Fulbright Enrichment Seminar in Washington
Fulbright Foreign Students Convene in Washington, D.C. to Foster Change
Through Social Entrepreneurship
On April 29-May 2, approximately 63 Fulbright students representing more than 47 countries will convene in Washington, D.C. at a Fulbright Enrichment Seminar hosted by the U.S. Department of State to explore social entrepreneurship as a model to address shared challenges in the areas of environmental sustainability, public health, education and economic and social equity.
Fulbright Enrichment Seminar participants, studying at institutions throughout the United States, will contribute their global perspectives as academically gifted and socially engaged individuals to a variety of activities designed to stimulate discussion on social entrepreneurship. Fulbrighters will hear from leading social entrepreneurs, including keynote speaker Diana Wells, President of Ashoka, as well as U.S. government officials, private and non-profit sector leaders, and members of the academic community about best strategies to apply entrepreneurial principles and business models to solve social problems. Through community outreach programs and student-led activities, they will discover how social entrepreneurs impact communities in the U.S. and specifically in the Washington, D.C. area. Finally, they will work with their peers to explore how social entrepreneurship principles, structures and resources can be applied in their home countries.
The four-day seminar will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington - Capitol Hill, at 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW. The Fulbright students will meet with Washington area social entrepreneurship experts who are taking part in an interactive panel discussion, "Social Entrepreneurship: From Vision to Action" on Friday, April 30, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Later than afternoon, the Fulbrighters will take part in community service projects throughout Washington. These events are open to the press. Press should RSVP to Deborah Gardner, Halstead Communications at (212) 734-2190 or dgardner@halsteadpr.com.
More than 1,800 new Fulbright Foreign Students enter U.S. academic programs each year. For 2009-10, 274 Fulbright Foreign Students are attending Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland colleges and universities and 114 U.S. students from area institutions are studying and conducting research in other countries through Fulbright fellowships. Fulbrighters bring their own cultural diversity and perspective to enrich the communities they live in. Fulbright Foreign Students are among the 37,323 international students studying in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland - a cumulative increase of 22.3% from the previous year.
Interviews with D.C. area Fulbright Foreign Students can be arranged upon request.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. For more information please visit http://fulbright.state.gov/.
