Accolades on the Rim
Posted on Thursday, September 4th, 2014 at 7:49 pm.There are times when certain individuals capture your heart and inspire you. Two young J-1 Summer Work Travel (SWT) participants I recently met at Grand Canyon National Park showed me – in living color – what a can-do, entrepreneurial spirit really looks like, and how lucky we are that such motivated and impressive individuals regularly choose to take part in J-1 programs.
Eliada Miron, a SWT participant from Romania
Eliada Miron is an extraordinary young woman from Romania who spent this summer working in the reception department at the Yavapai Lodge.
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight
A Grand Experience
Posted on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014 at 1:55 pm.
Grand Canyon National Park
As I mentioned in my post from Rocky Mountain National Park, our national parks are a true treasure of this country. I had the wonderful opportunity to visit one of the most famous and widely visited parks – Grand Canyon National Park. Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. This amazing gorge was created through tectonic uplift, erosion, and other natural phenomena – exposing stone half the age of the earth!
Categories: Employers, Participants, Program Spotlight
J-1 Cafe
Posted on Friday, August 29th, 2014 at 5:20 pm.Through Route J-1, we have spotlighted many local community groups and homegrown efforts to embrace the diversity student visitors bring. As we showed in Ocean City, Maryland and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, local community support enriches students’ understanding of American culture, and makes a lasting impact in the lives of those exchange visitors. In this post, my colleague, Michael James, shares his experience during a recent visit to the Virginia Beach Community Chapel’s “J-1 Café”.
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| J-1 students line up for a delicious dinner donated and served by the local community. |
J-1 Cafe |
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants
Fudge Versus History
Posted on Friday, August 29th, 2014 at 3:53 pm.
View of Lake Huron and Mackinac Island from Fort Mackinac, built during the American Revolutionary War by the British.
In this post, my colleague, Nadine Zaatar, shares her experience during a recent visit to Mackinac Island.
If you had to choose between working at a fudge restaurant or at a historical landmark, which would you choose? For the several hundred participants placed in Mackinac Island, this is the exact conundrum they faced when deciding on the direction of their Summer Work Travel (SWT) program. I guess the main question one has to ask their self is, “Do I have the self-discipline to avoid eating the tasty samples all day?” Read More ›
Categories: Employers, J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight
Celebrating J-Day: Lifeguard Olympics
Posted on Thursday, August 21st, 2014 at 4:00 pm.
Exchange visitors taking part in the Lifeguard Olympics in Fairfax, Virginia, gather with representatives of the Capital Area Food Bank.
In this post, my colleague, Jennifer Nupp, shares her experience during a recent visit to Fairfax, Virginia.
J-Day is a day when J-1 visa participants come together in their communities around the U.S. to celebrate and share cultural diversity and American customs. In commemoration of J-Day, the sponsor this August hosted its sixth annual “Lifeguard Olympics” held at the Brandywine Swim Club in Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. The sponsor hosts this popular event near the end of the summer season for student J-visa holders working as lifeguards in the Washington metropolitan area as a thank you to these exchange visitors and local employees for all their hard work.
Categories: Participants, Program Spotlight
Volunteers Multiplied
Posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2014 at 7:20 pm.
Students visit to the White House!
We regularly talk about the public diplomacy “multiplier effect” achieved through J-1 exchange programs. Exchange programs connect people around the world and link people through common interests, values, and passions. While U.S. designated exchange organizations – sponsors – implement individual programs, the State Department oversees the overall functioning of the Exchange Visitor Program and how sponsors conduct their individual programs. We ensure that the goals we seek to achieve through public diplomacy are fulfilled through J-1 sponsored exchanges. Route J-1 has allowed me to see for myself how that is happening in the area of volunteerism, a major focus area of the State Department’s public diplomacy mission around the world.
Categories: Employers, Participants, Program Spotlight
The Rhode Island State House
Posted on Thursday, August 14th, 2014 at 3:37 pm.
The Rhode Island State House
In this post, my colleague, Deb Shetler, shares her experience during a recent visit to Rhode Island.
Earlier this month, eight Summer Work Travel (SWT) participants had the privilege of meeting with the Governor of Rhode Island and touring the impressive marble state building as part of a cultural event organized by their sponsor organization.
Categories: Participants, Program Spotlight
A Delicious Experience in Lake Tahoe
Posted on Monday, August 11th, 2014 at 12:51 pm.
My last stop on the second leg of Route J-1 was Lake Tahoe, CA. Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the United States and it spans both Nevada and California. Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that if Lake Tahoe were poured over the state of California, it would still be 14 inches deep? Lake Tahoe’s initial attraction to hearty souls was its gold and timber resources; however, it’s now famous for skiing, hiking, and 274 days of sunshine each year. With this in mind, I joined a group of J-1 Summer Work Travel students for a day-long hike to Eagle Lake and Emerald Bay Beach.
Categories: Employers, Participants, Program Spotlight
J-1 Students Rock!
Posted on Tuesday, August 5th, 2014 at 5:17 pm.
Students getting ready for their community service activity
In this post, my colleague, Deb Shetler, shares her experience during her recent trip to South Dakota.
Last week, my colleague Yupa and I had the pleasure of getting to know sixteen J-1 international students placed at South Dakota’s Custer State Park Resort as they participated in a community service activity. These energetic students spent a day supporting the state park in its effort to build a new amphitheater.
Categories: Employers, J-1 Visa, Participants
The Rocky Mountain Intercontinental Connect
Posted on Friday, August 1st, 2014 at 2:55 pm.
I just visited Estes Park, Colorado, a beautiful little town that is the starting point for one of the best road trips in the U.S. – Trail Ridge Road. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuously paved road in the United States, reaching an elevation of 12,183 feet. My Route J-1 road trip would not be complete without paying homage to this famous route, and the national park that hosts it, Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).
Categories: Employers, 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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