The Changing Face of European Entrepreneurship

As a fresh new intern at Meridian International Center, I was privileged to be assigned work on the 2016 Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI) sponsored by the US State Department. The most rewarding part of the hectic planning and preparations for the YTILI program was having the chance to interact face to face with 45 accomplished, driven and diverse entrepreneurs from 41 European countries. These participants came from all nations across Europe, with places ranging from Turkey to Iceland. Seeing the foreign sounding names on an Excel spreadsheet transform into 45 live individuals with diverse stories, backgrounds, and...

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Checking In With The U.S. – Pakistan Global Leadership and STEM Program

The U.S. – Pakistan Global Leadership and STEM Program is an exchange program that engages ten female Pakistani students in a variety of leadership building and STEM-focused educational activities. During their stay, students participated in an immersive nanotechnology curriculum at SUNY Polytechnic institute. When I arrived at the 4H Center a little over a week ago, I was greeted by a room full of exuberant smiles. Ten Pakistani girls, having just touched down from their respective hometowns the night before, were clustered at the long tables pulled together in the meeting room. They literally sparkled, clothed in traditional shalwar...

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Remembering the “Forgotten War”: U.S. Congress – Republic of Korea National Assembly Exchange Program

On June 25, 1950, the Korean War commenced. On September 15, United States led the 21 nation-Allied Forces in valiant efforts to help South Koreans repel the Chinese-based communist troops allied with the North Korean troops invading from the North. Nearly 38,000 U.N. troops, most of them from the U.S., died during the conflict. The war resulted in a truce, yet the peninsula remains divided to this day. For South Koreans and Americans, we have familiarized ourselves with this version of the Korean War. However, many of us fail to recognize the most crucial part of the story. Thus,...

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Korean-American Exchange

As a Programs Intern with Meridian International Center, I have had the privilege over the past month of working on the U.S. Congress – Republic of Korea National Assembly Exchange Program. This program will send ten American students to Seoul and ten Korean students to the United States. During their time in their host countries the students will learn about Korean-American relations and about how the two governments compare and differ. The program officially began last Thursday July 7 when all of the participants flew into Washington, DC for a week long orientation and team bonding. Their experience will culminate...

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