Past State Alumni Members of the Month
January 2012
Consolata Ndayishimye (Burundi)
Consolata Ndayishimye
Consolata Ndayishimye credits her participation in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ 2006 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and their focus on women and entrepreneurship with inspiring and encouraging her to seek the presidency of the Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burundi. Consolata was selected as the U.S. Department of State’s Alumni Member of the Month for January 2012 in recognition of her role in empowering women entrepreneurs to become part of the business network in her country and the East Africa region. Today she promotes women’s entrepreneurship for the entire region thanks to her selection earlier this year as president of the East Africa Business Council.
Mrs. Ndayishimye is a dynamic and energetic promoter of women’s entrepreneurship. In March 2007, she organized trips for Burundian business women to travel to Rwanda in search of projects and learn best practices they could implement in Burundi. As a result, she organized three regional workshops allowing 150 Burundian and 20 Rwandan women to share and learn from each other’s business experiences. Subsequently, six projects were launched in the two countries including a microfinance group, the enhancement of a local restaurant and the Agaseke Project; which provides opportunities for women from the underprivileged Batwa ethnic group to produce and sell handicrafts in support of their own sustainable employment.
In October, 2010, Mrs. Ndayishimye was invited to present a TEDxTalk. These online video events organized by TEDx, a nonprofit devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” provide individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue. She used this global platform to urge the Burundian Diaspora to invest in their country by partnering with local businesses that will mentor them and help rebuild the country after 15 years of conflict.
Mrs. Ndayishimye remains instrumental while working with Burundi’s exchange alumni community. At the recent launch of the reconstituted Burundi Alumni Association, she encouraged her fellow alumni to combine their talents and dreams to make Burundi a better place. “Thanks to the support of the American Government, alumni associations across the world are accomplishing great things. We should also be inspired to share our best for our country,” she said.
The IVLP alumna shares her business expertise and contacts with Burundian alumni, connecting them with local journalists, bankers and alumni representatives from neighboring countries. Furthermore, she participates in embassy-sponsored events such as a recent economic roundtable with the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa and other members of the Burundian business community.
“The IVLP program has changed my life and most of all has increased my skills in leadership, states Mrs. Ndayishimye. “My area of expertise was widened from a small landlocked country to the East and South African Region where I am working with top business officials. I am very proud and grateful to have participated in this wonderful program.”
December 2011
Nathan Collett (United States)
Nathan Collett
Nathan Collett was selected as the U.S. Department of State’s Alumni Member of the month for December 2011 in recognition of his commitment to urban Kenyan youth. In 2006, he was awarded a Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) Fulbright U.S. Student Grant to research African storytelling in Nairobi, Kenya. As a result of his exchange experience, he established a film school in Kenya, started a foundation in conjunction with his existing film studio, and tapped into new media to help people understand the world of urban African communities through story-telling. According to Nathan, “having the opportunity to be a Fulbright fellow inspired a life-long commitment to telling stories from other cultures and [effecting] social transformation through the power of film and media.”
His work created opportunities for Kibera youth and opened a window of awareness into the informal urban African communities --or slums, as they are referred to in Kenya. He shows that settlements such as Kibera are full of untapped resources in human creativity and storytelling. Engaging with youth in Nairobi, Nathan helps lower barriers that improve understanding and collaboration among peoples of different backgrounds. Through the use of blogs, websites, and social media platforms, he encourages people from every corner of the globe to learn about Kibera and support youth talent. Short films by Kibera Film School youth have been featured in film festivals and educational programs throughout the world.
Prior to receiving a Fulbright grant, Nathan studied African History at Stanford University and completed a Master in Fine Arts in Film Production at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. His commitment to urban storytelling in Kenya led to the establishment in 2004 of Hot Sun Films, Ltd. and of its non-profit arm, the Hot Sun Foundation in 2007. Two years later, he launched the Kibera Film School to bring together Kenyan and international film professionals to share skills and experience with the young people of Nairobi’s urban areas such as the Kibera neighborhood. At Kibera Film School, youth are taught how to tell their stories through film and gain the skills and connections necessary to work in the East African film and television industries. The students also have the opportunity for on-the- job training, as they work on locally produced films which feature local casts and include such award-winning films as Togetherness Supreme and Kibera Kid.
