Volume 37 fall 2005
FUTURE LEADERS E X C H AN G E ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
Pursuing Graduate Studies Why choose a niche degree for graduate studies, rather that a more generic one like MBA? What are the nonscholarship ways of paying for it? And, what does it take to complete an intense course of study and arrive at the end of the year alive and full of energy? Aleksandra Bukacheva ‘98 a.bukacheva@gmail.com Moscow, Russia/Hyde Park, VT Alexandra (Sasha) Bukacheva, who in June sat for her last exam for a graduate program with a rather complex title – MSc. Political Economy of Transition in Europe (PETE) – at the London School of Economics, answers these questions by sharing her experience. Choosing your degree. Some of us find it relatively easy to match their aspirations to academic choices offered by universities across the globe – say, MBA, law schools, or international relations programs. Some of us are lucky in a different way – they know already that their minds are set on an exceptional future role, e.g. a high-profile reformer of the national economy, oil trader, or, perhaps, organic coffee beans researcher. I picked my degree for its unique angle on the recent political and economic developments in Central and Eastern Europe. The major focus was transformation of Central and East European former communist
Aleksandra Bukacheva ‘98 Rarely Parted with her Computer while Studying in London
Contents: 1 7 Theme of the Issue: Pursuing Graduate Studies Choosing a Niche Degree and Paying for it Greek Tragedy Took me to Exeter
centrally planned politics into democratic, freemarket states. The degree is an excellent match for those of us who have a passion for a career in serving the public good. One could certainly apply in-depth knowledge of transition processes to working in a state agency responsible for a particular policy area, like health, pensions, or capital markets regulation, or contesting for elected office with a sound and realistic agenda. The PETE program also polishes one’s analytical qualities and precision of verbal and written expression almost religiously, which develops a set of transferable skills appreciated in any career environment.
Deciding on an MBA ABCs of the MBA Studying and Teaching in China Environment and Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science Learning to Learn 8 9 Alumni Beat
Financing the study. 10 11 Bradley Bits
Now, you discovered your ideal degree. You sent off an application and, as the case may be, received by reply a letter of acceptance. The catch? You don’t come from money and for whatever reason you keep getting rejection after rejection for your scholarship applications. That is, if there are many scholarships designed for your dream program to begin with. What can you do if a single year of a degree is likely to set you back $25,000-40,000 and it looks like you’ve exhausted your options for funding from both the prospect alma mater, and the external sponsorship sources? Determination, diversification, and patience are all key to the solution. In my case it took three loans from different sources secured over time to cover the tuition fees. Most programs offer installment payment options, so uncertainty in regards to where my next tuition payment will come from became entrenched in the experience, yet provided crucial flexibility, as opposed to a lump sum payment. Now, when I say ‘loans,’ only one of them is an actual bank loan. Thanks to vibrant banking activity in Russia, it is now possible for those of us with an established career to apply for a loan. Be pre-
12-14 News and Essays FLEX and JESSUP Meet to Strengthen Legal Education in Russia Exchanges to Internships Joining the San Marcos Citizen Police Two Years with FLEX: Reflections 15 Profiles Nadir Guluzadeh ‘94 Baku, Azerbaijan Bermet Tursunkulova ‘94 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Tamerlan Zaseev ‘95 Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, Russia
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Is an MBA the degree for you? Ilya Brovin '97 and Sergey Kulyagin '97 help you find out on pages 3-4.
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Letter from the Editor Dear Alumni, If you’ve noticed that you haven’t seen a new Bradley Herald in quite some time, you’re right, and we apologize. It has been a busy few months for the FLEX alumni program. This fall we held the “Disability Awareness: FLEX Alumni Lead for Change” Symposium. We have also worked with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to launch a new program in Russia called LEAP: Legislative Education And Practice, through which we sent ten FLEX alumni to the U.S. on six-month professional internships in state legislatures and city councils. You’ll hear about both these initiatives in upcoming issues of The Bradley Herald. This issue focuses on graduate studies. With almost half of the 13,600 FLEX alumni already holding a first higher education degree, we note that many are either pursuing or have completed both Master’s and PhD degrees. And many younger alumni are thinking about advanced degrees. Many authors in this issue are from the program’s first years. They have gained acceptance to excellent academic institutions and have found creative ways to pay for their education. And all of them are ready to consult with you, should you want to ask advice or learn more. While many people expressed interest in writing articles, not everyone managed. I wanted to hear from the people who are studying and holding down full-time jobs – it turns out there are lots of you! My attempts at convincing these alumni to write for Bradley were, however, unsuccessful. The reality is that these alumni truly have no free time. None. The summer months brought alumni together on grant projects, study programs and conferences. Three opportunities worth noting were the Global Village for Leaders in Business and Industry (www. lehigh.edu/~village) at Lehigh University, American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES) held in Prague, Czech Republic (http://www.tfasinternational.org/aipes/), and the Scotland 2005 World Youth Congress (www.scotland2005.org/), all of which attracted FLEX alumni from across Eurasia. Please note that the U.S. State Department offers FLEX alumni ten competitive scholarships to attend Global Village at the Iacocca Institute in the summer of 2006. Information is available on the Global Village site. Although the deadline for this program may have passed, there is time to pursue other summer 2006 opportunities.
