During our cross cultural diversity immersion trip, I had the great pleasure of getting to spend time with alumni, Aleksandre Kikvadze from Georgia. Alex is a 2012-2013 alumni who lived in Tulare, California. While he was not one of my students (I was not a coordinator at the time), I did meet him at his re-entry meeting in Las Vegas. During this meeting, he shared with me a little bit about his exchange experience and helped to prepare me for what would be my first cluster of students the following year.
Reuniting with Alex was exciting because I could see what an incredible, confident young adult he had become. I was astonished by all he had done in the two years since his program ended. Not only did he return to Georgia and is studying at Tbilisi State University, he also managed to participate in several domestic and international programs. The year following his return, Alex was one of two students from his region selected for a volunteer internship position working with Georgia government members. Through this internship, Alex helped make decisions and implement these decisions that would better his region. Alex also became a member of the European Youth Parliament (EYP). As a member of the EYP, Alex engaged with other young adults through political debates and the exchanging of ideas. In addition to this, Alex volunteered as a City Representative for American Councils. He worked to get youth involved in social activities and let them know the importance of volunteering. Alex also served as a peer educator and a scout leader in his community.
Aside from volunteering in Georgia, Alex took advantage of opportunities internationally. His first year home, Alex participated in a competition with a youth organization in Ukraine. He, along with other students, met with students and administration at a university in Kiev and discussed forming a strategic partnership between Georgia and Ukraine. Alex was able to utilize what he learned during his time in America to speak about the importance of democracy, to show how Georgia has developed and what can happen if they choose democracy. Alex’s most recent overseas experience was interning with the AIESEC organization in Italy.
Currently, Alex is working as a Project Manager for an organization called Monk Andrew’s Foundation, which helps to provide funding for children living with cancer and their families. Alex spoke of his desire to work for an organization that works with cancer victims as a result of an experience he had while in the U.S. Alex had the opportunity to participate in Relay for Life in his community. He liked the idea of people not just asking for money, but actually working together and putting on an event to promote the cause. Alex shared with me his story of his cousin who had died of cancer and how he was deeply impacted by it. He wanted to be able to contribute to fighting cancer in innovative ways. After returning home, he decided to seek out opportunities to make a difference for cancer victims and discovered he could do this with Monk Andrew’s.
Of his experiences in the U.S., volunteering was one that he really began to appreciate and value. When speaking of being exposed to the concept of volunteering, Alex stated:
Reuniting with Alex was exciting because I could see what an incredible, confident young adult he had become. I was astonished by all he had done in the two years since his program ended. Not only did he return to Georgia and is studying at Tbilisi State University, he also managed to participate in several domestic and international programs. The year following his return, Alex was one of two students from his region selected for a volunteer internship position working with Georgia government members. Through this internship, Alex helped make decisions and implement these decisions that would better his region. Alex also became a member of the European Youth Parliament (EYP). As a member of the EYP, Alex engaged with other young adults through political debates and the exchanging of ideas. In addition to this, Alex volunteered as a City Representative for American Councils. He worked to get youth involved in social activities and let them know the importance of volunteering. Alex also served as a peer educator and a scout leader in his community.
Aside from volunteering in Georgia, Alex took advantage of opportunities internationally. His first year home, Alex participated in a competition with a youth organization in Ukraine. He, along with other students, met with students and administration at a university in Kiev and discussed forming a strategic partnership between Georgia and Ukraine. Alex was able to utilize what he learned during his time in America to speak about the importance of democracy, to show how Georgia has developed and what can happen if they choose democracy. Alex’s most recent overseas experience was interning with the AIESEC organization in Italy.
Currently, Alex is working as a Project Manager for an organization called Monk Andrew’s Foundation, which helps to provide funding for children living with cancer and their families. Alex spoke of his desire to work for an organization that works with cancer victims as a result of an experience he had while in the U.S. Alex had the opportunity to participate in Relay for Life in his community. He liked the idea of people not just asking for money, but actually working together and putting on an event to promote the cause. Alex shared with me his story of his cousin who had died of cancer and how he was deeply impacted by it. He wanted to be able to contribute to fighting cancer in innovative ways. After returning home, he decided to seek out opportunities to make a difference for cancer victims and discovered he could do this with Monk Andrew’s.
Of his experiences in the U.S., volunteering was one that he really began to appreciate and value. When speaking of being exposed to the concept of volunteering, Alex stated:
“When I saw how people were volunteering in the US and were so excited to do it, it made me happy. This led me to speak to students back home on volunteering and contributing to your community and school. Community is like your family. If you do something for your community, you do something for your family.”
Spending time with Alex re-inspired me as a coordinator. His personal stories about how he got to where he is today and the huge impact that his year in America had on his life reminded me once again of the incredible opportunity I've been given to coordinate students during one of the most influential years of their life. What an amazing job I have and can’t believe that I get to be a part of this! I am so grateful for World Link and the State Department to provide us with the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the Georgian culture and hear the incredible stories of the powerful transformation that their exchange year had in their life. I continue to think of these students daily and can’t wait to see the impact that they will make in their community, country, and our world.
Written by Amy Lepp; Local Coordinator; Reedley, CA.
Written by Amy Lepp; Local Coordinator; Reedley, CA.