LOOKING AHEAD to 2022

It will come as no surprise that international visitors have not been visiting the U.S, because of COVID. The world was staying home and staying safe, and the airports and embassies in some countries are still closed. Our network of American communities is learning to do virtual programming, and we continue to communicate with new visitors and alumni in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. Welcome to the world of zoom!

This year the Global Ties U.S. national meeting was virtual (March 22-26). Normally an annual event in DC, this year we stayed home and watched updates from the State Department Office of International Visitors, heard from elected officials, and were inspired by alumni of the International Visitor Leadership Program. We heard from key note speakers within the State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, and it was a wonderful networking opportunity with our colleagues in other cities.

My virtual embassy visit was with the Federation of the European Union, and the best quote came from Dearhbla Doyle, Head of the Political, Security and Development Section at Delegation of the European Union to the United States: “Administrations come and go but the ties between our nations remain.” Virtual was just not the same as being in Washington, but it was lovely not to have to leave home.

I have begun to appreciate the possibilities of being able to interface with people in their home countries, while they continue to work and take care of their families, but I miss seeing international visitors in North Carolina. We are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to welcome visitors to Greensboro again, perhaps in the fall.

Stay tuned for future developments,

Beth Robertson

Executive Director

MEMORIES OF IVLP ALUMNI

Written by Mike Okwoche, Senior Anchor, TV Continental, Lagos, Nigeria

It was a hot afternoon in January 2017 and it was a regular day at the office when my phone rang.... it was from the United States Consulate in Lagos. The voice at the other end asked if I’m free to talk for a few minutes and I agreed.... he broke the news to me that I had been selected to attend a U.S. exchange program in the United States.... “What!...” I exclaimed aloud. “Me...? How...? I asked. Now, I wanted to be sure if I was speaking to a real official of the Consulate or maybe, it was a dream as I was sure I didn’t apply for any exchange or fellowship program to the US. In the end, it was authentic and I later I found out I was selected because they found me diligent in my duties.

It was my first time traveling to the United States and my mind became a super highway of thoughts rushing and crisscrossing each other. I imagined the splendor of America especially through the window of many Hollywood movies I had seen since childhood. My mind was so busy with thoughts about America through the flights that I didn’t notice the beauty of Amsterdam when we stopped over and had to wait for over six hours for the flight to the U.S.

I landed in Washington, D.C. and I was not disappointed at all. “I am in America,” I said to myself. There was so much to see from people to cars, buildings, highways... it was the land of the free, home of the brave! Hospitality greeted me right from the airport - it was so tangible I could touch it. There was too much to take in at same time and it didn’t take long for me to see and know why America is the greatest country on the planet.

That evening, I met with 20 other journalists from 20 countries and we interacted and connected immediately; there was dinner with lots to drink... they were going to be my companions and neighbors for the next month.

In the coming days, we visited institutions, monuments and cities. Washington, DC and Maryland were eye opening with lots of history to learn about the United States. Boston was eye-popping with a visit to Harvard and other institutions.

But perhaps some of the most significant experiences yet in the U.S. was in Greensboro, North Carolina... that was where we connected with real Americans in a homey setting. Arriving in Greensboro, the home of Wrangler Jeans was a new experience all together. It was a break from the formalities of the huge institutions we have been visiting. It was home with fresh air and great, green vegetation.

The week in Greensboro was really remarkable. It was here we made real American friends. I longed for real home food and it wasn’t long before we got it - warm, delicious and sumptuous with great love to go with it.

We visited WFMY, a huge TV station with studios and gadgets bigger than any TV networks we have back in my country, Nigeria. Away from the TV experience, it was a great time at A&T and Elon Universities sharing with students. At A&T, we saw a radio totally run by students and I was amazed how they are able to do that seamlessly but they did it. At Elon University, we attended a class with students and they wanted to know more about our countries and how we carry out our jobs as journalists especially where there’s no press freedom as it is in the US. It was a great pleasure to share our experiences with the students.

Another great outing was our community experience where we spent a day with children guiding them on how the media works... it was an amazing day. It was only in Greensboro we attended a church while in the United States and that fellowship was memorable.

I felt sad leaving Greensboro. It was the first time we were leaving real American friends. We left Greensboro for Los Angeles but the memory of North Carolina has never left me.

Till this day, the memories of North Carolina remains some of the strongest we share. That visit is why Greensboro remains my real home in the United States, and I will return to pay a visit to my real home in America in the near future along with my family from Nigeria.

Mike Okwoche

UNCG Student from High Point Wins “Local Dollars For Global Scholars”

Jade Alexandria Young Will Use NC Global Leadership Scholarship to Study Abroad in 2020

Greensboro, NC (November 2019) NC Global Leadership (formerly named Piedmont Triad International Visitors Council) recently announced that Jade Alexandria Young is the winner of the Triad organization’s scholarship given to a local university student for study abroad. Young, a sophomore from High Point, NC was awarded $1,000 to help support her study at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. She was among nine finalists nominated by area colleges and universities. A panel of experienced NC Global Leadership “citizen diplomats” selected Young for the organization’s third annual award.

Young, who will study at the Carmarthen Campus of UWTSD in their well-known drama program, already has a distinguished background in school and in theater. She is a UNCG Guarantee Scholar, a Lloyd International Honors College Scholar, a delegate to NC Governor’s School and has appeared in UNCG productions, The Witches, When She Had Wings and Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. She is also earning a Minor in American Sign Language.

The NC Global Leadership scholarship is modeled after the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship which enables American students of limited financial means to gain proficiency in diverse languages and cultures, skills that are critically important to their academic and career development. In announcing Young’s award and thanking the organization’s Scholarship Coordinator Sarah Monro, NC Global Leadership board chair, David Limburg said, “This experience will directly impact Alexandria’s understanding of other cultures as well as furthering our mission of supporting citizen-to-citizen diplomacy.”

Beth Robertson, Executive Director of NC Global Leadership expressed appreciation for the International Study Departments at NC A&T State University, UNCGreensboro, Guilford College, Greensboro College, Bennett College and High Point University, who were all invited to nominate finalists from their respective schools. She said, “The universities are great partners when we are hosting emerging leaders from other countries. Guests are impressed when we introduce them to the political, social, economic and cultural features of the Triad. It is a fitting way for us to collaborate with the universities to potentially enhance a program for their students.”

TV Broadcasters AT elon university school of journalism

NEW AND TRADITIONAL BROADCAST MEDIA

A Multi Regional Project

by Lynne Brandon

It was a whirlwind few days with broadcast media visitors in April. The visit was time well spent and truly rewarding. Six visitors from different parts of the world traveled to the U.S., most for the first time, as participants in the International Visitor Leadership Program (aka IVLP). Their vibrant personalities were a hit with local leaders in government (City of Greensboro), education (NC A & T and Elon University), and of course, broadcast journalism (WFMY-TV).

The visitors were the best-of-the-best and like all good journalists were inquisitive and highly interactive on our scheduled visits. After their daily appointments they enjoyed retail shopping –U.S. style, eating American food, Southern hospitality at Chairwoman Lisa Stahlmann’s home and volunteering side-by-side with American’s at the Children’s Museum.

While our visitors: Zohrab Haroyan (Armenia), Diana Eldaba (Egypt), Laila Al Sayyed (Jordan), Mike Okwoche (Nigeria), Nasser Alayasa (West Bank) and Xiaowen (Emily) Ni (China) enjoyed the Southern touch not afforded in larger metro cities, we were the true recipients of the enriching visit which reminded us of why we do what we do and why the IVLP program is vital to the cause of citizen diplomacy.