Greek Tragedy Took Me to the University of Exeter Anna Blurtsyan ‘95 Yerevan, Armenia/Portland, MI annablurtsyan@yahoo.co.uk My name is Anna Blurtsyan. I’m a FLEX alumna ’95. I did my undergraduate and first postgraduate degree in psychology at Yerevan State University. A part of my MA course in psychology was a module on History of Ancient Civilizations. I was fascinated by this course and the part on Ancient Greece in particular, and decided to undertake a study on the problem of incest in Sophoclean tragedy focusing on Antigone. Classical studies became a part of my life and to venture deeper into the beautiful world of Greek tragedy, I applied to the University of Exeter, UK to do an MA course in Ancient Drama in its Social and Intellectual Context. I received a warm welcome from the department, the course was excellent, the academic environment vigorous and productive, and I decided to continue my studies and applied for a PhD place at the same department. Not only was I given a place, but the department also applied to the Overseas Research Student Award Scheme to receive a scholarship for me. The scholarship was granted and the university fund as well as the department supported me with an extra scholarship, and now I have the opportunity to do my research for another three years at the University of Exeter, department of Classics and Ancient History. My research has been and will continue to be of interdisciplinary nature, where studies on Greek tragedy converge with psychology and, to be more correct, with the history of ideas. Having started with the problem of incest as it was elaborated in ancient thought, I moved on to studying the link between incest and suicide in Greek tragedy, and plan to focus on father-son relations within the quasi-incestuous triangle and the problem of fatherhood and of paternal law for the son. The department also gave me an opportunity to do a graduate teaching assistantship, which I assume will make a good teaching experience for me. I would like to continue my career in academic research and teaching, to contribute to the intellectual discourse on Classical studies, and hopefully to achieve a respectable position within the academic world. A matter of concern for me is also promoting Classical studies in Armenia following completion of my PhD thesis.
The next issue of The Bradley Herald on “Grants” will focus on proposal development and writing, as well as actually carrying out grant projects. We’ll share news of some of the best 2005 FLEX alumni projects. Please note that the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs invites FLEX alumni to apply for group and individual grants. You’ll find the application and instructions on the American Councils site at www.americancouncils.org. The deadline is a postmark date of February 15, 2006. Alumni have asked to explore the Millennium Development Goals identified by the United Nations in the issue after that. You can read about the eight goals, which address issues of poverty, education, health and the environment at www.un.org/millenniumgoals. The alumni who attended the Scotland World Youth Congress have fresh perspectives on what is being done around the world, as well as where the need is greatest. We’d like to know what you think about these issues and whether you are doing anything to address them through your work, studies, or as a volunteer. Please write about these and other issues to bradleyherald@actr.ru. This is your publication! Sending you and your loved ones best wishes for the New Year! Mary Shea Editor
Anna Blurtsyan ’95 in front of the Classics Department at Exeter University, where she is working on a PhD
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Deciding on an MBA Ilya Brovin '97 Moscow, Russia/Anaheim, CA ibrovin@mba2006.hbs.edu Coming back to Russia in 1997 from sunny California, I had a full mix of emotions from ambitions and great expectation for life to the fear of just getting stuck. After my year in the U.S., I knew I wanted to go back to the States to study again, but I had no idea how to do it. Now after seven years I am studying for an MBA degree at Harvard Business School and I think that if you are thinking of doing something like this – don’t be afraid to set ambitions goals and you’ll achieve them with some determination and effort.
Ilya Brovin ‘97 Will Soon Earn an MBA at Harvard Business School
I decided that I wanted an MBA when I was in my first year of university studies at the Higher School of Economics. At the two part-time jobs I had, I was started with simple work, like answering phones and doing faxes, and then did more editing and translating documents and presentations: things you could do with some computer skills and good English. But the people around me had foreign education and served as an example to me of what you can achieve with hard work and a sense of direction. I decided it was time for me to apply after three
years of work experience at a Russian investment bank. At that point I felt that I needed this degree to really broaden my opportunities for future life and work. If you are thinking about an MBA degree, you should first answer to yourself why you need it. Why do you want to spend two years of your life and upward of $150K on an MBA program? You should be thinking of what kind of job you want to have, where you want to work. An MBA is a purely practical, not an academic, degree, and if you’re considering a choice between aspirantura and MBA, then you have a wrong idea of business education. It’s also important to apply at the right time. I would really discourage you from applying too early for an MBA program. Give yourself enough time after university to learn something at your job, to have different experiences, to have responsibility. It will not only help you to get into business school, but it will also dramatically improve the way you’ll see your MBA experience. I’d suggest that you apply for an MBA program when you feel that you can’t grow professionally any more without this degree. The application process itself is straightforward and identical for all schools. The main ideal is that your whole application, your essays, recommendations, grades and work experience, should show that you’re a self-motivated, hard working individual who knows why he’s doing it. Your two best friends in the application process are a friend who did/is doing an MBA and Internet. Start with www.mba.com and you’ll find most of the information you need. Let me offer a couple of words on financing. It’s the least important part of the application process for two reasons: all admission decisions disregard your financial situation and most schools provide enough options to finance an MBA degree. Schools like Harvard, Wharton and Stanford offer loan programs that will cover all of your expenses and you won’t need any co-signers or guarantors to take them. After you get your MBA degree, you can pay those loans for 15-30 years, so it won’t be difficult for you. I wish you good luck. Believe in yourself and you’ll succeed.
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pared to face outrageous interest rates and very tight loan repayment timeframes and leave about four-six weeks to have your application processed. Since I did not have a genuine established career, I had to convince my mother to apply for the loan in her name. The second loan was provided by my mother’s workplace. Chances are, if you and/or your parents work in fairly large companies and have a trusting relationship with the management, you can try providing them with a letter of acceptance for the degree and a cover letter stating why the degree is so valuable (to you, the Russian economy, and perhaps the prospect sponsor company in particular). My third loan…it was rather a de facto borrowing from the university. Most schools have hardship funds to which you are eligible to apply once you are registered and studying. I did apply and even got an award, which was nevertheless disproportionately small against the amount of the third installment of almost $8000. Then, in full knowledge that my degree won’t be officially conferred until December 2005, I asked the school administration about the consequences of non-payment. These nice people advised that whereas I couldn’t graduate until I paid the debt, there would be no interest charged on the amount and I was still eligible to all university services, like library or student residence. I have already paid most of this debt thanks to the fact that my husband started his first job after the university in May. I was confident in my own ability to secure employment by beginning this September (which, thankfully, did happen), so paying out the remainder is more than feasible.
