As our Emerging Leaders settled into their transformative 5-week journey, the energy remained high heading into the second week, marked by dynamic mentorships, meaningful impact projects, and cultural immersion. Their next seven days kicked off with the commencement of the much-anticipated Professional Mentorship experiences, where each Emerging Leader took their first steps toward accomplishing their customized professional projects and expanding their networks.
Each of the Emerging Leaders has been paired with two or more professional mentors from a diverse selection of startups, enterprises and institutions, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Big Commerce, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Jacobs Engineering Services, Juniper Networks, and CITRIS and the Banatao Institute at Berkeley Labs.
These mentors, all U.S.-based professionals excelling in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), are dedicated to helping their Emerging Leaders hone in on key learning goals, develop professional projects, and navigate the U.S. working landscape. Whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid, these mentorships are designed to be flexible, ensuring participants gain the most value from their time.
The weekend brought a burst of creativity and collaboration as Emerging Leaders made significant strides in their impact projects. The first Impact Coach speed mentoring workshop took place, hosted by Teamworking at TechNexus in Chicago and Synopsys in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The workshops featured opening remarks from Senior Vice President Jumana Muwafi, and participants were joined by Lebanese Fellow Dana Abdel Khalek and Dawnjalice Brown, Chief of the Emerging Voices Branch at the U.S. Department of State’s Global Leaders Division.
During the sessions, Emerging Leaders teamed up with impact coaches and their country teams to explore frameworks for designing innovative solutions to critical socioeconomic challenges. Through rapid brainstorming and round-robin feedback sessions, they pitched their ideas, refining issue statements and testing the feasibility and sustainability of their proposed solutions. The energy in the room was electric as participants pushed the boundaries of creative problem-solving.
Beyond professional development and impact design, the week saw Emerging Leaders diving into a range of immersive experiences led by their cultural mentors—local ambassadors who help them connect with the richness of U.S. culture and the professional ecosystems in their host cities. From local sights to cultural insights, these experiences are designed to enrich their stay, offering a deeper understanding of the regions they are exploring.
As the week came to a close, the Emerging Leaders took with them new insights, strengthened connections, and a renewed sense of purpose as they continue on this transformative journey.
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