1. Turkmenistan Participant Connects with Disabilities Organizations

   In his home country of Turkmenistan, Ibragim Nurjanov has been a tireless advocate for the well-being of people with disabilities, both as a sports trainer and as a participant in the Democracy Commission. As such, he was a natural candidate for an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on the topic of “Promoting Disability Rights.”

2. My Extended Minnesota Family

   Fahmida Zaman sometimes missed her family in Bangladesh during her Global Undergraduate Exchange Program experience. She spent the better part of 2012 at St. Catherine University in Minnesota, well removed from her home. But, she is thankful for the connections she made with professors, her “friendship family,” American and international students, and one very memorable meeting with another Bangladeshi.

3. Discovering American Culture

   Nodirjon Siddikov was expecting many things when he came to Rochester, New York, as part of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program in 2009, but a vibrant food culture was not one of them.

4. Fulbright Foreign Student Alumna Introduces First Seeing-Eye Dog to Mongolia

   As a student in Mongolia, Uyanga Erdenbold did not have the same opportunity to read books as her fellow students did until she reached college.

5. Hosting Exchanges for 30 Years, and Still Learning

   "My hope is to remain involved with the IVLP program until I can no longer do so, as it has – and continues to be – an extraordinary gift in my life.”

6. Chance Encounters Lead to New Possibilities for Yolanda

   “I need to do something!” Rueda said to the U.S. Ambassador to Spain after meeting him at a volunteer award conference. “ The ambassador, taken by Yolanda’s passion to help others, recommended her for a VolVis International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Just a few months later, Yolanda came to the United States on a volunteerism and social innovation-focused IVLP with another Spanish colleague.

7. Ramma Explores Journalism in America

8. Access Student Aspires to Be the Change

   Through the English Access Microscholarship Program, Walter Morales has had the opportunity to study English and U.S. culture in his country for the past two years.

9. Food Diplomacy Brings Egyptian Culinary Professional to the Table for a Taste of America

   Through strong, long-term relationships with food, beverage, and equipment companies, Ashraf has generated funds to make the organization ground zero for the exchange of information and services among chefs, and Egypt’s premier source of culinary knowledge and training.

10. African Disability Rights Advocates

    From the moment Musa Zulu of South Africa stepped off of the airplane at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., the level of accessibility impressed him, including the lifts installed on public buses. He also noted how in South Africa, traditionally the government and non-profit actors are the primary advocates for the rights of disabled people. He said it is evident that in the United States, the private sector has embraced disability rights.

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