Meanwhile, a local part-time job with a recruitment agency, conveniently located within walking distance to the school, was enough to pay the costs of living in London. If you are a student in the UK you are automatically eligible for work up to 20 hours a week. Most schools have specialized career offices, which cater to graduates, but almost always have options for part-time jobs either on campus, or with loyal companies. Besides, if you monitor local media in regards to job opportunities, you can often spot offers with flexible commitments. Positions like telephone researcher or administrative assistant are often available in various industries. Only ten days after arrival in the UK I was able to sort through ads, go through an interview process (which was rather informal) and join the team. Living it. I felt like I made the best choice with the program and had to fight hard and on various fronts to make it a reality. As such, I was prepared to dedicate my life to it, but without sacrificing; that is, leaving enough space to enjoy the contingent experience of discovering London, indulging into lengthy coffee chats with fellow students, and more ... In practical terms, however, there were many sleepless nights, followed by sunny days, spent indoors in front of the computer, typing up assignment after assignment, followed by stacks of books taken in and out of the library, followed by revision for the mock or real exams. And after all the torture, I still had a dissertation to complete by the end of summer!
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Pursuing Graduate Studies
ABCs of the MBA Sergey Kulyagin '97 Stavropol, Russia/Rosemount, MN skulyagi@su.edu Sergey Kulyagin, MBA – sounds good, doesn’t it? Would you want to be the same? Yes? I don’t blame you. And so do many others. I graduated with an MBA degree from a small private university in the U.S. close to Washington, D.C. in December 2004. Here are a couple of thoughts that I would ask you, FLEX alums, to consider if you want to go after an MBA. I hope they’ll help you make a more informed and weighed decision. One, I would like you to ask yourself a question: “Why do I want to do it?” I hope the answer isn’t, “Because it doesn’t hurt to have an MBA degree” or “Because everybody else is doing it.” My answer to this question was “I would like to broaden my knowledge into the business area” – read “it doesn’t hurt to have an MBA under your belt.” Result: I did broaden my knowledge significantly, but at the same time I lacked keenness and focus studying towards my MBA. I would prefer for your answer to be in the “Because I want to manage my own business” category. Two, do not rush to answer the above question. And, if you decided that the MBA is what you want, do not rush to enter school. Get work experience. The standard two to three years work experience requirement within MBA programs is there for a simple reason. You will understand and register concepts and accumulate wisdom with so much less effort than if you haven’t had professional experience before going for your MBA. If it were my will, I would make this requirement even four to five years. In my opinion, that is when you obtain the facility of separating the important from the unnecessary, of seeing the “bigger picture.” And that’s what MBA programs tend to focus on – the bigger picture. Most of them are generic (at least mine was) and cover everything from organizational behavior to marketing to statistics to financial management – and I must say our curriculum lacked coherence. That is why it is important to want to obtain broad knowledge rather than specialize (point one), and to have observed how different departments in an organization function, have tried oneself in several roles, and have picked up bits and pieces of knowledge (point two) that the MBA will formalize for you. Last, take care choosing a program. Because of the popularity of MBA degrees and following the simple “demand-supply” laws, there are now bazillion programs offered worldwide. You want to pick a quality one. Wharton Business School is a no-brainer; for the rest, there are a couple of things one should not neglect in this process: a) Student body. My MBA program was largely project based (and so are most of them). Our professors were more of advisors than teachers. There is a lot of learning together with your fellow stu-
Studying and Teaching in China Anna Yershova ‘05 Cherepovets, Russia/N. Little Rock, AR anna_yershova@yahoo.com I am currently studying at the Li Po Chun United World College in Hong Kong, China. Being in modern and western Hong Kong, we do not realize that not far away every fifth person is still illiterate. A college graduation requirement is to carry out a volunteer project. In November, I traveled to the Yao Tribe minority group in the north of Guangdong province. It is an extremely poor area. In China, many parents cannot afford extending a child’s education beyond the primary school level, as this is not free of charge. The school we worked in had donated English textbooks, but no one to teach. We decided to take
Sergey Kulyagin ’97 Debates with a Speaker at the Moscow Career Day 2005
dents, and that is why their caliber is essential. If you narrowed your search to five schools, make sure to ask them about the profile of MBA students. Frankly, my experience wasn’t as powerful, because students that I studied with were objectively lacking knowledge and experience. b) Content. Find out what is taught within the program and, more importantly, how much of it is practical knowledge. For example, both of my marketing courses were real projects for outside companies – a very valuable experience. The knowledge I gained in my finance classes I was able to apply within the Student Investment Fund that I ran for 1.5 years as president. Employers do like to see “MBA” on your resume, but more importantly they are interested in what you did within it or in connection with it. c) Faculty. Inquire what kind of business experience the teachers themselves have. Plus, inquire about their teaching history within MBA curricula. Our finance professor had run a bank, been a venture capitalist and has been teaching for a significant time. It was a great experience studying with him. Our accounting professor was a tax wizard and an accounting guru, but had so little teaching experience that it was a torture to attend her classes. This is far from everything that I can tell you about my experience, and, my observations are limited to an MBA program in a U.S. university. But if I were to go for my MBA again, this is how I would approach it, regardless of where it was offered. I’m willing to discuss this subject further. If you think my experience can be of assistance, write to me at skulyagi@su.edu or sergey.kulyagin@airbus.com. Good luck.
on that role. The classes were taught in a building without doors; the interior consisted only of old benches and desks. Some students had to bring younger siblings to class because no one else was at home. Others had to hike for up to an hour to get to school. In addition, realizing that some intelligent children would never be able to attend secondary school for lack of money, we decided to raise funds for the most talented to attend a nearby boarding school. We conducted interviews with the most outstanding students and their families. As a lot of money is needed, we have been working on a number of activities in order to raise additional funds. During my FLEX year in the U.S., I participated in the Technology Ambassadors Project. I have used the knowledge gained there for this project. It is amazing that one year in the U.S. has led to changes that allow us to help change the lives of others.
