America's Unofficial Ambassadors

This past summer, 22 students or recent graduates from 12 different universities or colleges volunteered with our partner organizations and schools in Indonesia, Morocco, Tajikistan, and Zanzibar. They came from all over the country -- and all over the world for that matter -- and they did things as different as creating a website for the only autism NGO in Tajikistan to teaching French in a shepherding village in Morocco. Something that all of our "Summer Service Interns" had in common though is their commitment to building people-to-people partnerships between America and the Muslim World, and then sharing that experience and the accomplishments of those partnerships within their own communities in the United States.

All of our unofficial ambassadors blog about their experiences in real time on the Volunteer Voices blog, and they all give presentations in their community. By the end of this reporting period, we are please to say that we have shared our mission with tens of thousands of people (if not more).  Our 2014 Summer Service Interns have completed 81 blog posts and we’ve had 11 AUA stories published in the Huffington Post, on local news outlets, and on others’ blogs. Our 2014 Summer Service Interns have completed 21 community presentations in faith communities (4), on college campuses in classes, clubs, and student groups (13), at high schools, and in public spaces (4). We have 15 more presentations scheduled over the next three months.

Please see this list of completed presentations and publications (outside of the Volunteer Voices blog):

Completed Presentations:

August 3: Deborah Carey, Trinity Wellsprings Church in Satellite Beach, FL

August 10: Phoebe Shelor, Bethany United Methodist Church in Ellicott City, MD

August 15: Suraiya Jinah, Ismaili Volunteer Corps at the Mississauga Khane, in Mississauga, Canada

September 10: Liselot Koenen, Georgetown Global Microfinance Initiative Club at Georgetown University, Washington DC

September 12: Deborah Carey, American University Student Seminar, Washington DC

September 12: Britta Nippert, Phoebe Shelor, and Liselot Koenen at the AUA Fall Forum at Busboys & Poets, Washington DC

September 17: Liselot Koenen, Introduction to International Health Class at Georgetown University, Washington DC

September 17: Mariel Shilling, Political Science Internship Panel at Washington College, Chestertown, MD

September 19: Tomoko Ishikawa, International Studies Department at Washington College, Chestertown, MD

September 20: Mariel Shilling, Internship Panel at Fall Family Weekend at Washington College, Chestertown, MD

September 24: Fiona Lloyd-Muller, Principled Problem Solving program at Guilford College, Greensboro, NC

September 29: Fiona Lloyd-Muller, Multicultural Education Department and the Study Abroad Department at Guilford College, Greensboro, NC

October 9: Mariel Shilling, Global Issues Class at Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD.

October 24: Suraiya Jinah, Jamat Khane to the Montreal Ismaili Students Association (MISA) at McGill University, Canada

November 6: Okxana Cordova-Hoyos, The College of New Jersey’s Eurasia Middle East Society, Ewing, NJ

November 11: Noureen Shallwani, Bonner Leaders at Emory & Henry College, Emory, VA.

November 12: Alessandra Testa, International Studies Club at The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ

November 13: Mariel Shilling, Cater Society of Junior Fellows, Washington College, Chestertown, MD

Publications:

“Goals for My Summer in Zanzibar,” Deborah Carey, Pink Pangea, May 29, 2014.

“Bikini vs. Hijab: Choosing My Wardrobe in a Muslim Country,” Winona Vaitekunas, Pink Pangea, June 9, 2014

“Sharing Common Dreams with Our Global Neighbors,” Sarah Wall, Everyday Ambassador, June 11, 2014.

“In Morocco, a Lasting Impact Means Building Trust,” Stefan Cornibert, Huffington Post, June 26,

“When We Followed a Stranger in Indonesia: A Lesson for Tourists in Yogyakarta,” Winona Vaitekunas, Pink Pangea, July 10, 2014.

“Georgetown University Student Returns Home after Six Weeks of Teaching Chemistry in Tanzania,” Eoin Cottrell, Kane County Chronicle, July 14, 2014.

“I Won’t Hesitate to Take Steps Forward,” Gabrielle Guerrero, Everyday Ambassador, July 16, 2014.

“Don’t Judge a Millennial by Her Cover,” Benjamin Orbach, Huffington Post, August 21, 2014.

“Student Ventures Abroad, Teaches English in Tanzania,” William Osterholt, Guilfordian, September 5, 2014.

“Educating Bill Maher,” Benjamin Orbach, Huffington Post, November 3, 2014

“A Mosaic of Different Cultures,” Suraiya Jinah, Ismailimail, November 27, 2014

“Why Volunteer?” Benjamin Orbach, Huffington Post, December 5, 2014

“Looking for a Job? Step Away From the Computer and Volunteer,” Stefan Cornibert, Huffington  Post, December 5, 2014

Thank you for your continued support of America's Unofficial Ambassadors and the Summer Service Internship program!