WASHINGTON – Cultural Vistas is pleased to announce the 2018 class of the Edmund S. Muskie Interns.

This is the fourth year of the Edmund S. Muskie  Internship Program, a summer internship program funded by the U.S. Department of State that provides emerging leaders from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia with the opportunity to gain real-world experience complementing and enriching their graduate school education in the United States.

Since 1992, the U.S. Department of State has provided thousands of graduate school fellowships for students from across Eurasia in order to build democracies, strengthen the transition to market economies, and establish a strong civil society. Cultural Vistas has built upon that foundation by providing hands-on, professional skill-building opportunities across the United States for nearly 200 graduate students over the last four years.

The class of 2018 brings together 53 graduate students currently studying in the United States through the Foreign Fulbright Program. This year’s interns hail from 12 countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

“The Edmund S. Muskie program brings together terrific individuals and gives an opportunity to connect in a meaningful way,” says Asya Karabayeva, a participant from Kazakhstan, who is interning at AeroFarms in New Jersey this summer.  “Meeting people who dream big, think critically and work hard has played a huge part in my personal and professional development.”

Muskie’s partner host organizations are not only at the forefront of bringing innovative talent to the American workplace, they also play a critical role in fostering mutual understanding. The organizations hosting this summer’s interns span a variety of fields and industries and include the United Nations Population Fund, Library of Congress, AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, Deloitte Consulting, Save the Children, Boston School of English, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.

“Having experience with an organization so well known in my field as United States Geological Survey is one of the career goals that Muskie is helping me to achieve” states Timur Sabitov, a current Muskie Intern from Uzbekistan. “I am surrounded by some of the most brilliant minds in my field. Professionalism, networking, experience and knowledge are the most important parts of my Muskie experience that I hope to improve over time and transfer back to my colleagues in my country.”

The 2018 program began with virtual activities and a 2-day orientation in Washington, D.C. on May 17, and is followed by three-month internships in the participant’s field of study, and a closing seminar in August. This final seminar, which will take place in Charlottesville, Virginia, will provide participants the opportunity to reconnect and share their professional experiences with each other.

Learn more about the Edmund S. Muskie Internship Program at culturalvistas.org/muskie and follow updates in real time at #MuskieIntern.

About the Muskie Program
The Muskie Program has established meaningful connections between Americans and nearly 5,000 emerging Eurasian leaders over the last two-plus decades. Named after the late Senator from Maine and preeminent U.S. environmental leader, the original academic program was established by Congress in 1992 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union to help ensure that countries in the region continued healthy economic and democratic growth. This new iteration of the Muskie Program provides professional exchange opportunities for current Foreign Fulbright Scholars to continue furthering these goals and promoting collaboration and mutual understanding.

Meet the Edmund S. Muskie Internship Program Class of 2018:

Lela Akiashvili
Field of Study: Public Administration
University: Texas A&M University, Bush School of Government and Public Service
Host Organization: Save the Children, Department of Hunger and Livelihoods

Toghrul Alakbarov
Field of Study: Education, Workforce Education and Development
University: Bowling Green State University
Host Organization: National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)

Natalya Amirova
Field of Study: Arts
University: Savannah College of Art and Design
Host Organization: GEN North America

Zhuzumkan Askhatbekova
Field of Study: Library and Information Science
University: University of Missouri, Columbia
Host Organization: Library of Congress

Gayane Baghdasaryan
Field of Study: Public Administration
University: Texas A&M University, Bush School of Government and Public Service
Host Organization: Urban Institute

Haykaz Bagratyan
Field of Study: Information Science, Computer Science
University: Syracuse University
Host Organization: Ignyte Group, Inc.

Iryna Bondarenko
Field of Study: Public Policy, Urban Studies
University: University of Maryland, College Park
Host Organization: Howard University Transportation Research and Data Center

Nargiza Buranova
Field of Study: Special Education
University: University of Missouri, Columbia
Host Organization: University of Missouri Disability Center and Office of Accessibility and ADA

Mariam Chikhladze
Field of Study: Public Administration
University: Texas A&M University, Bush School of Government and Public Service
Host Organization: Hudson Institute

Ana Chkheidze
Field of Study: Public Administration
University: University  of Washington
Host Organization: Economic Policy Institute

Guljahan Gochova
Field of Study: Higher Education
University: University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Host Organization: University of Arkansas, College of Education and Health Professions, Office of Academic and Student Affairs

Doina Grecu
Field of Study: Education
University: University of Georgia
Host Organization: Boston School of English

Maryna Hrudii
Field of Study: Public Health
University: University of Kentucky
Host Organization: Social Intervention Group, Columbia University School of Social Work

Namazbai Ishmakhametov
Field of Study: Economics, Analytics
University: North Carolina State University, Institute for Advanced Analytics
Host Organization: Deloitte Consulting LLP

Bogdan Kapatsila
Field of Study: Public Policy, Urban and Regional Planning
University: University of Iowa
Host Organization: Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP)

Asya Karabayeva
Field of Study: Business Administration
University: Clark University
Host Organization: Aerofarms

Konul Karimova
Field of Study: Political Science
University: University of Northern Iowa
Host Organization: United Nations Population Fund

Serhii Kryvenko
Field of Study: Environmental Management, Petroleum Engineering
University: Texas Tech University
Host Organization: Rock Flows Dynamics

Leyla Kulyyeva
Field of Study: Business Administration
University: Middlebury Institute of International Studies
Host Organization: California College of Communications

Mariam Kvantaliani
Field of Study: Business Administration
University: Syracuse University
Host Organization: Enlightened Inc.

Bakur Kvaratskhelia
Field of Study: International Relations
University: New York University
Host Organization: East-West Management Institute, Inc.

Anastasia Leshchyk
Field of Study: Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
University: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Host Organization: Harvard Medical School, Department of Systems Biology

Darya Levchenko
Field of Study: Film Studies
University: North Carolina State University
Host Organization: AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center

Valeriia Lozova
Field of Study: International Relations
University: University of Georgia
Host Organization: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Arpine Mazhinyan
Field of Study: Public Policy
University: Oregon State University
Host Organization: Children of Armenia Fund (COAF)

Eleonora Mocanu
Field of Study: Public Administration
University: Ohio University
Host Organization: Chemonics International Inc.

Golibsho Nasymov
Field of Study: Materials Engineering and Science
University: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Host Organization: Republic Conduit

Kanat Omurbekov
Field of Study: Film Studies
University: Ohio University
Host Organization: Birds Nest Foundation

Valentyn Panchenko
Field of Study: Environmental Management, Geospatial Engineering
University: Northern Arizona University
Host Organization: Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) – Transportation and Environment Department

Eugeniu Rotari
Field of Study: Public Health
University: University of Missouri, Columbia
Host Organization: Public Health Institute

Aida Rustemova
Field of Study: Law
University: Emory University School of Law
Host Organization: Common Cause New York

Timur Sabitov
Field of Study: Environmental Management, Geospatial Engineering
University: SUNY, College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Host Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, MD-DE-DC Water Science Center

Mykhailo Soldatenko
Field of Study: Law, International Commercial Arbitration
University: Pepperdine University School of Law
Host Organization: Jenner & Block LLP

Sherzod Yunusov
Field of Study: Law, Business Law
University: Duke University School of Law
Host Organization: Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Vitalii Zakhozhyi
Field of Study: Public Administration
University: University of Washington, Evans School of Public Policy and Governance
Host Organization: International Economic Development Council (IEDC)