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Learning to Learn Story of a Student Learning Organization Nadir Guluzadeh ‘94 Baku, Azerbaijan/Concord, CA aylisli@yahoo.com Muskie 2004 Fellow, MA in International Policy Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Monterey, CA In January 2004, I began my fourth semester of graduate studies with low expectations about my last semester, already mentally prepared to return home. I had no idea that the following four months would prove to be the peak of my
Nadir Guluzadeh ’94 (in front, second from right) with Monterey Center for Applied Learning Team Members
FLEX Alumni Grant Program 2006 American Councils for International Education is pleased to announce the 2006 FLEX Alumni Grants Program, funded by the U. S. Department of State. This grant program was established in 2001 to assist former participants of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program, who are citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan to contribute to the social, economic, and civic development of their countries. While the project leaders and grant recipient must be a FLEX alumnus/a, alumni may invite classmates, co-workers and other partners to join their project teams. Alumni may apply for group grants in the amount of up to $3,000, and for individual grants in the amount up to $250. A total of $50,000 in grant funds will be awarded.
educational experience and a period of invigorating personal transformation. It began with my enrollment as one of 12 students in the Advanced Non-Profit Management class. We had a unique assignment for that class: in order to complete the course, we had to come up with our own group project that would be acceptable to everyone of us. We eagerly engaged in lively brainstorming sessions about possibilities: from a student website to consulting services, from a bulletin to a full-fledged organization. We discussed every single idea, gave every one a voice, agreed and disagreed, reminded ourselves of group ethics if distracted, and eventually we all arrived at what we truly desired to be a part of: we all agreed that we wanted to create a lab of student knowledge that would connect MIIS student skills with the community needs. We wanted to see our classroom knowledge be used, honed and assessed in community service. The Monterey Center for Applied Learning (MCAL) was to be that developmental playground for us and its future members. Very soon we started another round of enthusiastic discussions around our vision for MCAL, its mission and management structure. We wanted to apply in our project everything we learned in the class. We wanted to feel newly learnt innovative practices, and we wanted to own them. In the process we came up with a structure based on chaordics1, appreciative inquiry, and distributive leadership. Our entity would serve as a community of practice for development students, the practitioners, and the MIIS alumni. Our mission statement read: we are a student-led consultancy group committed to strengthening organizations serving the local
In order to participate in this program, alumni must (1) be successful participants of the FLEX program; (2) be in compliance with the two-year home residency requirement following the program; (3) update their information in the alumni database, which may be done at any American Councils office or electronically; (4) conduct their project and currently reside in one of the countries in which the FLEX program is administered. In 2005, 88 proposals were submitted for consideration, of which 33 were recommended for funding. Each application was reviewed by members of the American
community. We argued around each word before we arrived at this simple statement! Yet every time we made one step forward as a group, we learned a valuable lesson: with constructive and positive thinking, fair balance of teamwork and individual ownership, persistent focus, you can reach whatever you want! We owned our progress, we were proud with our successes, and we were fond of our team belongingness. Our team simultaneously explored several directions of thought and action: how we wanted to market our idea on campus and in the Monterey Bay area community, how we saw the organizational sustainability and exit strategies, how we would ensure quality, integrity, ownership among the new recruits, what the priorities should be in our strategic planning, and so on. If two of the 12 would see each other anywhere, the talk would inevitably be around the project. We would chat about it while hiking, playing, rock-climbing, having meals, during parties, over cups and cups of coffee, just ‘round the clock. We did not just want the project to complete the course with an A – it was not a mere class assignment. It was now a manifestation of our own selves, our mentality, characters, skills, level of commitment, and obligation to each other. We saw it as our legacy on the campus. We treated it as our greatest learning experience. We grew from a group of classmates into a team and then became close buddies. Before the class was over, I had my greatest epiphany: with proper energy and positive thinking, everything is possible. 1
(kay'ordic) 1: anything simultaneously orderly and chaotic. 2: patterned in a way dominated neither by order nor chaos. 3: existing in the phase between order and chaos.
Councils selection committee, and approved by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The reviewers evaluated the proposals based on the four criteria: objectives, constituency, feasibility, and results, as well as its promotion of the values of the FLEX program in your country. In the next issue of The Bradley Herald you’ll read about those grants projects carried out in 2005. You can find the 2006 FLEX Alumni Grant application form on the grants page of the American Councils website at: www. americancouncils.org. You may also obtain an electronic copy of the application form by writing to fsaalumni@actr.ru. Please note that the deadline for submitting applications to your nearest American Councils office is February 15, 2006 (postmark date.) Writing a successful grant application is a time-consuming task. Completion of a successful proposal will take weeks. We encourage you to start working on your proposal well before the deadline, and consult with American Councils staff as you develop your project idea and proposal. Good luck!
