1. I Can Do the Impossible! #IdeasArePower

   

   Radia Soulmani, 2013 TechGirls Alumna from Safi, Morocco, tells us how TechGirls inspired her to help her community.

2. ‘Start Strong Bauska’ Founder Connects with Counterparts on Return IVLP Exchange

   ​​​​​​​Five years after her first International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) experience, Solvita Jirgensone will return to the United States as an IVLP alumna.

3. 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

4. Inspired to Volunteer and Motivated to Change

   When Reham Al-Eryani applied to the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study program she was motivated by a desire to experience American culture first-hand.

5. University of Montana: FUSALMO – El Salvador

   

   The University of Montana partnered with in-country partner FUSALMO to conduct a two-way sports exchange between Montana and El Salvador focusing on youth who are susceptible to gangs and crime.

6. Sustaining a Healthy Future for India

   Dr. Chariar has developed a low cost waterless toilet—a massively innovative solution to India’s massive sanitation problem.

7. Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Alumni Wins Global Entrepreneurship Prize

   Before 2018, Irene Mositol did not know a lot about herbs. Now she’s winning awards for sustainable farming on Borneo.

8. Infrastructure and Economic Development for Turkey

   Lokman participated in the program during his first term as mayor of Kazan, a district of Ankara, on the theme of Municipal Governance and Intergovernmental Relations in the U.S. in 2006.

9. Teachable Moments

   

   Vivian Leskes, an American English professor, talks about her experiences as an English Language Specialist in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the Russian Federation.

10. Expanding Access to Cultural Heritage Sites on Google Arts & Culture

    Today, on World Heritage Day, the U.S. Department of State invites you to join the Cultural Heritage Center for a virtual exploration of our heritage preservation projects at sites around the world.

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