YLAI Professional Fellows Arrive to the U.S.
Meridian International was pleased to welcome the 2018 cohort of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI), a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and previously implemented by Meridian. 250 YLAI Professional Fellows arrived on September 19 in Detroit, Michigan where they engaged in a two-day conference focused on skills-building and the story of Detroit’s revitalization. Speakers include Tom Lewand, CEO of Shinola and Hussein Berry, Vice President of Delta Airlines, Detroit.
Following the Detroit Opening Program, Fellows will fly to one of 20 City Hubs across the nation to work closely with a Fellowship Host in their field who can mentor them throughout the four-week Fellowship. Volunteer Fellowship Hosts for YLAI 2018 included the following: Habitat for Humanity (Austin), Converse (Boston), Wayfair (Boston), Case Western Reserve University Office of Education Abroad (Cleveland), Dallas Morning News (Dallas), NBC 5 (Dallas), Bernstein-Rein (Kansas City), United Way of St. Joseph County (South Bend), Goodwill Industries of Michiana (South Bend), Cotopaxi (Salt Lake City), and San Diego Zoo Global (San Diego).
The YLAI 2018 Fellows flew to Washington, D.C. for the Closing Forum, a two-day conference during which Fellows engaged with entrepreneurs and U.S. government officials.