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Pursuing Graduate Studies
Environment and Development at the London School of Economics Elena Rotoklya ‘96 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan/Lorain, OH elena_rotoklya@hotmail.com There were many reasons why I chose to pursue a course of postgraduate studies in Environment and Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), both personal and professional. Now, having completed my Master’s, I can look back and appreciate the hard work and consider my next steps. It was in 2002 when I was still completing my BSc Programme in International Comparative Politics at the American University Central Asia (AUCA) that I first began considering study at LSE. Although I had gained much from my undergraduate studies, I wanted to expand my academic horizons in the field of international development. The thought of learning from the many experienced scholars and professors at such a world-renowned university as LSE was exhilarating. In addition, the attraction of London’s cosmopolitan environment was quite compelling. Although I applied and was also accepted at other leading universities, I knew that LSE afforded the serious and rigorous development studies I sought. Once I had made my decision to attend LSE, I was supported by many excellent tutors at AUCA, whose teaching and recommendations were essential for my acceptance. I was also quite lucky, honored and grateful to receive the Peacock Scholarship (www.lse.ac.uk/collections/studentservicecentre/financialsupportoffice/graduateApplicants/regionalAwards/michaelPeacockCharitable.htm). Through this scholarship I was able to meet the costs associated with living in London and focus on my studies. I am quite happy to say that all my high expectations for attending LSE were met and often
even exceeded. The methods of teaching at LSE combined theory with practice. Students were encouraged to participate in class discussions through presentations and intellectually stimulating debates. I also benefited greatly from advanced coursework offered in environment and development as it matched my research interests in international development issues. I was especially interested in exploring such topics as the “Costs and Benefits of Kyrgyzstan’s WTO membership” and “Poverty, Environmental Degradation and Sustainable Development.” One of my more interesting course papers explored the rationale behind developing countries’ active participation in financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization. I analyzed the stimulus behind developing countries’ participation in these institutions despite biases against developing countries caused by institutional rules, bias caused by developed country lobbying, and bias due to the weaker markets of some developing countries. Through this work I explored many examples of bias and came to understand the general reasons for developing countries’ active participation in international economic institutions: access to information and markets of developed countries, reduction of transaction costs, formal protection from unilateral actions, and the possibility of gaining more bargaining power through collective action are usually the same for all countries. At a more countryspecific level, however, I learned developing countries’ motivations and agendas are often divided. Each can expect different potential gains and losses from participation in existing economic regimes. The welcoming environment created by LSE for its students was very important for me - the international community within this university has an enormous impact on the lives of students and networks that cross borders and continents. A majority of LSE students who study at the Master’s level are from different countries. This makes a friendly, multicultural atmosphere, which promotes the sharing of knowledge and ideas, as well as an opportunity to discover new development perspectives.
FLEX/Iacocca Scholarships to FLEX Alumni Each year since 1997, the Iacocca Institute brings approximately 75 young business leaders (from more than 35 different countries) to the Lehigh University campus for the Global Village for Future Leaders of Business and Industry six-week summer seminar. Through company projects, executive meetings, and interactive courses they gain leadership and entrepreneurial skills, business knowledge, and an understanding of other cultures. Annually since 2001, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in cooperation with the Iacocca Institute, has offered a limited number of partial scholarships to FLEX alumni from Eurasia to participate
Although the LSE program was very rigorous and demanding, I used every opportunity to enjoy other options provided to LSE students and also to take advantage of the many cultural venues around London. I also joined the LSE Karate Club. I have now reached the 8th Kyu level and continue to train. With my hard-earned degree now in hand, I am considering several options to continue my professional growth. Due to the variety of challenges presented by transition economies, it may not be possible for me to use the skills I have gained over the short-term to directly contribute to the growth of my native country, Kyrgyzstan. Over the long-term, however, I know my dedication to global development issues will make a difference, both in my homeland and elsewhere. I continue to pursue my studies and am pursuing various options assignments within the international civil society sector. Once I have gained additional field experience, I plan to undertake a PhD research project on economic development issues in post-Soviet countries. Coming from such a relatively less developed transition country such as Kyrgyzstan, my experience at LSE has of course given me an amazing opportunity. I would never have been able to enjoy such an experience if were not for the financial support offered to international students in international development studies. The Peacock and other scholarships open the doors of opportunity for students, which otherwise they would not have had. The Peacock helped to increase my motivations to give something back in return eventually by working on a range of different social development projects. I am not alone in my feelings - a fellow student from Tajikistan, who studied at LSE a year before me now works with an international organization in Tajikistan working on children’s poverty; a student from Iran is pursuing his PhD after completing his Master’s Program in Human Rights at LSE. Next academic year there will be two more students from Kyrgyzstan at LSE. Hopefully, by working together, we can use our LSE education to make a difference.
