Ocean City Special
Posted on Thursday, July 17th, 2014 at 5:21 pm.Ocean City, Maryland is a popular Atlantic seaside town with a long and rich history of tourism that I was unaware of until my visit to this thriving shore town. For instance, I just learned that the first paying vacationers to Ocean City can be traced back to 1869!
This is a photo of me with Brooks Trimper of Trimper Rides, a family-owned amusement park in Ocean City that’s been entertaining beach-goers since 1893.
Categories: Employers, Participants, Who's the Person Behind
International Students and the Jewel of the Susquehanna
Posted on Tuesday, July 15th, 2014 at 7:11 pm.
In this post, my colleague, Nicole Deaner, shares her experience after attending a cultural program in Pennsylvania over the weekend where many J1 participants visit and work.
This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – a gem of a city nestled on the banks of the Susquehanna River and host to hundreds of international exchange students. Harrisburg has a long and vibrant history of settlement and has served as a center of commerce and transportation. For centuries, it has welcomed people from many different origins and that still holds true today.
Categories: Employers, Participants
Thanksgiving in July
Posted on Monday, July 14th, 2014 at 6:46 pm.
Thanksgiving is a quintessential American holiday – and a major aspect of our national identity – celebrated by Americans from all walks of life. Unfortunately, our summer students miss out on Thanksgiving as they depart long before the fourth Thursday in November. In Wildwood, New Jersey, a J-1 host employer has solved that problem. Thanksgiving in July is a Morey’s Piers tradition for their American and J-1 employees. They serve up an authentic Thanksgiving experience complete with American football, pumpkins, and Pilgrims – right on the beach!
Categories: Participants
It Takes a Village!
Posted on Friday, July 11th, 2014 at 5:25 pm.
One of the many iconic lighthouses that dot the Nantucket coast line.
What exactly does it take to make sure 80,000 foreign university students visiting seasonal tourist spots across the country have a safe and high quality experience? For starters, a welcoming community with host employers that go the extra mile. Today, I want to spotlight two host employers in Nantucket, Massachusetts, but first let me share some nice-to-know information. According to the Nantucket Historical Association, Nantucket means “faraway island” in the language of the Wampanoag tribe who first inhabited the island. Nantucket is as quaint and charming as it is remote and rugged in places. It holds an important place in the history of Massachusetts, and of the early settlement on the east coast. Today, it is one of those special places that adorn the covers of travel magazines.
Categories: Employers
Cookie Diplomacy
Posted on Friday, July 11th, 2014 at 5:19 pm.
Cookies!
I just learned that the chocolate chip cookie is celebrating its 75th year! I also learned that it was created in Massachusetts. It’s funny how you can spend your life eating something and never consider how it actually came into existence. Thanks to the encyclopedic brain of Ocean Edge executive chef, Phil Flath, 80 students from Macedonia, Bulgaria, Jamaica, Romania, Ireland, Serbia, Poland (and there were more), as well as myself, learned how connected culinary traditions are to the people of Massachusetts. Chef Phil taught us how to make the original chocolate chip cookie recipe. Read More ›
Categories: Who's the Person Behind
Engaging Exchange Participants at the J-1 Kickoff
Posted on Wednesday, July 9th, 2014 at 7:38 pm.
Above is a photo of some spectacular young women from the previously mentioned New York event. Milica (pictured on the end to my left) is from Serbia. She asked Under Secretary Stengel for advice on applying her experience as an intern here in New York to her future endeavors as a leader back in Serbia. He told her that she can support democratic values when she goes home, and applying those tenets, she can be a strong leader in any setting.
Categories: Participants
Route J-1 Kicks Off in NYC
Posted on Wednesday, July 9th, 2014 at 7:17 pm.
Ah, the Big Apple. New York City is the world’s city, but it is also a truly American town. Young people all over the world dream of being a part of the bright lights and making their dreams come true. Eighty such young people on the J-1 international intern and trainee programs were recently there for the kickoff of our Route J-1 summer tour. If you would like to know more about opportunities with our J-1, check out our Intern or Trainee programs.
The State Department’s Under Secretary for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy, Richard Stengel, conducted a program on leadership with the participants who represented 32 countries and three continents. We held the program at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations building. What a view! Above is an action shot of Under Secretary Stengel inspiring us all. Learn more about Rick Stengel and also follow him on Twitter @stengel.
Categories: Participants
Discover the International Impact in Local Communities around the U.S. on Route J-1
Posted on Monday, July 7th, 2014 at 12:30 pm.
Summer is a time for road trips and discovering new people and places along the way.
I’ve decided it’s time for me to hit the road to meet the people who participate in the Department’s Exchange Visitor Program and to share their experiences, so I want you to come along too! Please join me and my team for Route J-1, a special road trip we’re taking to highlight the faces, places and connections behind the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program. We’ll be posting regular updates, pictures and stories right here on the Route J-1 blog. You can also follow our adventures by checking out the J-1 Visa website, Exchange Programs – U.S. Department of State Facebook Page and Twitter account.
Categories: J-1 Visa
| About G. Kevin Saba Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchange |  | |
G. Kevin Saba serves as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchange at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). In this capacity, he oversees the Exchange Visitor Program, which brings around 300,000 foreign citizens to the United States annually to teach, study, and build skills. He is the Director for the Policy and Program Support Division in ECA’s Office of Private Sector Exchange.
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