“I think at the core of diplomacy is friendship and that’s really what the arts can do on the ground.” - Dana Tai Soon Burgess, U.S. Department of State Cultural Envoy and Fulbright Program ExchangeAlumni.
How can movement connect people across cultures? How can you distinguish yourself as you establish your career? Watch the latest episode of MentorTalks to hear from Dana Tai Soon Burgess, founder of the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company and the Smithsonian Institution's first-ever Choreographer-in-Residence, about his role as the ‘Diplomat of Dance’ and his advice for artists and others starting out in their careers.
This episode was filmed on location at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., where Dana’s latest choreography, “El Muro,” was featured. You’ll get a chance to see the painting that inspired him and hear how Dana, an ExchangeAlumni through the U.S. Department of State Cultural Envoy and Fulbright Programs, has made his career by promoting international cultural dialogue through “the global language of dance.”
Dana will also address how he is tackling violence against Asian Americans and talk about his American identity.
Dana Tai Soon Burgess
Dana Tai Soon Burgess is a leading American choreographer, dancer, and cultural figure known worldwide as the “Diplomat of Dance.” In 1992, he founded the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC.org), a preeminent modern dance company based in Washington, D.C.
As the Company’s Artistic Director, his work explores the idea of cultural “confluence” with many of his dances focusing on the “hyphenated person” – someone who is of mixed ethnic or cultural heritage – and the emotions of belonging and societal acceptance.
Since 2016, Dana has been the Smithsonian Institution’s first-ever Choreographer-in-Residence. In this role, he creates new works inspired by museum exhibitions and participates in public discussions about dance and art.
Dana has been referred to as thes "Diplomat of Dance" and “not only a Washington Prize, but a national dance treasure” (Washington Post Pulitzer Prize-winning dance critic Sarah Kaufman). He has served as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department for over two decades, an appointment he uses to promote international cultural dialogue through “the global language of dance.”
Dana has also completed two senior Fulbrights in dance and won seven Metro D.C. Dance Awards, the Pola Nirenska Award, and the Paul Ré Peace Prize. He has been honored by the Smithsonian Institution and was a prominent feature in the Smithsonian exhibition “A Korean American Century” as part of the Korean American Centennial Celebration in 2003 as well as “Dancing the Dream,” the Smithsonian’s first exhibition on American dance. His portrait is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and his family archives reside in the American History Museum.
Dana grew up in Santa Fe, N.M., the son of two visual artists: a Korean-American mother and Irish-German-Scottish father. His artistic focus explores identity and cross-cultural perspectives, as well as issues of belonging and societal acceptance. He earned degrees in dance from the University of New Mexico and The George Washington University.
As a child growing up in the eastern region of Nigeria, I worked on the farm with my parents. Often, I felt embarrassed to work on the farm because agriculture in Nigeria is stereotyped as a job for the poor and illiterate. But as I grew older, my parents instilled in me a love for agriculture by showing me the benefits.
As time went by, I developed an interest and started a career in farming. I founded an agriculture company, Amicable Mondiale Farms, based in Lagos, Nigeria. Amicable Mondiale Farms specializes in crop farming, animal husbandry, and the exportation of soybeans, hardwood industrial charcoal, and other products.
In the beginning, it was not easy for me to access support, but I worked harder instead of giving up. I started my business with loans and the little I had saved up. Despite the financial barrier, I was dedicated to my passion and was determined to succeed.
I had the opportunity to participate in the 2020/2021 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) exchange program, and I believe that was the turning point for business. I practically learned all that is helping my business thrive today from the AWE program. Most important was the accounting aspect of my business. We now have a company accounting system that enables me to differentiate the selling products and position [them] before for the market.
I have also created two training programs to help new farmers start agricultural businesses. The first program is called the International Training In Organic Farming Program. This program helps farmers reinvent their passion for agriculture through a guided entrepreneurial trip to the Republic of Benin. During this trip, young farmers are exposed to other seasonal farmers and given opportunities to partner with them. Around 90% of participants decided to start farming due to their positive experience in the program.