In addition to his work with youth and storytelling, Nathan continues to support the Kenyan exchange program community. He attends local alumni events and mentors youth interested in applying for Fulbright grants. His achievements have been featured by the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi on its monthly alumni newsletter, the Ameri-Ken Connection.
November 2011
Dr. Ayubjon Yusupov (Tajikistan)
Dr. Ayubjon Yusupov
Dr. Ayubjon Yusupov, from Tajikistan, was selected as the U.S. Department of State’s Alumni Member of the Month for November 2011 in recognition of his efforts in support of Tajik youth mentoring and scholarship programs. Dr. Yusupov participated in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Regional Scholars Exchange Program with Pittsburgh State University in 2002. While in the U.S. he worked with university partners to develop an innovative economics curriculum for Tajik State University of Commerce (TSUC) where he has since become the vice-director of the Institute of Economy and Trade. As a result of his exchange experience students at his university now complete a series of dynamic economics courses in the English language, providing them with the tools to engage cooperatively with the United States and other countries over the course of their lives.
“Thanks to this exchange program,” Dr. Yusupov explained, “I am now closely acquainted with the culture of the United States, have visited many cities and universities, met with many scientists, painters and other public figures. This program gave me the opportunity to understand the work of market economies and American democracy, and to share the knowledge gained with people in Tajikistan.”
After completing the RSEP program, Dr. Yusupov returned to Tajikistan where he served as the executive director of Junior Achievement of Tajikistan, implementing Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy programs around the country. By soliciting funding from United States Agency for International Development, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Mercy Corps, the Eurasia Foundation, and the World Bank, Dr. Yusupov helped establish active JA Worldwide programs in 450 Tajik schools.
In addition to his work at TSUC, Dr. Yusupov is an active member of the U.S. government-sponsored exchange program alumni community in Khujand. He encourages other alumni to work or participate in JA programs or partner with his university. He also mentors Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program alumni in their volunteer work at youth economic summer camps organized by JA Tajikistan, and organizes and facilitates both English and Tajik language discussion clubs on leadership, economics, ecology, and other topics of interest. In addition to his alumni activities, Dr. Yusupov is also a member of the Anticorruption Committee Commission of Sughd oblast, a board member of Imon International (microfinance organization), and works regularly with Habitat for Humanity Tajikistan.
October 2011
Svetlana Semenovykh (Russia)
Svtlana Semenovykh
In 2007, English language teacher Svetlana Semenovykh of Russia participated in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on English language curriculum development. Semenovykh is a passionate educator, who, as a result of her exchange program, incorporates American studies and culture into English language curriculum. Hailing from Birobidzhan, the capital city of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the Russian Far East, Semenovykh takes every opportunity to share her knowledge and skills with other teachers and utilizes her exchange experience to enhance English language education and leadership development for students across the region.
“Participating in the exchange International Visitor Leadership Program has expanded my knowledge of U.S. culture, education and politics; thus allowing me to promote understanding between our nations through various educational programs and projects for teachers and schoolchildren,” says Semenovykh.
As a direct result of her participation in the IVLP, Semenovykh developed the “Multicultural America” program for English language summer camps and the English Access Microscholarship (Access) Program. Semenovykh incorporated the knowledge and information gained in her exchange experience into a workshop on integrating American Studies into English language curriculum. She has presented this workshop at various regional and national conferences in Stavropol, Kaliningrad, Khabarovsk, and Vladivostok.
Semenovykh engaged Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program alumni in this past “Multicultural America” English language summer camp. She asked them to lead sessions and share their experiences in the United States with students in the camp. Participants learned about ethnic groups in the United States and their contributions to the country. The lessons on Russian and Jewish Americans and how Yiddish, which has deep roots in Birobidzhan, has influenced American English were particularly interesting to the campers.
