Ambassadors Impacting the Future of Cultural Diplomacy
Posted on Thursday, October 5th, 2017 at 7:52 pm.
By Lynette Evans-Tiernan, Communications Manager for the J-Visa Exchange Visitor Program
A version of this story was also published on the CHI News Blog
Cultural Ambassadors from Malaysia, Poland, Uzbekistan, Russia and Jamaica
proudly represent their countries
From August 14-16, fourteen distinguished winners from Cultural Homestay International’s (CHI’s) Summer Work & Travel program, representing ten different countries, were chosen to participate in CHI’s Cultural Ambassador Award (CAA) Conference, in Washington, DC.
During the two-day conference participants engaged in team workshops focused on diplomacy, leadership and cultural immersion as well as took part in lively panel discussions about the power and value of public diplomacy and cultural exchange with representatives from the Alliance for International Exchange, U.S. Department of State, and Embassies of Brazil and Jamaica. Participants also made new friends, expanded their networks, and developed concrete action plans to foster intercultural learning and understanding in their communities when they return home.
Read J-1 Reflections from the Event:
CHI Cultural Ambassadors in the lobby of the U.S. Department of State
“I haven’t shared that much about Ukraine in my lifetime. It was a great honor for me to be an ambassador, and an even greater honor to communicate with the U.S. Department of State and Embassy leaders we met in Washington. Moreover, it was really awesome to see that all of us students already have goals for our future. It was impressive to hear everyone’s future aspirations because it inspired and motivated me. I want to be an entrepreneur and open up a private foreign language school. The most memorable thing was sharing our experiences and making new connections and friends. Everybody has already received an invitation to visit each other’s countries.” – Bohdana Sydor, Ukraine
CHI Cultural Ambassador Natoya Scott from Jamaica proudly displaying her certificate of recognition. She hopes that people will learn more about Jamaica’s people, food, dance and culture.
“This conference was a life changing experience. The passionate way the guest speakers talked about their jobs and how they help improve the world inspired me and made me think about changing my career field from financial advisor to ambassador. The biggest lesson I learned from the event was that even though we all are from different countries we have a lot of in common. We all have the same life goals, we all have desire to be happy, and we all want to have peace in the world. Cultural diversity improves our understanding and tolerance of each other.” – Agnieszka Wcisło, Poland
CHI Cultural Ambassador Er Hann Ooi from Malaysia visits the United States Capitol.
“I was inspired by Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchanges G. Kevin Saba’s comment that you are the books you read, the people you meet and the experiences you collect.” – Er Hann Ooi, Malaysia
CHI Cultural Ambassador visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC
Categories: Program Spotlight
| About Rebecca Pasini Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchange | |
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Rebecca A. Pasini joined the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchanges in July 2023. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister - Counselor, Ms. Pasini has been an American diplomat since 1997.
Ms. Pasini previously served as the Director of Public and Congressional Affairs in the Bureau of Consular Affairs from 2021-2023. Other Washington assignments have included positions in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, the Office of Foreign Missions, and as a liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. She has also completed multiple overseas tours, including as Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs in Islamabad, Pakistan, and as the Consular Chief in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Belfast, Northern Ireland. Other tours included Mexico City and Kuwait.
A Maryland native, Ms. Pasini has a Ph.D. in Political Science from Indiana University, a master’s degree in National Security and Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School, National Defense University, and an undergraduate degree from Mary Washington College.
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