The second program is the EAT Right Initiative, which focuses on a zero-waste farming style. The program teaches families to eat healthy foods and take care of their bodies. The training enables women and youths to do small-scale farming in their backyards, with sacks or other household items. The EAT Right Initiative has trained over 1,000 women and youth in rural and urban Nigeria about organic farming, and has set up over 200 farms for trainees.
Special thanks to the U.S. government for contributing to the growth of the Nigerian agricultural sector.
This story was written by Amaka Chukwudum, 2021 AWE Alumna, and was first published in Nigeria’s March 2022 Alumni Newsletter.
As an instructor in oral medicine diagnosis at the University of Benghazi with a passion for global health, Hager is dedicated to finding new opportunities to develop global competency skills while building on her medical knowledge. With a degree in dentistry and four years of experience working as a health and hygiene promoter with several NGOs, the idea of learning about how countries around the world approach the coronavirus pandemic was an exciting opportunity, particularly since she wasn’t aware of precautions and policies outside of her country's context.
It was during her State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University’s Bridging Cultures to Defeat COVID-19 program, when Hagar participated in a series of workshops and seminars, that she was able to harness her interest to share research findings and best practices in COVID-19 medicine.
As a Libyan, hearing from the experiences of her peers in the United States and the United Arab Emirates provided insight into the pandemic and the different ways of addressing it. She shares that after the program, she was able to compare the pandemic response in Libya to other countries, helping her to educate and promote healthy practices to her patients in the oral medicine department. Throughout the program, Hager evaluated her own environment where she works, and she became aware of the impact she could have on the hospital as a whole, beginning with her patients, then the department she works in, and eventually the hospital’s overall policies. Participating in this program connected her with peers who shared effective practices which she is eager to pass along to not only her colleagues but the student residents she supervises as well. “The virtual exchange experience gave me the confidence to educate [my] community [on the pandemic]… we prepared a good program to elevate awareness” she shared.
Hager is also a master’s student studying microbiology, and this program stimulated her interest to continue research. At the culminating conference for the virtual exchange program, she presented a project on the topic of xerostomia (or dry mouth) in COVID-19 patients. Afterwards, she was able to build on this initial research and develop it into a larger proposal for her master’s program. She hopes to continue exploring the implications of dry mouth and COVID-19 in patients.
Stepping out of her comfort zone, such as taking the first step into academic life by starting her research, was a result of the global perspectives Hager was exposed to during her virtual exchange. Hager is eager to look out for opportunities like this to participate in again because of how virtual exchange has set her up for success... “I’m so happy to have participated in this [program] because, for me, it changed my skills, my knowledge, and changed a lot of things about my career and life. This was the first time I participated in an international conference, and with this experience, maybe I can use what I learned to develop my country, to develop my university, and to develop my career.”
The Bridging Cultures to Defeat COVID-19 program, implemented by SUNY Upstate, is supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute. The Stevens Initiative is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.
Amal, 24, is a Tunisian alumna of the
Connect Program, an 8-week virtual exchange program implemented by Soliya. As a sophomore at Tunis Business School, she participated in the virtual exchange as part of a technical writing class in 2018 – a time when online exchanges weren’t as common as they are now. Currently an Investor Engagement Officer at a pan-African private equity firm, she finds herself tapping into the skills and perspectives she gained through the experience and applying it to her professional life.
Amal reflects on how the Connect Program ignited an interest in forming deeper connections with people from different cultural backgrounds, and exposed her to new issues and perspectives. “It was super interesting to have dialogue sessions with people coming from the U.S. and Libya. I learned about gun control rules in the U.S. for the first time and the challenges Americans face against gun violence,” she says.
Most importantly, Amal says that participating in virtual exchange has made her more open to international experiences. “I took an interest in conflict resolution and dialogue, and became a trainer for intercultural groups. I realized my passion for volunteering.”