Semenovykh also played a significant role in the Access curriculum development project. She was part of a team of Russian alumni who collected samples of Access program and summer camp curricula and strengthened the American studies component of the teaching materials. The resulting DVD, with samples of lesson plans, team-building activities, summer camp ideas for outreach, and community service activities will be used in English classes across Russia.
Semenovykh continually draws on her IVLP exchange experience to help teachers find and use programs, technologies and opportunities to prepare a new generation of young leaders to be change makers for the globalized world.
As the head of the English language department at the Teacher In-Service Institute in Birobidzhan, Semenovykh provides professional development and teacher training opportunities for secondary school teachers in the region. She is an active member of the Far Eastern English Language Teachers’ Association, leading workshops and delivering lectures to share her knowledge and experience. In addition to these professional responsibilities, she has served as an Access program teacher and coordinator since 2007. Semenovykh also directs English language summer camps for bright and motivated teenagers from underprivileged families in Birobidzhan, Vladivostok, Nakodka, and Tuapse.
Semenovykh enjoys fostering connections among alumni. In October 2010, she launched the “Design for Change in Russia” program, which was the product of her work with other U.S. government-program alumni to engage Russian students in developing and implementing volunteer projects to benefit their local communities. Under Semenovykh’s leadership, students in the Russian Far East organized a variety of projects over the past year to combat teen drug use, promote international understanding, and foster environmental awareness.
September 2011
Huner Anwer (Iraq)
Huner Anwer
Huner Anwer is a dedicated and enthusiastic alumnus of the Study of the United States Institute for Student Leaders (SUSI) on Religious Pluralism in the United States . He has the vision to promote dialogue among groups in Iraqi society by creating settings for greater intercultural understanding. “My trip to the United States really opened my eyes,” Anwer said, “I came back to Iraq with a wish to encourage people to become more tolerant with each other in our Iraqi culture, and to help debate become dialogue.”
After participating in the SUSI Program in 2010, Anwer returned to Iraq and founded the Iraqi Dialogue Institute. The Iraqi Dialogue Institute is an organization modeled after the Dialogue Institute at Temple University, which served as Anwer’s host organization during his five-week, Department of State-sponsored exchange program. After launching the Iraqi Dialogue Institute, Anwer established a formal partnership between his Institute and the Dialogue Institute. He invited the President and Cofounder of the Dialogue Institute in Philadelphia to come to Iraq and arranged for him to meet with Hero Talabani, the First Lady of Iraq, the Iraqi President’s Assistant for Religious Affairs, the President and Vice Chancellor of Sulaimani University, and other government leaders.
Anwer is organizing a delegation of prominent Iraqi academics and government representatives to travel to the United States this fall (2011). The delegation will explore topics such as civil rights, the rule of law, religious freedom and tolerance, and the formation of democracy. He hopes that “through this exchange, the delegates will learn to turn debate into dialogue and bring about positive change in Iraq by promoting mutual understanding and cultural respect.” By observing how democratic and religiously free societies work, the delegates will learn tolerance for religious, ethnic, and racial differences within and across communities.
Anwer had the following to say about his SUSI experience: “I discerned the truth about various events that have occurred in history, such as the Holocaust and the 9/11 tragedies. Until now, the Iraqi people have been given false reports about many events in the world, and have a prejudiced view of certain people and groups because of this. I saw how America is able to overcome prejudices in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious society—through dialogue. And I want my fellow Iraqis to do the same.” Therefore, the leaders who will travel to the U.S. will be encouraged to develop an action plan aimed at helping Iraqi citizens broaden their worldview and be more open-minded. In the future, Anwer plans to organize a series of further activities designed to foster healthy dialogue and counter destructive prejudices in Iraqi society. Impressed by Anwer’s efforts and leadership with the Iraqi Dialogue Institute, the Governor of Sulaymaniyah province in Iraq has agreed to fund the delegation’s trip to the United States.
Anwer is also an active EducationUSA volunteer advisor. After finishing an Embassy-funded training program, he took the initiative to give presentations to several groups of students and academics on how they can study in the United States. Additionally, in partnership with the U.S. Regional Reconstruction Team in his region, Anwer implemented an English teaching project for over 800 professors and students at the University of Sulaimani. Anwer plans to return to the United States as he has been awarded a graduate level internship with the Dialogue Institute at Temple University for September 2011-August 2012.
