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The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs Helps Business Owner Expand Operations in the Dominican Republic
Gabriela Lee, Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) graduate from 2019, is the founder and chef at Damn Good Kitchen (DGK) in Dominican Republic.
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Dr. Hope Cynthia Sadza
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Content created by Virtual Intern Erinn Heffes
Dr. Hope Cynthia Sadza is the founder and Vice Chancellor of the Women's University in Africa (WUA), a small university focused on educating women in Harare, Zimbabwe that was founded in 2002.
In 2007, Dr. Sadza was selected for a 10-day International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) where she interacted with leaders of various women's universities in the United States to share strategies for effective university administration. The program concluded with her participation in an international conference for women's university administrators.
Upon returning home, Dr. Sadza wrote a detailed report on her visit and highlighted practical ideas she could implement to further develop and sustain the WUA. Since her visit, the WUA has seen tremendous growth and Dr. Sadza instituted a board of trustees, organized alumni chapters, pursued new fundraising techniques, and implemented curriculum and institutional development based on her experience in the United States.
Dr. Cynthia Sadza is an innovator and educator who is providing women in Africa with new strategies and fostering equity in education.
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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SadzaIVLP Alumni
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Lutfi Dervishi
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Short Biography
Content created by Virtual Intern Kristin Mitra
Prior to his visit to the United States in 2002, Lutfi Dervishi was working as the Editor-in-Chief at "Albania," a newspaper in Tirana. When he came to the U.S., he participated in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) titled, "U.S. Foreign Policy Structures," during which he developed a stronger interest in U.S. foreign policy, especially as it relates to the Balkans. Dervishi describes the impact IVLP had on his career as "immense in a different way," noting that the experience magnified his interest in and understanding of foreign policy.
After his return, Dervishi began working in public television, where he organized a series of talk shows about U.S.-Albania relations and dispelled existing rumors regarding American foreign policy. He is now one of Albania's leading media experts and helps mold future journalists as a professor at the University of Tirana in Albania's most prominent journalism program. His influence doesn't stop at the university level; Dervishi is a founding member of the U.S. Embassy-supported Investigative Journalism Lab, which focuses on teaching transparency and investigative journalism skills to aspiring young journalists.
Through his teaching and experiences, Lutfi Dervishi has improved the quality of Albanian journalism and built a more transparent way to keep citizens informed.
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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DervishiIVLP Alumni
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Rodrigo Alejandro Yáñez Benítez
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Short Biography
Content created by Virtual Intern Celeste Lan
Rodrigo Yáñez Benítez serves as the Vice Minister of Trade in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Chile. In 2008, while working as a researcher for the Instituto Libertad, Yáñez Benítez participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) focusing on U.S. foreign policy. During his IVLP, he learned about the collaborative nexus between policies, public interest groups, and government institutions. Thanks in part to the knowledge he acquired through his IVLP, Yáñez Benítez became an advisor to congressional leaders in the Foreign Relations Committee in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
Yáñez Benítez further contributed to Chile's foreign affairs by working on a peacekeeping law, which enabled Chile to contribute to global peacekeeping efforts, and on efforts to modernize the Foreign Ministry, which created progressive reforms in the Ministry's structure and operations. He also served as Senior Advisor to President Piñera on international and regulatory affairs, where he developed foreign policy proposals and oversaw the implementation of domestic policy initiatives for different Ministries. In 2011, Yáñez Benítez was involved in creating the Pacific Alliance group, a trade bloc between Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, to facilitate regional integration. As Vice Minister of Trade, he leads Chile’s intense bilateral and multilateral trade agenda, including active participation in multilateral trade fora such as APEC, Pacific Alliance, and WTO.
When asked about the impact of his IVLP, Yáñez Benítez says, "I believe it strengthened my longstanding commitment to contribute to my country from the international perspective. Having met people with so many different backgrounds, all connected around a strong commitment to international understanding and cultural exchange, has been of great inspiration."
Rodrigo Yáñez Benítez is a trade policy expert who has strengthened Chile's international trading policies and bolstered Chile's economy by diversifying its regional exports and creating new international agreements.