Amal has since served on the board of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) as a youth advisor. She was selected to be a Young Tunisian Climate Change Negotiator for the UN, participating at the UN’s Conference on Climate Change, COP26, as a party delegate. She also volunteers with Future Leaders of the Danish Tunisian Scout to empower Tunisian youth through training in dialogue and advocacy. “I see my place in the world where I can bring about positive changes,”she said.
The idea of using dialogue as a means for knowledge has transformed Amal’s worldview and the active role she hopes to take in helping shape a better world. “International dialogue is different from our day-to-day conversations and debates,” she said. A program tenet of Soliya is that dialogue, unlike debate, involves the activation of human empathy.
Facilitators were present in the sessions, helping cultivate a safe environment conducive to authentic self-expression and exchange, which Amal found her virtual exchange experience to reflect“There was no censorship or manipulation, unlike social media where this is likely to happen. People were vulnerable and without masks. The focus was on learning; there was cultural context and mutual respect” The facilitators made sure everyone was engaged. They challenged us and guided us with questions.”
Amal’s advice for future participants? “Enjoy the ride. Be open and stay curious. Don’t do it for the grades or certificates, as the rewards in the long run are much greater.”
The Connect program, implemented by Soliya, is supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute. The Stevens Initiative is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.
The Fulbright Program was not originally part of Mark Tardi’s agenda. But for the now-ExchangeAlumni, teacher, and translator, a recommendation by a friend led him to apply for and receive a Fulbright scholarship to travel to Poland in 2008.
Mark’s exchange in Poland served, in many ways, as a new beginning. He had been studying poetry and teaching for years before his exchange, but it was during his Fulbright that he harnessed his love for poetry, specifically to begin work in the translation of written Polish works.
In Poland, Mark was a Senior Lecturer in American Literature and Culture at the University of Lódz, where he dove into the country’s history. It was the first time that he had lived in a new country for more than a month.
The experience was so transformative that he decided to remain in Poland long after the program ended – it helped too that Mark met his wife, who also was a translator, at this time. With a network of close family and colleagues nearby, Mark had the support he needed and set out to immerse himself in poetry, exploring its ability to bridge and connect people and cultures.
Mark says his interest in international affairs can be traced back to his family’s Polish heritage and his grandfather, who fought in World War II and was fluent in seven languages. Growing up in Chicago, Mark’s grandfather instilled in Mark an interest in global affairs at a young age.
“The beauty of literature and languages is that it affords you the opportunity to travel in the widest sense of the term,” Mark, who earned his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in creative writing from Brown University, says. “You can travel to different places, cultures, timeframes, and to experiences you could never possibly imagine.”
Mark’s efforts have resulted in the publication of a number of collections, including Part First—Chopin’s Feet, Airport Music, as well as the full length collections Euclid Shudders and Airport Music.
His most recent translated work, Variants of Catching Breath, encapsulates the work of five different Polish poets. His aim for the collection is to encourage Polish readers to become familiar with diverse voices in American literature, and for American authors to become acquainted with Polish counterparts. In doing so, he hopes to support the sharing of literary and social points of view as well as challenges facing translators in their work.
“Translators are shepherds of the unknown in some ways, and there’s something beautiful and mysterious about that,” Mark says.
Mark also applied for and won a Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund (CDAF) grant to support his project of translating Polish works and helping to promote Polish-American relations through poetry. In addition, the project seeks to encourage more women to get involved in publishing, a space where there are fewer women in the industry in Poland. Tardi’s project has helped to shape and spark interest from younger students as they set out to pursue careers in media and journalism.
“Life is full of surprises, and many of them are good,” Mark says.
Article written by MaryAnn Robinson
Getting back on your feet after a debilitating illness is the hardest job there is, and no one knows this better than Spanish entrepreneur Teresa Ferreiro, Founder and CEO of Soul Reconnect, an online platform for breast cancer patients and survivors.
