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Cambridge College to Host Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders
Friday, February 12, 2016
(Cambridge, MA) Cambridge College is proud to announce that it has been selected as a partner with the “Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.” Beginning in mid-June, Cambridge College will host 25 of Africa’s brightest emerging Business and Entrepreneurship leaders for a six-week academic and leadership institute sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and support for activities in their communities. Fellows are young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa who have established records of accomplishment in promoting innovation and positive change in their organizations, institutions, communities, and countries. The cohort of Fellows hosted by Cambridge College will be part of a larger group of 1,000 Mandela Washington Fellows hosted at institutions across the United States this summer. These exceptional young leaders will meet at the end of their institutes in Washington, D.C. for a Presidential Summit; select Fellows will also spend six weeks in professional development training with U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies, and government agencies.
Deborah C. Jackson, President of Cambridge College stated “We are extremely excited to be one of the top U.S. colleges and universities nationwide selected to host 25 of the 2016 Mandela Washington Fellows this summer.” She further shared that “President Obama’s initiative deeply resonates with the social justice mission of Cambridge College to empower individuals to become catalysts of change in their communities. We are honored to participate in this important national and global initiative that endeavors to build strong relationships for our work and collective growth as global citizens. "
Working closely with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational Affairs and its implementing partner, IREX, host institutions have designed academic programs that will challenge, inspire, and empower these inspiring young leaders from Africa.
Provost Catherine Koverola expressed that “participation in this highly prestigious federal initiative positions Cambridge College well in the national dialogue on a range of international opportunities for the college.” She further stated, “not only will we have the opportunity to provide rich educational and intercultural opportunities for the 25 African leaders who will join our community this summer, but our domestic students, faculty and staff will also have an equally transformative and rich experience.”
Some highlights of the Cambridge College program will include dynamic plenaries and workshops by leading business entrepreneurs in the Greater Boston area, site visits to innovative industry leaders in healthcare, finance, technology, transportation & education, engagement with peer collaborators to build opportunities for shared dialogue supportive of international partnerships and the ongoing work of Fellows in their home countries and arts and cultural experiences designed to immerse YALI fellows in the vibrancy of American culture in the New England area.
For more information on the Mandela Washington Fellowship program at Cambridge College, please contact Jacqueline Conrad at 617-873-0621 or via email at Jacqueline.Conrad@cambridgecollege.edu.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a U.S. government program that is supported in its implementation by IREX. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit MandelaWashingtonFellowship.state.gov and join the conversation with #YALI2016.
About Cambridge College
Cambridge College is a private non-profit institution of higher education accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, (NEASC CIHE). Founded in 1971, Cambridge College is dedicated to providing academically excellent, time-efficient, and cost-effective higher education for a diverse population of adult learners for whom those opportunities may have been limited or denied. For more information about Cambridge College, visit www.cambridgecollege.edu.
