Washington, D.C. (June 1, 2022) – 43 Edmund S. Muskie Professional Fellowship Program participants gathered for two days on May 20-21, in Washington, D.C. for the Muskie Program’s orientation seminar.
This was the Muskie Program’s first in-person orientation seminar since 2019 and the start of the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 safety protocols were strictly followed, and all participants were fully vaccinated.
Participants representing countries in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia took part in a program tailored to their professional development. Sessions gave participants the opportunity to enhance their interpersonal communication skills, practice soft skills for the labor market, improve their self-care and resilience, and learn more about the Muskie Program’s opportunities and volunteer activities in the United States. The two-day seminar concluded with a captivating night tour of the capital city’s historic sites and monuments.
The Edmund S. Muskie Professional Fellowship Program, which has been funded by the U.S. Department of State and implemented by Cultural Vistas since 2015, gives emerging Fulbright Program leaders from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia the opportunity to gain real-world experience that complements and enriches their graduate studies in the US. The Muskie Program’s community represents 12 countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Muskie Fellows demonstrate a dedication to gaining practical skills and a better understanding of U.S. work culture, as well as a willingness to apply what they have learned to make positive changes and leave a lasting influence in their home countries. Host organizations are not only at the forefront of attracting innovative talent to the United States, but they also play an important role in fostering mutual understanding.
The eighth year of the program will send 50 participants to various U.S. states to complete their summer fellowships. California, Texas, New York, Ohio, Colorado, Iowa, Florida, Oregon, and New Jersey are all states where Muskie Fellows will pursue professional experiences.
The Muskie Professional Fellowship Program holds a partnership with a multitude of host organizations that are at the forefront of bringing innovative talent to the U.S. workplace and play a critical role in fostering mutual understanding. The organizations hosting this year’s fellows span various fields and industries. They include the World Bank Group; DeepCast.ai; Birds Nest Foundation; One Architecture and Urbanism; Future Earth; the International Bar Association; the Institute of Economics and Peace; Move United; Duke University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery; Yale University Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases and School of Public Health.
Dr. Hrach Gregorian, Director of the American University’s International Peace and Conflict Resolution Program, kicked off the seminar with a session on Skills for Effective Management of Interpersonal Communication, which is essential at an interpersonal level, as well as given the realities of escalating conflicts in today’s world.
Participants also learned about opportunities to stay engaged with the Muskie Program during their summer internships through social media contests and received recommendations on how to amplify their personal brand on social media.
Muskie Fellows also had the opportunity to attend a Global Competence Certificate live training during the second day of the seminar to learn more about cultural differences, how to understand and consider multiple perspectives, and how to adapt to ambiguity and change.
Three Muskie alumni, Anna Mytcul (2020), Niko Rekhviashvili (2021), and Tigran Margaryan (2021), participated in a panel where they discussed their internship experiences and gave practical advice to this year’s participants about U.S. work culture and the many opportunities that the Muskie program has to offer.
Participants learned more about joining Cultural Vistas’ larger Alumni network, which includes more than 150,000 members across the world and works to promote the organization’s basic values: connecting people, empowering young changemakers through education, and fostering democracy.
Crixell Shell and Donna Minter of the Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute gave a class on Self-Care for Resilience, which culminated with a critical reminder: “Love begins with us.”
Additionally, Muskie participants were informed about volunteer opportunities in their host communities available throughout the summer. They also had the chance to learn more about the nonprofit sector and volunteering in the United States from Mary Beth Healy, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer at the Capital Area Food Bank; James Pierce and Emmanuel Ekekwe from the National Parks Service; and Ruth M. Mwanza, Community Outreach Manager at The Salvation Army.
In the presence of our fellows, our partners from the U.S. Department of State, and foreign Embassy representatives, Cultural Vistas CEO Jennifer Clinton capped the celebration with a heartfelt toast.