August 2011
Nguyen Van Anh (Vietnam)
Nguyen Van Anh
Nguyen Van Anh’s exchange experience in the United States inspired her efforts to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society in her native Vietnam. Her participation in the International Visitors Leadership Program on Volunteerism in 2004 increased her understanding of volunteerism and non-profits in the United States, which she applied to her advocacy work in Vietnam.
Nguyen collaborated with Vietnamese civil society to lobby for the country’s first law combating domestic violence. She also advocates for the rights of sexual minorities through workshops, discussions and documentary screenings. Her efforts have shed light on previously ignored issues, stimulated public discourse and showcased how alumni can build on their exchange experience to make a difference in their communities.
Nguyen started Vietnam’s first domestic violence hotline in 1997. It currently receives more than 5,000 calls per day in 21 cities throughout the country. She also founded the Center for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender, Family, Women and Adolescents in 2001. The center uses art and culture-based approaches to combat domestic violence and human trafficking, advocate for sexual minorities and campaign against corporal punishment for children.
An active alumni leader, Nguyen and fellow IVLP alumni hosted a series of talk shows and an educational exhibition for academia, non-profits and government as part of Vietnam’s first Alumni Festival, Success and the American Experience, in July 2008. Building on this success, Nguyen received a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi to organize a series of workshops, in partnership with alumni and several women’s groups, on combating domestic violence and to stress the importance of volunteerism. The program created television programming on domestic violence awareness and women’s empowerment, and showcased a victims’ art exhibition. It also established Vietnam’s first network of volunteers to support victims of domestic violence, which involves local communities and provincial leaders.
July 2011
Adriana Labardini Inzunza (Mexico)
Adriana Labardini Inzunza
Adriana Labardini Inzunza has taken her multiple experiences as an exchange visitor to the United States back to her native Mexico where she’s been instrumental in promoting public interest advocacy.
She credits her Humphrey Fellowship in the United States as an inspiring and life changing experience.
“After being a Humphrey Fellow, sound notions of leadership, volunteerism and empowerment are engraved in our minds, in our hearts and in our will,” Labardini said. Since 1990, Labardini has participated in several exchange programs in the United States. She studied at Columbia University’s Law School as a Fulbright student and later completed the Humphrey Fellowship at the University of North Carolina. She also participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) where she learned about non-governmental organization management and development.
Eager to apply the lessons she learned upon her return to Mexico, Labardini started a public interest law firm for consumers and founded Mexico’s first advocacy non-profit organization, ALCONSUMIDOR, A.C. In addition, she created a research center on consumption and consumers (Centro de Investigación del Consumo y el Consumidor, A.C.). And her advocacy work was instrumental in the establishment by Mexico’s Congress of procedural rules on introducing consumer class action lawsuits.
Her professional background includes a wide range of experiences ranging from being a partner in the Sanchez -Mejorada y Velasco law firm to the chief of staff at the Mexican Federal Telecommunications Commission (COFETEL).
She is a founding member of the Fulbright-García Robles Mexican Alumni Association and is also an active member of the Mexican Fulbright Commission’s (COMEXUS) selection committee. In this role, she interviews Fulbright and Humphrey candidates from Mexico.
“The Humphrey program is immensely rich because of its fellows, its host universities and faculty, its combination of academics, professional affiliation activities, networking and building understanding among nations and cultures. But mainly, it is rich because it is a two-way street. Fellows learn and fellows teach, fellows receive and give,” Labardini said.
She collaborated on a community project in Oaxaca, Mexico, with Catalina Sánchez, another U.S. Department of State alumna from the Voluntary Visitors program, “Pathways to Prosperity: Women and Entrepreneurship.”
Faten Saleh
Faten Saleh of France, an advocate for diversity and human rights, exemplifies how alumni can build on their exchange experiences to make a positive impact in the world. As an alumna of both the Summer Institute for European Student Leaders and the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, Saleh has implemented a number of projects that challenge stereotypes, foster people-to-people connections and strengthen the alumni community.
