1. Pilar Cobenas on #WithoutLimits

   

   Pilar Cobenas, an Empower program participant, explains what living without limits means to her.

2. South African Basketball Coaches Come to the U.S.

   

   From March 8 to 19, 2012, South African coaches met with U.S. sports professionals, held clinics with young American athletes at local schools, participated in an NBA clinic, and engaged in activities focused on team-building and injury prevention in the Washington, D.C., area.

3. Iraqi Taekwondo Program

   

   Working with the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, the U.S. State Department organized a dynamic taekwondo sports program.

4. Track and Field Athletes from the Caribbean Visit the U.S

   

   In partnership with USA Track and Field and the Oregon Track Club, the U.S Department of State organized a dynamic track and field program to empower women and girls.

5. Kester Edwards on #WithoutLimits

   

   Kester Edwards, a Sports Envoy from Trinidad and Tobago, tells us what living without limits means to him.

6. Ellada Mustafayeva

   First Name

   Ellada

   Participant Headshot

   

   Short Biography

   

    

   Content created by Virtual Intern  Chhim Sokkunthea

   Ellada Mustafayeva is a media project manager, trainer, and highly respected public relations professional working with both public and private sector clients in Azerbaijan. Mustafayeva graduated from Baku State University with a Master’s degree in International Journalism and was selected to participate in a 2017 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on Sports Management and Sports as a Tool for Social Change in the United States. Mustafayeva says her IVLP was a life-changing experience, and she returned home bursting with new ideas and the confidence to take on the biggest challenge of her career – co-founding the first Master’s in Sports Journalism program in the Caucasus region.

   Since its inception, the program has made significant progress on its main three goals: to deliver world-class English-language journalism education, to meaningfully assist the development of Azerbaijan's sports sector, and to establish Baku as an international center of excellence for sports journalism. Graduates of the program have secured positions with media outlets, and the overall master’s program has won awards for innovation in education.

   Mustafayeva maintains contact with many of her fellow participants from the IVLP and looks forward to returning to the United States to renew connections. As a member of the U.S.-Educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association, Ellada Mustafayeva is using sports journalism as a platform to build effective networks and bring our countries closer together.

   Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

   Blog Post

   Ellada's IVLP was about Sports Management and Sports as a Tool for Social Change in the U.S. Her objectives were to gain exposures to federal laws to ensure representation from disadvantages populations, examine the best practices for public private partnerships in developing local sport leagues, fundraising strategies, and the role of sports media in events, explore the role of sports education programs in the sports industry, and observe programs that are aimed at women/people with disability representation.

   Through IVLP, she has gained skills that helped her with managing the first Sports Journalism master's program in Caucasus.

   Home Country

   Azerbaijan

   Last name

   Mustafayeva

   IVLP Alumni

7. sports-env-name

   Jenniger Jo Cobb

   sports_env_year

   2018

   sports-env-sport

   Motor Sports

   sports-env-country

   Georgia

8. Showcase Your Exchange Experience, Be Named the Best Citizen Diplomat

   The new Citizen Diplomacy Challenge provides U.S.-based exchange alumni with the opportunity to showcase how U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs benefit us all, from how they advance U.S. foreign policies to how they strengthen the relationship between the people of the United States and foreign citizens.

9. Former NBA Legends Sam Vincent and Andrea Stinson Travel to Jordan

   

   Partnering with the NBA and WNBA, the U.S. Department of State sent legends Sam Vincent and Andrea Stinson as well as NBA clinician Marty Conlon to Jordan in July.

10. Russian Hockey Players Come to the U.S.

    

    Russian youth ice hockey players and coaches traveled to the U.S. for a two-week sports exchange program.

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