in the Global Village seminar. Completed applications for the 2006 Global Village should be received by February 15 (available at http:// www.lehigh.edu/~village). The selection and scholarship award is a two-step process. If a FLEX alumnus/a is selected to participate in the Global Village, he/she is then considered for a joint FLEX/Iacocca full tuition scholarship. Those awarded such scholarships must pay only their own airfare, meals, and personal expenses. Other FLEX applicants may be selected to attend at their own expense ($6,500 tuition plus airfare and personal expenses). Sometimes partial Iacocca scholarships may be awarded. Please direct all information and questions to: Mary Frances Schurtz-Leon, Global Village Candidate Manager 111 Research Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015 Phone: 610-758-6887 Fax: 610-758-6550, Email: mfs2@lehigh.edu
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Letters to The Bradley Herald From Silvia Ursu ’00 Moldova Dear Bradley Herald, I am doing fine at Oxford. The first term is over and the students are on vacation, however, the Oxford definition of vacation is moving to the library and start working for real now :). I have a few assignments and I already have to start working on my master thesis proposal, which as you can imagine might be considered a bit early since I have three more terms at Oxford. Oxford is very nice as a city and as a student town. However, in less than three months since I've been here, I have only got to know Oxford from the university perspective. I hope to get to know the real Oxford in the next few months. Being involved with a charity that writes portraits of various Oxford inhabitants, Oxford Muse, I will have the chance to meet some other Oxfordians that are not necessarily academics. The program is good, however, it is less so than I expected. Comparative Social Policy, MSc, is a rather new program and the faculty is working to adjust it to the current students' and labor market's needs. The professors in this program are few in number, unfortunately, and most of them are specialized in the British welfare system and less in other welfare regimes, even less in developing countries' welfare regimes, which actually are my main interest. However, the good part about Oxford is the fact that all other departments are open for all students, and I can speak with professors and specialists from Centre for Migration COMPAS, for example, or the Department of International Development to get more knowledge on the area of my research or I can attend lectures at other departments. For example, next term I will attend a course on ethnicity and nationalism offered by the sociology department. At the same time, the University of Oxford is famous for its seminars, lectures and speeches given by famous people, academics and professionals, that are open to members and even nonmembers of the university. Oxford is a great challenge. The students studying here are very smart and hard working, thus, the program is highly competitive. But Oxford is also a socializing nest with many venues and parties going on. I am glad to say that I have met some of the most interesting people here in Oxford. I hope this information is helpful for the newsletter. If you have more specific questions, I will be glad to answer them. Best regards, Silvia (Ursu) s_ursu@yahoo.com
Nurzada Joldoshbekova ’01 from Kyrgyzstan is currently studying in a Master’s degree program in American Studies at the Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) in Germany. The HCA is a central academic facility of the Ruprech-KarlsUniversitat Heidelberg. The HCA serves as an intellectual center dedicated to the study of the United States, providing space for scholarly and public debate in a global context. It provides education and research opportunities for international students and scholars. The University has a high international reputation, and its strong record in the study of the United States has presented ideal prerequisites for the creation of the Heidelberg Center for American Studies. She was accepted to the HCA for winter semester 2005 and awarded a full scholarship. In order to make her dream come true, however, Nurzada had to raise funds to cover the cost of medical insurance, accommodations, books, and travel. She did a lot of networking, which in the end paid off. One of the places where Nurzada found help was the Bishkek Rotary Club. They connected her to the Heidelberg Rotary Club and the Heidelberg Roteract Club. Dear Bradley Herald, I have been meeting with the Rotary Clubs here in Heidelberg. I attended their meetings and had a chance to introduce myself and tell them about my educational background. Most of them told me that they are impressed with my achievements and called me a “young brave lady.” One of the Rotarian members, Mr. von Kretschmann, assured me that I do not have to worry about my financial support here in Heidelberg and he will manage it for me and they will support me with a monthly allowance. He told me that he is obligated to do that since he was the one who received the phone call from the Rotary Club in Bishkek. I am very thankful to Rotary International Clubs and I hope to join the Rotaract Youth Club in Heidelberg. There are 19 of us in the Master’s program and everyone seems to be very nice. We have students from Romania, U.S., Mexico, China, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, and Japan. Some of them have been to Germany several times before and surely know German. Those who do not know German, including me, are still trying to say one sentence! However, my Swedish roommate told me that I have a talent to learn German or any other foreign language, because I can pronounce the words correctly, while some people do not. Back to my university, we went to the Heidelberg
University Library yesterday. Believe me; I have never seen so many books, journals, and encyclopedias as in this library!!! Tons of books! We even saw the basement of the library that was full of books on different subjects and the librarian claimed that they are looking forward to opening another building’s basement to keep more books! So, this is the real resource center!!! ….The first two days were like a dream for me, because I could not believe that I made it. I really wanted to study in Europe and never thought that I would make it. But, here I am with my dream that came true! I would not reach it without you all. You were the ones who pushed me to make steps and who enormously supported me! And then later in the semester, Nurzada writes: Things are going great in my life. My classes are going very intensively, so much reading and writing assignments that I enjoy so much. Most of our professors are from the U.S. and so far they seem to be helpful in everything. I am taking three major courses out of six: American Constitutional Law, Government and Business, and the U.S. Political System, and Social Geography. I found these courses very interesting and I hope to learn many useful things from these courses since I have no background knowledge, especially in the American Constitutional Law course. Besides these courses, we are required to attend minor lectures on history, literature, and religious studies; also actively participate in mandatory courses: Methodology I and II, and Colloquium. The mandatory courses are interdisciplinary and there are so many topics to discuss. I am staying in a student dormitory and have my own room. Unfortunately, I have no roommate, as I prefer to share a room. My floormates are nice and they help me out with everything. Since everything is in German, they put English signs for me, so that I can understand it as well. I thought it was very nice of them. I hope to start learning German in March, when I will finish my courses and have more time for writing my thesis. I always see some of my floormates in the kitchen watching “The Simpsons” cartoon endlessly. I can see the strong influence of American culture! As soon as I will have a chance to take pictures, I will do my best to send you some shots of Heidelberg and other interesting events. Love and Best Wishes, Nurzada
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Alumni Beat This issue highlights fall activities. The summer flew by, full of FLEX PDOs and re-entry seminars for the newest alumni. Beginning in September, many alumni helped FLEX recruiters advertise this year’s competition and manage the crowds on testing days. September also marked a historic FLEX alumni event: 52 alumni from 12 countries gathered in Moscow for the “Disability Awareness: FLEX Alumni Lead for Change” Symposium. These alumni, most of whom are themselves disabled, met to discuss their personal and professional activities, and particularly their efforts as advocates for people with disabilities. Representatives from the U.S. State Department, U.S. Embassy, and Mobility International USA participated in the Symposium, as well as trainers from Perspektiva and the pool of Trainers of the Council of Europe Directorate of Youth and Sport. Perspektiva is a Russian non-governmental organization focusing on improving the lives of people with disabilities in Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. Look for more news of this event and the projects that have been launched in the next issue of The Bradley Herald. The FLEX city and regional representative network has grown to include more than 80 volunteers. In coordination with FLEX alumni assistants (AAs), these volunteer representatives can receive funding to conduct local activities and are also invited to training conferences and events. In the next issue, The Bradley Herald will include news and photos of some outstanding reps and their efforts. If you want to volunteer to be a city or regional representative or would like to know who your volunteer representative is, contact your FLEX AA (addresses on the back cover) or the FLEX Eurasia Alumni Office at fsaalumni@actr.ru.