Upon returning from the Summer Institute program in 2006, Saleh successfully implemented several volunteer initiatives she had observed in the United States, such as an orientation weekend for first-year students and tutoring for foreign exchange students.
Saleh remained active while a Fulbright Foreign Student at American University in 2008. She was elected to the Master of Laws Executive Student Board, where she helped organize and encourage constructive discussion through a series of lectures on sensitive issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Upon returning to France, Saleh joined the staff of the Special Representative of France to the Middle East before becoming an international advocacy assistant for a Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO) in Israel. At the same time, she helped establish a debate-group for French youth, Club J.E.A.D., and became involved with Convergences Méditerranée, an NGO dealing with diversity and understanding in France.
Saleh returned to the United States to participate in a Fulbright enrichment seminar on social entrepreneurship in San Antonio, Texas. She then partnered with two other alumni to organize a three-day seminar in Paris to reunite 100 Summer Institute alumni in January 2011, modeled after the Fulbright enrichment seminar. To help host this successful social entrepreneurship event, Saleh enlisted the Franco-American Fulbright Commission, the French Fulbright Alumni Association and the U.S. Embassy in Paris. After presentations by social entrepreneurs, the alumni were challenged to design their own initiatives.
During this session, Saleh noticed that many groups were discussing the concept of identity. Saleh reasoned that the unique perspective of Summer Institute alumni, as a truly diverse and rich group, could promote mutual international understanding and offer an interesting point of view, particularly in the European context of the growth of political extremes and fear of the “other.” Saleh is now leading the implementation of a blog on identity with a group of alumni. Bloggers in various European countries and in the United States will explain how they feel about their national identities with respect to their European identity and the identity their parents may have given them.
As an alumna of both the Summer Institute for European Student Leaders and the Fulbright Program, Saleh has promoted the Fulbright Program in France and worked to activate the Fulbright network, mixing her different Fulbright networks and encouraging the development of innovative projects. Saleh cites her exchange experience as the source of her commitment to promoting community service among European youth.
“The Fulbright experience has totally transformed and enriched my life in so many ways. It helped me shape who I am and discover what I wanted to do with my life. I realized that those crazy ideas I often had and dismissed because I thought they could [or] would never be implemented, were accepted and supported by the Fulbright community," she said. "I was encouraged to believe in my ideas, in my dreams, and to just give my best to achieve them. Fulbright made me realize that I could actually live my life the way I wanted to, not the way I was expected to.”
May 2011
Shamshad Hussain (Pakistan)
Shamshad Hussain
Shamshad Hussain has become a leader in promoting volunteerism, education and ecotourism in his native Pakistan. Hussain participated in the Community College Initiative Program (CCIP), studying at Daytona State College from 2008 to 2009. “It was an honor to represent Pakistan in the U.S.,” he said. “The ultimate impact was my broadening vision and firm mission to make a difference in my society.” Upon his return to Pakistan, he initiated numerous community service projects, was elected president of the Pakistani-U.S. Alumni Network Gilgit-Baltistan Chapter and took on the role of coordinator for the local English Access Microscholarship Program.
Hussain lives in Gilgit-Baltistan, a beautiful and remote region in northern Pakistan that struggles with transportation and security issues. Despite these challenges, he has developed multiple community-service campaigns. “Volunteer work is a noble and highly recognized job,” he exclaims when describing his U.S. experiences in meetings with the Gilgit-Baltistan region residents. Hussain often organizes volunteer events such as a hike on a popular mountain trail where participants picked up trash along the way.
Pakistan is a multi-lingual country where many businesses and government jobs require strong English language skills, which children of Gilgit-Baltistan often lack. Having witnessed this professional disadvantage, Hussain worked to pilot and implement the U.S. Embassy’s English Access Microscholarship Program in the Gilgit-Baltistan region in April 2010. Professional and educational opportunities for Gilgit-Baltistan’s underprivileged children have significantly expanded due to Hussain’s commitment to his community.
