Vilnius Marathon Brings Together Different Experiences of Lithuanian Students
Posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2020 at 4:07 pm.
By Emilija Buividavičiūtė, Summer Work Travel Alumni, Lithuania
Emilija enjoying the event
Volunteering is always an exciting and valuable experience, especially when it comes to sports-related events. As Exchange Visitor Program participants, we never say no to any new opportunities. That is why when the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania invited us to volunteer in the Danske Bank Vilnius Marathon, we were very happy to help out and make our contribution as valuable as possible. It was a great opportunity to be part of one of the biggest sports event in the Baltics, to meet new people, and, of course, to have a fun and fulfilling weekend.
Our task was not complicated – we staffed fluid stations along the race course handing out water to runners. There were 15 of us, as we call ourselves, “bookmen” and “bookgirls,” volunteering at three different fluid stations alongside 30 other J1 alumni. We were enthusiastic and energetic in order to create the best atmosphere around us for the people in the event. We motivated the runners as they passed by our stations, for example, asking them to spill water on them so the photographers could take great pictures of them. Together with other volunteers we were trying to make this challenging marathon run more satisfying and enjoyable for the runners. It was a fun and rewarding experience!
J-1 volunteers at water stations
It was also very satisfying to get to meet U.S. Embassy staff and other J1 alumni. One of the best parts of interacting with other volunteers was to find out about other educational and cultural exchange programs, for example, FLEX for high school students, which made me wish I was back in high school and could attend such a program myself.
Another amazing surprise was to meet members of the Lithuanian Paralympic Committee and medal winning Lithuanian athletes, as well as learning about disability sports. I felt grateful afterwards for the chance to learn from these experiences: it never occurred to me that misfortunes in life can lead to personal growth and new opportunities. We even got to see and touch the medals from the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016 and the ball of goalball, a sport for athletes with a vision impairment.
Finally, I enjoyed learning more about the J1 US Alumni Association. I hope it will grow and unite the amplitude of those wonderful experiences that we, students, had a chance to live during our exchange programs in the USA.
Categories: 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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