Women in Science: Creating Women Who Dare

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Mrs. Pong Limsam

To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we are highlighting Pong Limsan, CEO and Founder of First Womentech Asia and alumna of the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).   How has participating in international exchange for STEM issues transformed your life, career, or education? Did any new opportunities arise from this experience? The “Advancing Women’s Participation in the Technology Sector” IVLP program was a wonderfully magnificent experience for me not only as a woman but as a business leader. It complemented my path to be a woman who believes, dares and maintains...

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Australian IVLP Alum Reflects on Marriage, Equality, and Pride

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In June 2015, Anna Brown participated in an IVLP project on Preventing and Responding to Bias-Motivated Violence Against the LGBTI Community. At the time, Anna was the Director of Advocacy & Strategic Litigation for the Human Rights Law Centre. She currently serves as the CEO for Equality Australia. She offered the following reflections on her exchange experience and the impact of Pride Month. What have you been doing since your IVLP experience? I have a vivid memory of the plane ride home from the U.S. after my IVLP trip because when I landed on Australian soil I found out...

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Mike Okwoche on World Press Freedoms

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Mike Okwoche on World Press Freedoms

For World Press Freedom Day we are excited to share a contribution from Mike Okwoche, a prominent TV news anchor for TVC News in Lagos, Nigeria, and an alum of the Broadcast Media International Visitor Leadership Program in 2017. Inspired by what he observed during his IVLP trip, Mike founded Rewired Africa Network to promote civic engagement through media and media literacy. What does freedom of the press mean to you? The freedom of the press represents or symbolizes every freedom that a country can get. So when we talk about freedom of the press or press freedom, that...

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IVLP Alumni Spotlight: Conserving Antiquities in Sinai

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Mr. Hesham Hamed conducting conservation work in Sinai

This post was submitted by Addie Curley, Program Associate in Meridian’s Professional Exchanges Division. In April of 2019, three Egyptian antiquities experts embarked on their International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) experience after attending the American Research Center in Egypt’s (ARCE) annual meeting. The week-long program brought them to Washington, DC, Philadelphia, PA, and New York, NY to examine how U.S. institutions utilize technology in the area of conservation, engage in dialogue with experts to increase international cooperation, and create opportunities for future partnerships between U.S. and Egyptian museums and academic institutions. Mr. Hesham Hamed is the Director-General of North...

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To be a Face of Exchange alongside Anwar Sadat

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Vered Cohen Barzilay and Anwar Sadat were both named by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State as “Faces of Exchange” in a series of profiles commemorating the 80th anniversary of the IVLP.

This post was written by Vered Cohen Barzilay. Ms. Vered Cohen-Barzilay is an Israeli social entrepreneur, a women’s rights activist, and an advocate for aviation, space, and science education.  Her latest project is “Out of the Box”’ which seeks to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through space education and entrepreneurship. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) has been introducing 80 Faces of Exchange this year. These profiles of IVLP alumni have showcased participants from around the world and across...

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