On #GivingTuesday, We Thank the J-1 Students Who Give Back Every Day
Posted on Tuesday, December 1st, 2015 at 8:19 pm.
“I’m so thankful for being in this family!” Citlalli Espinosa, J-1 au pair
It’s Giving Tuesday, and we want to highlight how J-1s and their hosts give back and share every day.
First, thank you to all the J-1s who gave back all year long. Even little things like teaching your host family about your culture is giving back and making us all more globally minded. It is also worth noting how so many of you have risen to the challenge to help this year in your host communities. From J1Day to the NYC Marathon, I love seeing so many of you having fun while showing your J-1 spirit. Read More ›
Categories: Program Spotlight
The Whole Shebang for Camp Counselors in Pennsylvania
Posted on Friday, November 27th, 2015 at 5:27 pm.
Hannah Bolger, Graeme Brown, Georgia Tibke, and Leia Jones stand with Camp Hilltop’s favorite horse.
As the cold settles in here in Washington, D.C. and the Northeastern United States, I want to revisit summer. My colleague Travis Parsley made a visit to Wayne County, Pennsylvania, during summer camp season. I will let Travis take it from here. Enjoy. Read More ›
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight
J-1 Participants Gain Cutting Edge Experience in Silicon Valley
Posted on Thursday, October 22nd, 2015 at 4:21 pm.Young people always dream about what they will be when they grow up. Will they bring about world peace? Will they end poverty? Will they win an Oscar for their moving documentary? Will they invent the next big thing that radically changes technology? Here in the J-1 world, we jump out of our seats and cheer each time the J-1 internship program brings those young dreamers closer to their life-changing goals. It is a noisy place around here.
I took Route J-1 to California’s Silicon Valley recently, where the world’s most innovative tech companies are hosting J-1 interns and turning dreams into action. I sat down with up-and-coming tech whizzes from all over the world at Cisco and Facebook. Through these J-1 programs, international students supply the dreams while their hosts teach them to turn their big ideas into programs and tools.
DAS Lerner meets with J-1 Interns at CISCO.
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight
A Few Things to Know About Our J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program
Posted on Friday, October 9th, 2015 at 9:20 am.
J-1 exchange visitors jump for joy in the Nation’s capital
This week, I wrote a State Department blog outlining a few things you should know about the J-1 Visa program, in hope of reaching a larger audience. While the program is well known abroad and to the readers of Route J-1, many Americans are unaware of the amazing work being done by J-1 participants. Read More ›
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight
J-1 Exchange Visitor Program in the Outer Banks
Posted on Thursday, October 1st, 2015 at 6:37 pm.Autumn begins this week, and with the change in seasons we have closed out our concentrated summer monitoring and travel for 2015. Route J-1 will continue, of course, so keep checking in. Read More ›
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight
Building Bridges with Cuba
Posted on Thursday, September 17th, 2015 at 7:46 pm.
Sitting on a panel during the “Building Bridges: Strengthening Educational & Citizen Exchange Linkages” symposium
Last week we held a symposium at George Washington University, here in Washington, D.C. on “Building Bridges: Strengthening Educational & Citizen Exchange Linkages,” following the opening of official diplomatic relations with Cuba. The idea was to bring together those who work with exchange programs to discuss our new U.S. approach on engaging people-to-people with Cuba – of which J-1 plays an integral role. Read More ›
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants
Take Me Out to the Ballgame: J-1 Participants Experience America’s Pastime at Nationals Park
Posted on Monday, August 31st, 2015 at 4:30 pm.
J-1 exchange visitors pose with George Washington – one of the Running Presidents at Nats Park. (Photo credits to Kevin Morgan)
Recently, my colleagues Ethan Bursofsky and Julia Saltzman joined more than 200 J-1 lifeguards, their sponsor, and host employer representatives at a Washington Nationals game to experience a great American pastime: baseball.
Read More ›
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight
Summer Work Travel Exchange Visitors Bring International Flavor to the Yellowstone National Park
Posted on Thursday, August 20th, 2015 at 1:48 pm.In addition to the rodeo, my colleagues Stacey Gomelsky and Nadine Zaatar also made their way to Yellowstone National Park, the second leg of their tour of Wyoming. You can read about their visits with J-1 exchange visitors at this famous and historic location.
Old Faithful, a cone geyser in Yellowstone National Park
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight
Scholarship Programs Make Dreams into Realities for Participants
Posted on Monday, August 10th, 2015 at 8:09 pm.
At the Civic Leadership Summit with Mahmoud Sadek, Aly Metwaly, Ghadeer Abu-Rass, and Manuel Guerrero
J-1 Exchange Visitor Programs leave a lasting impression on both participants and host communities. I see it everywhere I go. This year, I was excited to meet four amazing participants who have dreamed of building their skills in the United States, but needed some assistance to make their dreams a reality. Through an innovative new program developed by their sponsor, these four received scholarships to participate in the SWT program – and are now excelling in their respective placements. The scholarship idea was a way to support stellar participants from countries that have historically lower participant levels in the program. Read More ›
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight
Celebrating J-Day 2015: Eat. Play. Give.
Posted on Tuesday, August 4th, 2015 at 5:56 pm.For the past few years, a number of sponsors across the country, in partnership with the Alliance, have encouraged their participants to take a whole day – or even a few hours – and participate in something bigger than all of us, giving back while having fun. Called, “J Day”, it has become a tradition, and is a part of the broader emphasis on cultural activities within the Summer Work Travel program. Yesterday, people across the country used the hashtags #CelebrateJDay and #eatplaygive and showed us some of the amazing ways J-1 participants impact U.S. communities.
First, my colleagues Grace Cho and Michael James stopped by J Day activities at the Family Kingdom Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The day began with a scavenger hunt organized that encouraged participants to spread throughout the amusement park and to explore the different rides and games.
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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