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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Yáñez BenítezIVLP Alumni
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Hamzeh Abaza
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Short Biography
Content created by Virtual Intern Erinn Heffes
Hamzeh Abaza tirelessly works to assist refugees in crisis in Jordan, which is the second largest refugee hosting country per capita worldwide. In 2015, Abaza participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) “Engaging Youth Leaders in Strengthening Communities” project, allowing him to meet leaders from around the world and U.S. organizations working with youth and supporting entrepreneurship. His participation led him to assist local institutions and community-based organizations in enhancing refugee inclusion in their youth empowerment and entrepreneurship projects in Jordan.
A year after his IVLP, Abaza joined the International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNGi) to voice his opinion on how Jordan should transition towards decentralization based on ideas he gained during his IVLP project. He was directly involved in facilitating community meetings with political leaders and managing awareness campaigns.
During his IVLP, Abaza visited the Bond Street Theatre and Downtown Community Television Center which positively impacted him and led him to gradually expand his film industry skills. Abaza was involved in various feature films and documentaries in 2019.
Hamzeh Abaza continues to play a critical role in responding to Jordan’s refugee crisis by building local government capacity, empowering youth, and creating work opportunities.
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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AbazaIVLP Alumni
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José Aguilar Berrocal
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Short Biography
Content created by Virtual Intern Radha Varadan
“Solidarity cures us,” says José Aguilar Berrocal, a former International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participant from Costa Rica and Founder and President of the Board of the Youth Action Foundation. His tireless work tackling the educational and emotional issues that at-risk youth in Costa Rica face stems from his own challenges growing up. The support of mentors put him on the path to success and instilled in him the desire to serve others.
Aguilar founded the Youth Action Foundation in 2006, an organization that works hand-in-hand with the Costa Rican Ministry of Education to connect at-risk students with mentors and tutors while requiring the students to volunteer in their communities. Through its programs, the Foundation has engaged more than 22,400 students and teachers in community service. “The most wonderful feeling that a person can experience is to bring hope,” Aguilar says. He credits the IVLP with showing him the significance of civic engagement and community service in others, and the benefits it brings.
Aguilar previously led Public Horizons, a collective that tackles the human development gap by building partnerships. He also founded Strategic Human Development (Desarrollo Humano Estratégico), which aims to provide food to unemployed families in rural Costa Rica in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through his work to mitigate the challenges faced by vulnerable populations in Costa Rica, José Aguilar Berrocal brings hope and support to those in need.
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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Aguilar BerrocalIVLP Alumni
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António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres
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Content created by Virtual Intern Eden Davenport
António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, the current Secretary-General of the United Nations, has had a life-long career in government and public service. He was a participant in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in 1978.
His IVLP exchange to the United States forged a passion and commitment to international cooperation that extended throughout his career as the former Prime Minister of Portugal, President of the European Council, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, as well as a member of the Portuguese Council of State and Parliament.
Secretary-General Guterres founded the Portuguese Refugee Council and served as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). While at the UNHCR, he headed one of the world’s foremost humanitarian organizations during some of the most serious displacement crises in decades. The conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and the crises in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Yemen, led to a huge rise in UNHCR’s activities as the number of people displaced by conflict rose dramatically.
Secretary-General Guterres recently said, "Through my participation in the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), I was fortunate to gain a deep understanding of the United States and its culture, experience the warm and gracious hospitality of its people, and witness the American spirit, which so uniquely embodies that land. As the program celebrates its 80th anniversary, I remain grateful to the government of the United States for providing such an opportunity and share my encouragement to all others that are considering participating in the IVLP."
As Secretary-General, António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres has turned his focus to future generations on issues related to protecting the environment and sustainable development. Secretary-General Guterres continues to showcase Portuguese leadership in the global arena, using his influence to increase diplomatic capacity and reaffirm the values of the United Nations.
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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de Oliveira GuterresIVLP Alumni
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U.S. Sports Envoy Talks Mental Health during COVID-19
The COVID-19 global pandemic has placed health at the forefront of everyday conversations around the world.