Ferreiro’s journey began twelve years ago when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. An executive coach from the Spanish city of A Coruña, her experience surviving cancer and then re-entering the workforce was overwhelming.
“If you don’t know how to go back to work, talk to others, or face your fears, then things can get very difficult,” Ferriero says. “Breast cancer in this case can be the entry point to something deeper,” which in her case was the idea to one day start a business.
Ferreiro’s return to work post-cancer involved becoming a certified Executive Professional Coach and pursuing a Ph.D in Communications to help cancer patients advocate for themselves. Her studies and professional life fed into her idea of creating an online support community for breast cancer patients and survivors – an idea she thought about for years but was not sure how to get off the ground.
Her participation in the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) helped Ferreiro make her business idea a reality. Her experience taught her how to integrate her coaching and academic
background into a business plan for an online community for cancer survivors and launch her platform during a time when the world was struggling with COVID.
It was a crucial moment. When COVID hit in 2020, Ferreiro knew the pandemic would make an already isolating experience like cancer even worse under the strict lockdowns that kept Spaniards – and most of the world – in their homes for months at a time.
“I realized I had so much to offer, and then COVID came. I had all of the research from the PhD and the work that we had done with patients that we had to interrupt,” says Ferreiro. “There were so many women who, due to COVID, were isolated and were not feeling accompanied or supported.”
She knew she had to act.
In 2020, the attorney helping her with the legal aspects of launching her business forwarded her information about AWE from the U.S. Consulate in Barcelona. She immediately applied and was accepted.
Ferreiro (bottom, fifth from left) and her 2021 AWE graduating class.
Although she already had business experience, the 13-week entrepreneurship program gave her the knowledge on how to best launch her platform. She found she was not alone. She was part of a strong online community of like-minded women entrepreneurs who were all struggling to launch a business during COVID. AWE changed her mind-set and gave her new inspiration.
“The program helped me to be brave, and think ‘Ok, there’s nothing to lose, this is my idea, and it is going to work!’” she said.
The program also helped her to adapt to a brave new economic world.
“What I didn’t know was that, for example, I would be constantly pivoting – starting and stopping three times due to COVID. So, it was more like being part of a community where we all are in the same place; otherwise, you feel very alone.”
While the business idea came from personal experience, the platform itself is grounded in science, stemming from her PhD thesis. Every tool provided on the Soul Reconnect platform is fully backed by five years of scientific study and patient feedback and is designed to help women with breast cancer navigate what can be an isolating and frightening journey.
Ferreiro sharing coaching techniques at a Safety Week conference.
That sense of community Ferreiro found through AWE was replicated in the business plan she developed. Her work led to a robust platform that offers a variety of healthcare coaching, as well as online courses and videos that address topics like doctor visits, nutrition and exercise, and returning to the workforce. Patients can also join webinars, individual coaching sessions, and retreats, all of which are carefully designed using the latest science to help patients focus on their personal growth.
For Ferreiro, the platform is about empowering patients to take back control of their lives, inside and out.
“We are changing the way cancer patients are being looked at and perceived,” she said. “The patient is no longer just a passive person who waits for a treatment, or others, to make decisions. Now, the patient is in the center, and she is the one who runs her life.”
Ferrero also coaches business executives on leadership at the IMD Business School in Switzerland. Her experience as a coach inspired her to lead a workshop for her AWE classmates to explore the emotional side of entrepreneurship. In it, they addressed their fears about their businesses and got more in touch with the emotional intelligence skills that are important for all entrepreneurs, and particularly women.
“The fact that some of us want to be mothers is a challenge. We are juggling many things, and when you are your own boss, it is not about sex equality but about our own decisions,” she said. “What we want to come first, and how to handle the outside pressure.”
Ferreiro (center) and fellow AWE participants after her leadership workshop.
Currently, Soul Connect is designed for solely for breast cancer patients and survivors. Down the road, Ferreiro plans to expand the business to add more content, address other chronic conditions, and translate the platform to other languages to branch beyond Spain.
