activities in the United States. Jalloh said that the IVLP exposed him to many diverse ideas to develop a civically engaged society.

    Jalloh's IVLP experience provided ideas to build the leadership capacity of youth in his home community. Shortly after returning to Sierra Leone, he was inspired to create VAN as an organization to help youth. VAN helped distribute school supplies to youth in need, equipping them with the tools to continue their education. The organization also implemented two non-violence campaigns that provided youth across the region with opportunities to engage their own communities.

    Prior to his passing in 2021, Ibrahim Jalloh was a community leader who improved the livelihoods of hundreds of families in Sierra Leone and developed a culture of community service through volunteerism. He exhibited remarkable passion and leadership during his lifetime and fostered the ongoing spirit of volunteerism in Sierra Leone.

     

    Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

     

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    Home Country

    Sierra Leone

    Last name

    Jalloh

    IVLP Alumni

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