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Dr. Nadina Christopoulou
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Content created by Virtual Intern Melanie OurhaanDr. Nadina Christopoulou is an anthropologist empowering migrant and refugee women in Greece as the director and cofounder of the Melissa Network. In 2015, she participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) “Women Leaders: Promoting Peace and Security,” initiative which led her to conclude that it is most effective to prevent violent extremism through education and public engagement.
During the program, Dr. Christopoulou and fellow participants visited Washington D.C., New York, Austin, San Diego, and the U.S-Mexico border to examine the current and historical roles of women in political transitions, post-conflict reconstruction, humanitarian emergencies, conflict prevention, and peacemaking efforts.
Her IVLP experience strengthened her belief in women as agents of change and their role in resolving conflict and building consent, solidarity, and community. Sharing ideas with women leaders from around the world was an immensely inspiring experience that forged in her a new determination to empower underprivileged women and girls.
Dr. Nadina Christopoulou is a leading figure in the migrant and refugee support community in Greece. She promotes integration and equal rights for recent immigrants to Greece and continues to transform the lives of hundreds of women and girls.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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ChristopoulouIVLP Alumni
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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.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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Barbosa GomesIVLP Alumni
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Malak Al Akiely
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Content created by Virtual Intern Nayantara AroraMalak Al Akiely is a leader who has inspired Jordanian women through her entrepreneurial spirit and abundant energy. She is the founder and managing director of Golden Wheat for Grain Trading, Ltd., a company which markets grains across the Middle East, Africa, and the U.S. As owner of this agricultural trading company she is focused on food security issues in the MENA region.
Al Akiely is a co-founder of Golden Kayan for Oil & Energy, a consultant to oil and petroleum trading companies, a co-founder and board member in the Jordan Economic Forum, and a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum. She was selected as one of the top ten young persons of the world by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) in August 2019, and is a sought after speaker at events to motivate women and youth.
During her International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in 2015, she spent time in Chicago, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and D.C. and explored economic opportunities, gained international exposure, and opened professional channels with other participants focused on women's economic stability, prosperity, and entrepreneurship.
Following her IVLP in the United States, Al Akiely used a small grant from the U.S. Department of State to launch a social entrepreneurship initiative called “Women BeeBuzzers,” which enabled rural Jordanian women to earn income and gain new skills.
Her passion for economic security and entrepreneurial innovation have taken her across the world, not only returning to the U.S. but also taking part in an Arctic Expedition with 100 people from all sectors and all continents.
Malak Al Akiely sets the standard for business leaders and changemakers across the MENA region. In addition to upholding values of integrity within her business initiatives, Al Akiely’s advocacy for cross-cultural communication, women, and economic development, is changing the world.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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Al AkielyIVLP Alumni
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ECA celebrates the Americans with Disabilities Act 30th Anniversary!
This year ECA launched the Access for All campaign! The purpose of this campaign is to celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 30th anniversary.
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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.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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Danae Bezantakou
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Content created by Virtual Intern Radha VaradanDanae Bezantakou is a prominent Greek leader who exemplifies the impact of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). As CEO of Navigator Shipping Consultants, co-founder of a business think tank designed to support women in entrepreneurship, and appointee as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (2015-2020), Bezantakou has pursued equality for women entrepreneurs through mentorships in areas disproportionately affected by a country-wide economic crisis.
When asked about her 2011 IVLP project on "Women in Leadership," Bezantakou said she realized "anything can happen, even in a small country like Greece… I could not stop thinking about ways, initiatives, and actions that could help Greece overcome discrimination."
After her IVLP, Bezantakou created the iforU Greek mentoring network, supporting over 150 female entrepreneurs and the Young Executives Shipping (YES) Forum, to create an open dialogue between principal executives, recent graduates, and university students. Bezantakou's leadership transcends borders as she has been involved with several international projects. She served as the first president of the Hellenic-U.S. Alumni Association, and has received international recognition for her groundbreaking initiatives. She was chosen for Greece's 40 under 40 List and the 2014 Purpose Economy Europe List.
"You should follow your passion and do what you can, with what you have, where you are!" says Bezantakou to aspiring young leaders. As an embodiment of her words, Danae Bezantakou continues to fight discrimination in the business world while inspiring countless leaders of tomorrow.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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BezantakouIVLP Alumni
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Otgontuya Badamgarav
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Content created by Virtual Intern Adelle BarkhuizenOtgontuya Badamgarav started using a wheelchair due to a car accident and mainly stayed at home because of the stigma in Mongolia against people with disabilities. In 2010, she participated in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) that highlighted how people with disabilities live, work, and study in the United States. She saw how disability rights are supported by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Badamgarav was overwhelmed by the support shown to people with disabilities from all levels of government in the United States. She returned home eager to share best practices and find new opportunities to promote and protect the rights of people with disabilities. She describes her IVLP as an opportunity to see firsthand that countries view equality as a human right and gain an understanding of the legal framework provided by the ADA. While on the program she met the Department of State’s special advisor for international disability rights and credits much of the legislative progress in Mongolia with her interactions with the special advisor’s office.
She has started a wide range of activities that empower woman with disabilities. She organized a job fair for people with disabilities, created a mentorship program, and designed independent living courses and even a dance class for people with disabilities.
Networking with people with similar disabilities and goals in other parts of the world brings her an understanding of the possibilities for equality. Otgontuya Badamgarav actively promotes the voices of people with disabilities in Mongolia and is no longer bound by cultural stigmas.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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BadamgaravIVLP Alumni
