Remembering the Irish Students
Posted on Wednesday, June 17th, 2015 at 8:18 pm.
DAS Robin Lerner with J-1 alumni Terry Murray and his wife and Deputy Prime Minister Joan Burton, TD, in Dublin
I was about to post a new blog from New York City kicking off my 2015 Route J-1 summer road trip, but that will have to wait. Today, we are all taking a moment to pay tribute to the Irish J-1 students who lost their lives, and those who were critically injured, when a balcony collapsed in Berkeley, California yesterday. The positive impact of the J-1 Summer Work Travel program on Irish society is simply a fact. I know this firsthand. Last year, I posted a State Department blog post from Dublin, where I met alumni from many generations whose life paths were forever benefited, thanks to their summer in the United States.
Yesterday, five Irish students and an Irish-American student lost their lives in a tragic accident as their summer, and their lives, were just beginning. In the eloquent words of Irish Ambassador Anne Anderson: “…(T)hey come for a summer in the U.S. on the threshold of their adult lives, and take back experiences and memories that establish lifelong bonds.” Appropriate words are hard to conjure at these times; we can only share in the sadness and loss. I am posting a few pictures of some prominent J-1 alumni I befriended during my trip to Dublin. Let us all be reminded of the importance of people-to-people exchange: for the people who take part in them, the communities that host them, and the countries brought closer together thanks to them.
DAS Robin Lerner with J-1 alumni (from left to right)Sean Sherlock, TD, Minister of State at Department of Foreign Affairs; Dave Fanning, RTE Radio Presenter; and Alan Brogan, Dublin GAA Footballer
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, 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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