- The 2020 National Examinations in World Languages (NEWL) for Arabic, Korean, Portuguese, and Russian have been postponed until May. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, American Councils has shifted NEWL to an at-home administration in order to provide high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their foreign language knowledge and skills. American Councils staff are modifying the administration format in two ways. First, the examinations will be shortened in total length.… Read More
- American Councils welcomed a crowd to its DC headquarters last week for the 9th annual silent auction, which garnered support for scholarships for bright, international scholars. The annual fundraiser focuses on a region of the world where American Councils operates and, this year, programs in Albania and Kosovo took center stage. Dignitaries from both countries addressed the VIP reception, which was officiated by AC board of trustees’ member, Gazmend Gjonbalaj. In his opening address, Mr… Read More
- WASHINGTON—The US Department of State will provide $4 million to continue the US-Central Asia Education Foundation (US-CAEF) Enterprise Student Fellowship, a prestigious scholarship enabling students throughout Central Asia to complete undergraduate degrees in business and economics at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.The State Department’s award includes funding for 15 students who began their studies at AUCA in September 2019, and will support 75 students… Read More
- Editor's note: In 1996, Thomas Burns decided to take his study of the Russian language to the next level by spending a semester in St. Petersburg and what is now the Russian Language and Area Studies Program. Since then, he's lived and worked in several other countries while building his career as a visual storyteller. Today, he is based in Tbilisi, Georgia. Why did you decide to study abroad in Russia?I had been studying Russian at college in the US, but I just wasn’t happy with… Read More
- Editor’s Note: October 10 is World Mental Health Day. We asked Ms. Huang, program manager for the Chinese Overseas Flagship Program, to talk about the positive impact mindfulness can have, particularly during study abroad experiences. What’s the first image that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘mindfulness’? Is it an idyllic scene of Bohemians in long skirts frolicking across a green field? Or, do you perhaps see a young monk serenely sitting within a Buddhist temple in lotus pose?… Read More
- WASHINGTON—In celebration of National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day, aptly named for the atomic weight of element number one, hydrogen, American Councils for International Education is pleased to announce the inaugural recipient of the Robert Rose Education Award in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology, Mr. Zachary Batts, a master’s degree student in chemical engineering at Purdue University. Through the Rose Award, Mr. Batts will complete a nine-month residency on hydrogen safety research at the… Read More
- Editor’s note: Anastasiya Gulak is a program assistant for Open World who grew up speaking Ukrainian and Russian. She later studied English and French and has maintained her skills in all four languages. She has worked as an interpreter, volunteered as a translator for refugees and students, and continues to seek out opportunities to hone her skills. She offered her tips for studying, learning, and maintaining a second (or third, or fourth) language. My love for foreign languages … Read More
- Editor's note: Hannah Combe is not a dancer by trade, but her enthusiasm for dance helped her find community while living overseas. Ms. Combe has lived in Georgia, where she taught English as a Peace Corps volunteer. She has also taught English in Bulgaria as a Fulbright scholar. She is currently a program assistant on the AC Study and Research abroad team. When I was four years old I refused to wear anything but my pink tutu. At the peak of my illustrious dance career, I ran around a… Read More
- When Kyle Spawn decided to study abroad in Moscow in 2018, he already knew a thing or two about living in Russia. He played with Russian alphabet blocks as a child. The family dog could sit and stay if asked in English or Russian. His mom even made a few Russian meals for him and his brother. Her family is Dutch, but Carla Spawn made an effort to share Russia with her children as well. Nearly 40 years before her son studied in Russia, she had studied abroad there too -- and on the same… Read More
- WASHINGTON — More than 200 exchange students celebrated on Capitol Hill last week, marking their graduation from the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program. The ceremony for the 26th graduating class included students from Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine, and featured special speeches by students from Ukraine and Moldova. State Department officials, congressional staff, and embassy representatives joined host families, local coordinators… Read More
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