At Cultural Vistas, we look to the legacy of Edmund S. Muskie, this program’s namesake, as a source of hope and inspiration. As both a Senator and later as Jimmy Carter’s Secretary of State, Muskie advocated for liberal values, environmentally sustainable development, and peace. He believed that mutual understanding and cooperation were the best way to achieve these goals. This is exactly what this program is about: developing culturally aware global citizens, professionals, and young leaders. We are hopeful that year’s cohort will keep Muskie’s legacy in mind and will make a positive impact not only in their professional fields but also in the region.
– Jennifer Clinton |President & CEOCultural Vistas
About the Muskie Program
Since 1992, the U.S. Department of State has awarded thousands of graduate school scholarships to students from across Eurasia to strengthen democratic values, enhance market economies, and establish strong civil societies. Over the last eight years, Cultural Vistas has built on that foundation by providing hands-on, professional skill-building opportunities for more than 300 graduate students across the United States.
Learn more about the Edmund S. Muskie Professional Fellowship Program at https://culturalvistas.org/muskie-2/ and follow real-time social media updates through our program hashtags: #MuskieFellows, #ExchangeOurWorld, #ExchangeAlumni, #MuskieIntern, and #CulturalVistans.
Meet the Edmund S. Muskie Professional Fellowship Program Class of 2022
Arkadi Akopian, Georgia
Field of Study: Engineering
University: Iowa State University of Science and Technology
Host Organization: Micron
Aiymzhan Almazbekova, Kyrgyz Republic
Field of Study: Business
University: Rutgers University
Host Organization: Rutgers Business School, Business of Fashion Program
Natalia Babenko, Russia
Field of Study: Public Health
University: University of Southern Florida
Host Organization: Public Health Foundation
Sopiko Beriashvili, Georgia
Field of Study: Education
University: University of Maryland-College Park
Host Organization: World Bank Group
Archil Beridze, Georgia
Field of Study: Computer Science
University: San Jose State University
Host Organization: DeepCast.ai
Natallia Bulko, Belarus
Field of Study: Law
University: Louisiana State University
Host Organization: Saleh & Associates P.A.
Vitalii Burdin, Russia
Field of Study: Language Teaching
University: Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Host Organization: Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, School of Languages & Linguistics
Mariam Chachava, Georgia
Field of Study: Public Policy
University: University of Washington
Host Organization: American Action Forum
Yana Chapailo, Ukraine
Field of Study: Education
University: University of Maryland-College Park
Host Organization: American Councils for International Education
Ana Chkhaidze, Georgia
Field of Study: Economics
University: Kent State University
Host Organization: Kent State University, Department of Economics
Iryna Demianiuk, Ukraine
Field of Study: Architecture and Design
University: Arizona State University
Host Organization: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Ievgeniia Dulko, Ukraine
Field of Study: Urban Studies
University: University of Illinois-Chicago
Host Organization: Territory NFP
Anzhelika Gyulumyan, Armenia
Field of Study: Education
University: Old Dominion University
Host Organization: MATC Group Inc.
Nodira Irgasheva, Uzbekistan
Field of Study: Law
University: Fordham University
Host Organization: Dentons US LLP
Alena Khadartsevich, Belarus
Field of Study: International Relations
University: The New School
Host Organization: Institute of Economics and Peace
Iryna Kohut, Ukraine
Field of Study: Journalism
University: University of Missouri-Columbia
Host Organization: Magnum Foundation
Anna Kokareva, Russia
Field of Study: Environmental Philosophy
University: University of North Texas
Host Organization: Future Earth
Kseniia Kolontai, Ukraine
Field of Study: Law
University: University of Texas at Austin
Host Organization: Pillsbury Law
Nikita Lokhmachev, Russia
Field of Study: Computer Science
University: University of North Texas
Host Organization: Blue River Technologies Inc.