Halloween treats and good spirits. Afterwards alumni volunteers gathered in the Alumni Resource Center and watched a movie.
Azerbaijan Farid Abbasov ’05, Movsum Agayev ’02, Kamran Aliyev ’04, Emil Gafarov ’02, Zaur Guliyev ’05, Abbas Najaf ’05, and Turan Talibova’05 attended a roundtable discussion with David Stern in advance of the Azerbaijan parliamentary elections on November 3. David Stern, a journalist and consultant for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), is an expert on Azerbaijani politics and the Caucasus. He writes on Azerbaijan for the Financial Times, the Economist, and Agence France-Press.
Belarus Minsk alumni combined a clean up and Halloween celebration at an orphanage in Stankovo on October 29. Ten alumni worked on the event with students from the University of Arts and the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy. The children, who study in first through ninth grades through, along with the alumni and University of Arts students cleaned up the orphanage grounds. After their hard work, they shared lunch and celebrated Halloween. Each clean up team received special awards for their contributions to the clean up.
Georgia Determined to build on ideas generated at the FLEX Disability Awareness Symposium, alumni in Tbilisi met every week in November to develop a program of special events for disabled children. Having set a goal to build bridges of friendship and collaboration between the Tbilisi School for Hearing Impaired Children
Armenia Thirteen 6th to 8th graders from the Jrarat village (Armavir region) joined ten FLEX alumni for a Halloween party at the American Councils office. They started the celebration by decorating the room together with scary Halloween items donated by FLEX friend, Anne Godfrey of the U.S. Embassy. Relay races, pumpkin carving, and candy were all part of the fun, and when everybody got hungry, alumni helped the children cook hotdogs in the backyard. The children left loaded with
Giorgi Nadareishvili '04 and Irina Rekhviashvili '03 with Child from School for the Hearing Impaired
and the Valdorf School, alumni also wanted to break stereotypes about hearing impaired children and show that they can integrate and communicate with their hearing peers. On December 10, 31 alumni and over 100 children from the two schools met for an afternoon of cultural exchange and communication. It was such a success that they decided to hold a Christmas event two weeks later.
Almaty “We are For a Beautiful City” Volunteers Receive Instructions
Kazakhstan The "We are for a Beautiful City" clean-up project was carried out on Abylai Khan, one of Almaty's busiest streets visited by thousands of residents and guests daily. With major support from ConocoPhillips and the Almaty Akimat (municipal government), 63 alumni and other volunteers collected 120 bags of trash. Corporate support also allowed them to purchase new benches and trashcans, which they placed near the entrance to the National Library. Volunteers also received "We Are For A Beautiful City" t-shirts with a project logo and logos of all organizing and sponsoring companies. Moreover, October 16 was City Library Day in Almaty, and so the volunteers also contributed to the library day celebration. The final result was a visibly cleaner and more beautiful Almaty street, as well as promotion for volunteer efforts among the city's young people.
Kyrgyzstan In September, in cooperation with the local non-governmental organization Alpine Fund www.alpinefund.org, alumni participated in the Watermelon Eating Contest, held in the mountains near Ala-Archa National Park. All the money raised (2.400 soms or about $60) went toward aiding at-risk youth in Bishkek. Alumni helped with logistics and organized the games and other fun activities. They also promoted the contest among different international organizations and interested individuals. Most of the alumni who were involved in organizing the contest were 2005 alumni, and for many of them, this effort was their first fundraising activity. Leaders included Ilona Asyrankulova ’05, Nellie Dagazieva ’05, Aiday Elbekova ’05, Andrey Ligay ’05, Aliya Madilova ’05, Janibek Monolbaev ’05, and Munara Sulaimanova ’05.
Moldova Tatiana Echim ’98, Ana Ciudnaia ’01, and Marina Poneatovschi ’95 gathered 24 alumni to participate in the Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop How to Make an Effective Training on November 12. This event was organized within the framework of the alumni campaign
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Alumni Beat “Creation of Network of Alumni-Trainers of Moldova.” Moldova FLEX alumni are creating a network of alumni trainers, who will work in the future to initiate and implement thematic trainings around the country. They intend to actively collaborate with members of civil society in Moldova. They prepared and conducted this training together with experts and NGO leaders. For this workshop the project team gathered and prepared useful material from different countries, including NGO catalogues, newsletters, CDs and video tapes, collages, project reports and thematic magazines, training kits, and educational manuals, that will be available to participants as informational resources and reference materials.
vention on the rights of a child, America A to Z, and HIV/AIDS awareness. They also taught the children to draw self-portrait collages using colored paper and magazines. Alfiya explained that these lessons helped students break the wall around them and look at the world with eyes of hope. In addition to the
Ukraine
Balloon Toss at Summer Camp for Disabled Children in Varzob
In Kharkiv, alumni planted trees by the dormitory of Kharkiv National Law Academy in October. Alumni, in cooperation with student councils representatives and active members
Russia Yuliana Amanova ’03, Lilya Bikbaeva ’03, Gulnara Gilfanova ’96, Lilya Mukhamedzhanova ’00, and Adel Salekhova ’01 worked as interpreters for doctors conducting the Operation Smile mission at the Children’s Clinical Hospital in Kazan, June 23 through July 1. The Operation Smile doctors examined 175 children, of whom 93 were then operated on between June 27 and July 1. The FLEX alumni interpreted for the doctors, the patients, and the patients’ parents. They also helped care for and entertain the children.
classes, students had an opportunity to play sport games (swimming, badminton, football, and Frisbee), sing karaoke songs, and learn how to make a pizza. In the evening alumni and students played educational games that helped them to see the world from different perspectives. Miskola Abdullaeva ’02, Malika Khakimova ’04, Alfiya Kulmamadova ’03, Nadejda Tretyakova ’95, and Kadamsho Yusufbekov ’05 made this project a success.