Hussain works as the executive director of the Grassroots Association for Community Empowerment (GRACE), a Pakistani non-profit that mobilizes marginalized communities to create a peaceful society. Hussain is committed to encouraging others, especially alumni of U.S. government exchange programs, to “empower and improve the quality of life of vulnerable communities.”
In October 2010, 100 alumni of the Gilgit-Baltistan region organized a local chapter of the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network. As president, Hussain led this group of committed alumni to encourage local students to learn about U.S. government-funded exchange programs. More than 800 female students attended the seminars, the first of their kind in Gilgit-Baltistan. As a direct result, the number of applicants to the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program and the Community College Initiative Program (CCIP) from Gilgit-Baltistan significantly increased.
Through his work with the alumni chapter, underprivileged students and the local community, Hussain has become a role model for his fellow Pakistani alumni and an instrumental force in promoting mutual understanding between the United States and Pakistan.
April 2011
Rev. Dr. Protais Bunini Gahungu (Rwanda)
Rev. Dr. Protais Bunini Gahungu
The people of Rwanda have benefited enormously from Dr. Protais Bunini Gahungu’s decision to participate in a Citizen Exchanges program on conflict resolution and NGO management at George Mason University in Virginia.
"The program changed my life completely," said Dr. Gahungu, who was serving as a church leader and director of Evangelical Churches for the Promotion of Health and Development in Rwanda before he came to the program in 1999. "Before my participation in the program, I thought one needs big amounts of money to carry out an initiative in the country. Soon after my experience in the United States, I changed my mind. I realized that great achievers start small and grow bigger progressively."
Inspired by his exchange experience, he founded a non-governmental organization (NGO) called Misericorde in 2000 to support the Rwandan processes of unification and reconciliation. Through Misericorde, he has implemented the concepts and ideas gained through this exchange experience at George Mason University. The NGO currently has three main components: a counseling service, a school and a women's entrepreneurship project, all in underserved areas around the capital city of Kigali. The overall coordination of the NGO is performed by a committee of seven people: a legal representative and an administrative council of six people. The counseling service, which employs one coordinator and three counselors, provides assistance for orphans, genocide survivors and couples with serious marital or relationship problems.
The school, Misericorde College, was created in 2003, and has an enrollment of 80 students between the ages of 12 and 20, of whom 38 attend for free. The school employs also has a small computer lab and library, which were furnished and equipped by donations. Not only do students benefit from these resources, but the people in the neighborhood of Kiberinka Village regularly use the computer lab and library.
"This builds a spirit of ownership in them and whenever I call them for an activity, they do not hesitate," Dr. Gahungu said. "They helped us plant trees around the school, make the school garden and build a fence."
The women's entrepreneurship project, called Tuzamurane, which began in 2007, trains women from the community to make and sell bags, clothes, and postcards from local materials. They help in recruiting and training new members who are selected from Kiberinka and neighboring villages. Priority is given to widows with difficult economic conditions, those who have children at Misericorde College but cannot afford school fees, and those with HIV/AIDS. The NGO works in partnership with other women's organizations throughout the country.
"When we learn that there are new techniques that can help Tuzamurane members improve the quality of their products, we hire a technician to train them," Dr. Gahungu explained. The project also provides some training on saving money and using loans from micro-finance institutions.
Dr. Gahungu is among 30 alumni who attended an organizational meeting in December 2010 to elect a steering committee for the Rwanda-U.S. Alumni Association (RUSA) and establish ground rules. Based on his success in legally registering an NGO, he has offered to advise the steering committee in that process.
In addition to Misericorde and the alumni association, Dr. Gahungu leads church services on Sundays as a preacher at Evangelical Gilgal Church. He still serves as director of action of Evangelical Churches for the Promotion of Health and Development, a church-run organization whose mission is to train laypeople through workshops, consultations and initiatives to facilitate peace, reconciliation and health and development projects throughout the country
March 2011
Linda Maxey (United States)
Linda Maxey
Linda Maxey, a prominent musician and two-time Fulbright Scholar, has devoted her professional life to promoting music education in both the United States and in Lithuania. In addition to her work as a performing artist, she has taught and mentored students, encouraging them to participate in international educational exchanges. Maxey has also built connections between schools, arts organizations and companies that support the arts.
