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Friends and Supporters Congratulate 2013-14 ExCEL Program Graduates

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Over 70 friends and supporters of the Exchanges for Culture, Education, and Leadership (ExCEL) program gathered on June 9 to celebrate its six 2013-14 high school
participants after their successful year living and studying in the US 

Over 70 friends and supporters of the Exchanges for Culture, Education, and Leadership (ExCEL) program gathered on June 9 to celebrate its six 2013-14 high school
participants after their successful year living and studying in the US Hosted by American Councils and the Embassy of Lithuania, with sponsorship from Strategic Staffing Solutions (S3), the event featured remarks by the Lithuanian Ambassador to the US, ygimantas Pavilionis; Former US Ambassador to Lithuania and ExCEL founder Anne E. Derse; S3 CEO Cynthia Pasky; and American Councils President Dr. Dan E. Davidson.

At the reception, Dr. Davidson stressed the importance of investing in young global leaders to ensure future cooperation across borders. Ambassadors Derse and Pavilionis agreed that the close relationship Lithuania and the US share based on common interests shows the importance of cultural exchange programs like ExCEL.

They shared the podium with one of the program's participants, Ginte Petrulionyte, who spoke about the transformative experiences she and her fellow ExCEL graduates had while abroad this year. She noted, "While we may be a little bit taller today than we left a year ago, we have grown immensely." Despite attending American high schools in states as different as Colorado, Illinois, and Missouri, all six students saw similar challenges and rewards serving as grass-roots diplomats in their host communities. Each participant also met or exceeded their minimum 30 community service hours, for a grand total of 273.5 amongst them.

Local Coordinator James Kerr helped facilitate many of the students' volunteer opportunities, including supporting the Lithuanian American Community of St. Louis during its 2014 Lithuanian Independence Day celebration. At the reception he communicated the impact he has seen these students make at the local level, which he has observed since beginning to work with ExCEL in its first year in 2010-11.

After the event, Cynthia Pasky of Strategic Staffing Solutions announced the company will extend S3's support of one scholarship per year to include proceeds from a Vilnius performance by the Mosaic Youth Choir of Detroit. US Ambassador Deborah McCarthy will be a special guest at the event on July 14.

Click here to learn more information about the Vilnius concert on July 14.

Click here for additional coverage of the 2014 ExCEL Reception in D.C.

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