“We want to create the space for patients who can lead their lives, patients who are leaders,” she said.
Ferreiro says that it is hard to know where the platform would be without the AWE program. AWE helped her realize that it was possible for Soul Reconnect to target not just patients as the individual end-user, but also companies that want to offer wellness to their employees. For example, by expanding services to include Human Resources information, Ferreiro hopes to partner with employers to empower cancer survivors so that they don’t suffer self-doubt during the transition back to the workplace.
“At the end of the day it is about us deciding how we want to build our lives," she said. “And that’s a lot of learning, it requires courage.”
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, AWE empowers female entrepreneurs to begin and scale their businesses. Operating in Spain since 2019, AWE has provided more than 16,000 women around the world with the knowledge, networks, and access they need to start and scale their businesses.
In 2019, ExchangeAlumni Domokos Kovács left his hometown in Pilisszentiván, Hungary to embark on a Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship (BFTF) at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana.
It was during his program that Domokos experienced a life-defining moment. On a trip his cohort took to Indianapolis, Indiana during their exchange, he and a friend had planned to tour the sports stadium in the city. As they soon discovered, however, the stadium was closed; the pair was not deterred, however, and found a way to “open a door.” Their successful attempt to see the stadium served as an impetus for a new slogan of their BTFT program at Purdue: “opening closed doors.”
The motto suits the program well, as BFTF seeks to create opportunities and open doors for engagement and understanding among cultures. Following his exchange program, Domokos brought this sentiment back to his home country, where he harnessed the lessons learned at Purdue to address a critical need – environmental conservation.
Domokos’ long-standing interest in waste management and conservation led him to apply for, and be awarded, a small grant in 2019, and then later an Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) grant, which he applied to his project, “Recycling in Hungarian High Schools.” The project aims to inspire high school students to actively engage in recycling measures to reduce their carbon footprint and to better protect and address environmental concerns in their communities.
To date, Domokos has worked with several high schools across the country, inspiring hundreds of students to participate in the "colorful" recycling program that allows them to personalize and install their own recycling containers in high schools for future use. By demonstrating just how easy and fun recycling can be, Domokos has reached seven schools with his project and hopes to continue to expand its impact – he has his sights set on bringing the selective waste collection system to new countries, like Ukraine and the United States.
While Domokos focuses on reaching more high schools, he wants to ensure successful completion along the way, looking at the tangible impact and results the project has had.
“During the project I learned the importance of using good data and evaluating it. If there is no data, there is no goal to be achieved. If there is no goal, there is no measurable success,” he said.
For his efforts, Domokos was also recently elected to serve as Youth Delegate of Hungary to the United Nations, an esteemed position which he hopes to bring visibility to the role of youth in his home country and to demonstrate the positive impact recycling continues to have.
“I have always loved representing my country,” Domokos said. “I am proud of its culture, its history, and its positive role in European integration.”
And, in case he wasn’t busy enough, Domokos has another passion in life – outside of his AEIF-funded project and role on the National Youth Council of Hungary, Domokos channels energy into playing water polo. He says the sport has played an active role in his childhood and life, and has given him the skills to learn how to work with a team toward a common goal.
This trait has proven important both in the water and in his professional life. He and his team have worked with several organizations to ensure the successful coordination of the AEIF project. With his status as Youth Delegate, Domokos also interacts with various government stakeholders, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry for Innovation and Technology, and the Prime Minister's Office of Hungary on a daily basis to shed light on the work he’s doing as well as on the harmful effects of waste pollution.
In addition to bringing his project to new corners of the globe, Domokos also hopes his project can serve as a reminder of the effects of climate change in the offices of leadership.
“My dream is to be able to personally send the UN Secretary General a trash can painted by young Hungarians, and have it in his residence, reminding him that this is a serious policy and related to environmental protection.”
Congratulations, Domokos, for the success of your AEIF project and for your selection to represent Hungarian Youth as Youth Delegate of Hungary to the United Nations!