Originally from Longview, Texas, Maxey has studied music, the marimba in particular, since childhood. She first traveled to Lithuania in 1998 and later in 2004 to teach at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre as a Fulbright Scholar.
Since then, Maxey has been instrumental in promoting music scholarships and exchanges between the United States and Lithuania. In 1999 and 2008, she worked with the University of Kansas and Western Michigan University to establish scholarships to enable five Lithuanian students to study in the United States. She has also mentored students in Lithuania, Belarus and the United States as they applied for various exchanges. Maxey has assisted the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre’s International Relations Office with expanding faculty and student exchanges and helped edit their first English language course description catalogue.
Recognizing the importance of equipment and resources for music education, Maxey initiated an appeal for donations of percussion instruments for Lithuania. In response, companies sent cymbals, hand percussion instruments and bell sets for Lithuanian schools.
Maxey has promoted musical performances in both countries as well. In 2003, for example, she organized and arranged funding for the International Percussion Festival at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. She invited guest percussionists from Germany, France and the United States to give master classes for percussion students and professionals. She has also presented a percussion concert in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Concert Series where international guest artists collaborated with each other in the performance of several ensemble pieces.
Maxey, formerly a concert marimbist with Columbia Artist Management, has recently retired and lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with her husband.
February 2011
Samat Panov (Kazakhstan)
Samat Panov
Samat Panov is an accomplished leader in business and community development in his native Kazakhstan. Since receiving his MBA through the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program, Panov has initiated a number of projects to enhance youth leadership skills, create networking opportunities for professionals and promote educational exchange programs.
“Because not all young people from Kazakhstan have a chance to study abroad, I and other alumni, with the help of the U.S. Embassy, created the Astana Alumni Association (AAA) to provide support to youth by sharing knowledge, best practices and encouraging them to grow and learn,” Panov said. He was elected the first president of the association, which unites alumni of U.S. government-sponsored and other exchange programs in Astana to contribute to the development of education, public health and community service in Kazakhstan.
While on his Muskie fellowship at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, Panov joined the local Toastmasters club. Eager to share the leadership experience with those in his home country, Panov founded the Astana Toastmasters Club (ATC), the first chapter of the Toastmasters International network in Central Asia.
Panov also shares the knowledge and experience he gained from his business degree as a marketing instructor to MBA students at Astana-based universities. He co-founded Marketing Partners Ltd., which assists small and medium size businesses develop and execute marketing plans, conduct market research, understand brand creation and auditing.
Through his work with the alumni association, the AAA, Astana Toastmasters Club and his local business community, Panov has become a leading role model for his fellow Kazakhstan alumni.
January 2011
Daniela Munca (Moldova)
Daniela Munca
Daniela Munca is a leader in the Moldovan educational community and among accomplished alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs. Since completing the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program in 2008, Munca has committed herself to advancing the education and training of Moldovan teachers and students.
As part of the Muskie program at the University of Mississippi, Munca learned about integrating technology into education. Today, she applies this knowledge as a university lecturer at the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova where she teaches a course on integrating Web 2.0 tools into foreign language instruction.
Through the professional internship component of the Muskie program, Munca worked at iEARN, a non-profit organization that empowers teachers and young people around the world to collaborate online. She is now the iEARN-Moldova country coordinator and, as a volunteer, trains dozens of teachers from various institutions to implement online education projects. In addition, Munca serves as a facilitator for the Open World Program and volunteers as a trainer and guest speaker for English-teaching and university events in Moldova.
Munca is a leader in the alumni community in Moldova where she has won several grants. The small grants have allowed her to implement educational workshops and seminars, giving many Moldovan teachers the tools to connect and collaborate online with their counterparts in the United States. She also engages alumni of different exchange programs, assisting them in developing community service projects, applying for grants and organizing professional development activities around Moldova.
Munca’s alumni peers have honored her with the 2009 Best Moldovan Alumni Award and elected her president of the Alumni Board. Munca currently serves as the first executive director of the Moldovan alumni association, the Creative Development Association (CDA).