10th Anniversary of BridgeUSA’s Office of Private Sector Exchange Program Administration
Posted on Thursday, May 11th, 2023 at 2:52 pm.May 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Exchange Visitor Program’s Office of Private Sector Exchange Program Administration (OPA)
The J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program has undergone many changes since its creation through the Fulbright-Hays Act in September 1961. At its core, the Exchange Visitor Program seeks to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange. All foreign nationals that participate in the Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) inbound exchange programs travel on J-1 exchange visitor visas. Over 90% of the approximately 300,000 annual J-1 exchange visitors participate in private sector programming spanning the J-1 visa categories of: Au Pair, Camp Counselor, College and University Student, Government Visitor, International Visitor, Intern, Physician, Professor, Research Scholar, Secondary School Student, Short-Term Scholar, Specialist, Summer Work Travel, Teacher, and Trainee. Each year, ECA programs provide opportunities for visitors from roughly 200 countries and territories to experience U.S. culture and engage with Americans with the goal of increasing mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries.
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Categories: J-1 Visa, Program Spotlight
Women in STEM
Posted on Wednesday, March 1st, 2023 at 8:50 pm.By: Abigail Graszl of InterExchange
From researching cell cytotoxicity in a molecular biology lab to having technical discussions with electrical engineers, Career Training USA interns and trainees are completing amazing programs in STEM (that’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics)!
InterExchange is a proud partner of the BridgeUSA Early Career STEM Research Initiative, and these programs strengthen international connections and contribute to the flow of ideas across continents. We recently caught up with some of our female participants to see how their time in the U.S. helped further their careers in these traditionally male-dominated fields.
Eva K.
Molecular Biology
Eva K. from Germany spent six months expanding her skills in molecular biology at Neurona Therapeutics in San Francisco, CA.
Eva had the opportunity to bond with colleagues in San Francsico
Image courtesy of Eva K.
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight
Friendship for a Lifetime
Posted on Wednesday, September 28th, 2022 at 11:55 am.
There is a Nigerian proverb that says, “The day on which one starts out is not the time to start one’s preparations,” but in the case of BridgeUSA exchange visitors Daniel Enebe and Samuel Eze, the day they met they unknowingly set their international exchange plans in motion. Read More ›
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight
Bonfire Bonding
Posted on Monday, September 12th, 2022 at 8:24 pm.Nothing says “summertime” like a good old-fashioned bonfire! In the U.S., this summertime tradition is as old as the nation itself. After all, there is no better time or place to connect with nature and with other people than around the warm flames of a blazing bonfire.
In June, AuPairCare au pairs and host families alike took advantage of the beautiful San Diego summer weather they were having and met at Leisure Lagoon Beach to gather around a bonfire! The fire, the perfect temperature, and the eventual sunset all combined to make for one unforgettable evening.
Like any good bonfire, the host families, host children, and au pairs gathered around the campfire to roast hot dogs and marshmallows, sing songs and warm their hands by the fire. Read More ›
Categories: Participants, Program Spotlight
Slava Ukraini
Posted on Thursday, August 25th, 2022 at 2:48 pm.
Categories: J-1 Visa, Participants, Program Spotlight, Videos
Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Happy Songkran!
Posted on Wednesday, May 25th, 2022 at 5:10 pm.
Three Summer Work Travel participants from Thailand, pictured from left, Nattaporn Khonghana, Wannida Thongsripleng and Montatip Putawed, are spending their cultural exchange with jobs with the Davidson Hospitality Group at the DoubleTree by Hilton Park Vista in Gatlinburg, Tenn., this spring. In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, they shared information about the Thai new year holiday, Songkran, which took place April 13-15. Read More ›
Categories: Program Spotlight
Cultural Care Goes to the Boston Marathon
Posted on Wednesday, May 11th, 2022 at 1:38 pm.By: Kristen McDonough of Cultural Care Au Pair.
It’s the kind of spring day that makes New Englanders giddy about the possibility of summer: sunny, low 50’s, with a crisp breeze and warm pockets of sun. In other words, a perfect day for running. The crowds are thick, buzzing with the excitement of returning events and Boston unity. Read More ›
Categories: Participants, Program Spotlight
Deputy Secretary McKeon Travels to Miami, Meets with BridgeUSA Exchange Visitors
Posted on Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 8:13 pm.Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Brian P. McKeon traveled to Miami, Florida, from March 29-30. The Deputy Secretary visited State Department operations in South Florida, including the Miami Passport Agency and the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Miami Field Office. Read More ›
Categories: Program Spotlight
Participant Spotlight: BridgeUSA Research Scholar is Re-thinking the Timing of the Earths’ Biggest Mass Extinction, and the Diversification of Early Mammal Relatives
Posted on Tuesday, February 1st, 2022 at 4:41 pm.While “dinosaur” might be the first word that pops into peoples’ heads when they think of fossils, those big Jurassic beasts are not the only—or the most interesting—game in town for paleontologists. Case in point: Pia Viglietti, a BridgeUSA research scholar at the Field Museum, studies biostratigraphy and evolutionary change in southern Africa during and after the Permo-Triassic mass extinction. Pia joined the Field Museum in March of 2019, after completing her PhD and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Since then she has been collaborating with Curator Ken Angielczyk and international colleagues, and already has 12 papers under her belt, including the description of several new species of the early mammal relatives known as dicynodonts, as well new species of crocodile and dinosaur ancestors. Read More ›
Categories: Participants, Program Spotlight
Making Memories Every Mile at the TCS New York City Marathon
Posted on Monday, November 29th, 2021 at 1:53 pm.By Katie Knoch, Office of Private Sector Exchange, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
This year, on November 7, 2021, the TCS New York City Marathon took place after a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19. The 2021 TCS New York City Marathon commemorated the event’s 50th race with runners from all over the world participating both in person and virtually. Read More ›
Categories: Participants, Program Spotlight
About Rebecca Pasini Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchange | |
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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