Eteri Machavariani, Georgia
Field of Study: Public Health
University: Johns Hopkins University
Host Organization: Yale University, Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases and School of Public Health
Anton Makarevych, Ukraine
Field of Study: Arts
University: Arizona State University
Host Organization: Flux Factory
Nino Mateshvili, Georgia
Field of Study: Geography
University: University of Northern Iowa
Host Organization: University of Northern Iowa, ARCTICenter
Diana Matsepuro, Russia
Field of Study: Anthropology
University: New York University
Host Organization: Birds Nest Foundation
Kateryna Minkina, Ukraine
Field of Study: Political Science
University: Villanova University
Host Organization: Office of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman for the International Finance Corporation and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
Rinat Mukhametzianov, Russia
Field of Study: Language Teaching
University: Northern Arizona University
Host Organization: San Diego State University, Language Acquisition Resource Center
Ekaterina Muromtseva, Russia
Field of Study: Arts
University: Virginia Commonwealth University
Host Organization: The Drawing Center
Sardor Musaev, Uzbekistan
Field of Study: Law
University: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Host Organization: International Bar Association
Gvantsa Nikolaishvili, Georgia
Field of Study: Urban Studies
University: University of Illinois-Chicago
Host Organization: Mercy Housing Lakefront
Aleksandre Oniani, Georgia
Field of Study: Business
University: Bentley University
Host Organization: Infoblox
Irina Perfilova, Russia
Field of Study: Business
University: James Madison University
Host Organization: Move United
Alena Pishchuk, Belarus
Field of Study: Public Administration
University: Rochester Institute of Technology
Host Organization: Blue Systems
Aleksandra Proskurina, Russia
Field of Study: International Relations
University: University of Texas at Austin
Host Organization: Casa Marianella
Kristina Rainich, Russia
Field of Study: Linguistics
University: University of Delaware
Host Organization: Duke University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery
Dinar Saifullin, Russia
Field of Study: Dance
University: Arizona State University
Host Organization: Battery Dance
Tatiana Schitco, Moldova
Field of Study: Law
University: Loyola University Chicago
Host Organization: World Bank Group
Kristina Serova, Russia
Field of Study: Political Science
University: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Host Organization: Birds Nest Foundation
Margarita Shmakova, Russia
Field of Study: Journalism
University: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Host Organization: Creative Space Artists Management
Iryna Stavynska, Ukraine
Field of Study: Anthropology and Folklore
University: University of Oregon
Host Organization: Oregon Folklife Network at University of Oregon
Vladislava Sukhanovskaya, Russia
Field of Study: Journalism
University: Michigan State University
Host Organization: Grand State Valley University, Military and Veterans Resources
Assem Suleimenova, Kazakhstan
Field of Study: Public Health
University: University of Washington
Host Organization: International Training and Education Center for Health
Maryna Tsapok, Ukraine
Field of Study: Law
University: University of California
Host Organization: Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office
Vasilii Tuganov, Russia
Field of Study: International Relations
University: Middlebury Institute at Monterey
Host Organization: James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Viktoriia Tuzova, Russia
Field of Study: Language Translation
University: Kent State University
Host Organization: Randstad Central Delivery
Marika Verulashvili, Georgia
Field of Study: Public Administration
University: Georgetown University
Host Organization: World Bank Group
Oksana Veselkova, Russia
Field of Study: Urban Studies
University: Clemson University
Host Organization: One Architecture and Urbanism
Filipp Voronov, Russia
Field of Study: Biology
University: Texas A&M-College Station
Host Organization: Ibio, CDMO
Anarbek Yelshibayev, Kazakhstan
Field of Study: Education
University: Lehigh University
Host Organization: Pennsylvania State Education Association
Kuanysh Yermukhanbetov, Kazakhstan
Field of Study: Materials Science
University: Missouri University of Science and Technology
Host Organization: Peaslee Steel Manufacturing Research Center at Missouri University School of Science and Technology
Valeryia Zakharyk, Belarus
Field of Study: Journalism
University: University of Missouri-Columbia
Host Organization: 4th Row Films
Irina Zemkina, Russia
Field of Study: Law
University: University of Cincinnati
Host Organization: Ohio Innocence Project