Seven FLEX alumni took part in an NGO Skills Development Training Seminar on November 19-20 at the Ivano Frankivsk Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) Center. Participants learned essential skills of strategic planning, SWOP analysis, project writing and management, public relations, and fundraising. The training was followed by a planning session, during which the Ivano Frankivsk alumni drafted their proposal for a Global Youth Service Day project to take place in April. Mykola Pekh ’00 and Oksana Nos ’03 served as trainers for Viktoriya Holodryha ’05, Khrystyna Havkaliuk ’05, Anastasiya Kinelska’05, Iryna Vitovska ’05, and Viktor Vivcharenko’04.
Turkmenistan
Counselor Liliya Iskhakova ’03 with her Group at Kazan English Language Summer Camp
More than 30 FLEX alumni served as teachers and counselors at English language and American culture summer camps, held in Ufa and Kazan in the summer of 2005. The camps, organized with support from the English Language Office of the U.S Embassy, offered middle and high school pupils intensive study of English in a highly interactive environment.
Tajikistan Alfiya Kulmamadova ’03 conducted the summer camp project "Make it a Better Place for You and Me" from August 10-13 at the Varzob resort. She received a FLEX alumni grant, with the help of which she included 15 disabled children ages 12-16 from both Dushanbe and other cities in the camp. During the camp, alumni led classes on topics such as the con-
After participating in the October Alumni Assistants' Training Conference in Moscow, alumni assistant Nadejda Li ’04 from Ashgabat decided to conduct a similar training for the volunteer regional representatives in Turkmenistan to share her new information and skills and to discuss the annual plans of regional representatives. At the end of October, Anastasiya Kuznetsova ’05 (Mary), Farhad Kerimov ’05 (Turkmenabat), Ogulgerek Annayeva ’05 (Turkmenbashy), and Lale Matiyeva ’05 (Dashoguz) participated in the training and learned about new ways to attract alumni, professionalism, mass media outreach, FLEX grant opportunities, and report writing. Participants felt encouraged to keep up their work, and put the new skills and knowledge to use for the benefit of their cities. Culminating a project begun in August, alumni and Peace Corps volunteers worked with 22 local teens to rehearse and perform Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Ashgabat on November 4 and 5. Maksat Annamuradov ’05, Aygul Begjanova ’05, and Mekan Narliyev ’05 were selected to perform, and participated in vocal, musical, and chorographical training throughout the fall. More than 300 people saw the group perform, and ticket sale contributions were in turn used to support the Ashgabat Boarding School for Visually Impaired Children.
Kharkiv Alumni and Fellow Law Students Plant Trees in front of their Dormitory
of the local community, worked together to create a tree-lined walkway. The team included Yehen Bobyk ’03, Roman Matskevych ’03 (Lutsk), Tatyana Shamray ’04, Iryna Shpak ’04, and Anna Smirnova ’03.
Uzbekistan International Education Week in Uzbekistan opened with a breakfast meeting on November 11 with Public Affairs Officer Deborah Jones of the U.S. Embassy and U.S. government program alumni. Emiliya Asadova ’02 and Saidnumon Mansurov ’04 represented the FLEX alumni community. At the breakfast the group discussed efforts to support alumni in the regions and the importance of inviting more regional alumni to Tashkent events. Three good ideas were formulated: the creation of an Uzbek alumni website, creation and publication of an alumni newsletter, and an annual alumni conference to discuss alumni achievements. Later that day, alumni united again for the International Education Fair to tell about their experiences during their FLEX exchange years in the U.S. and also to answer programrelated questions.
The Bradley Herald Page 10
Bradley Bits Have you made a New Year’s resolution to contact old friends? We’ll be glad if you add the FLEX alumni office to your list and share your news with fellow alumni. Send updates to bradleyherald@actr.ru.
Class of ’94 Armenia Ara Vardanyan has been promoted to deputy director of the “Armenia” All-Armenian Fund. Sargis Kotanjyan has been appointed deputy director of the west coast branch of “Armenia” All-Armenian Fund in Los Angeles, CA. The fund’s mission is to combine the efforts and means of Armenians all over the world and direct them purposefully to the reconstruction and strengthening of the Armenian homeland.
Russia Yevgeniy Gribov completed a Ph.D. in fiscal federalism at the St. Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance. He then conducted research at the Institute of Federalism in Switzerland through a Swiss government grant. Yevgeniy is studying the system of intergovernmental fiscal relations and preparing articles and lectures on this topic. As well, he worked for the St. Petersburg City Duma for the past two months and will begin a PhD at Boston University in 2006. egribov@mail.ru
Class of ’95 Russia Natalia Davidson is currently working as an English teacher at Ural State Technical University. ndavidson@mail.ru
Class of ’96 Belarus Irina Mikhailava received a Chevening scholarship through the Open Society and British Government to pursue a Master’s of Science degree in management and development at the University of Manchester. irina_vm78@hotmail.com
Georgia Nana Aburjanidze is a managing director of AGB Nielsen Media Research Georgia, which measures television audiences in Georgia and provides TV ratings to the local market. ab_nana@hotmail.com
Class of ’97 Georgia Sergi Kapanadze is working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia as a depu-
ty director of the Department on Regional Cooperation. Sergikap@hotmail.com
Class of ’99 Turkmenistan
Kyrgyzstan Tahmina Maralbaeva has worked as a program and training assistant at the Peace Corps USA Kyrgyz Republic since 2003. This August, she participated in a Peace Corps Trafficking in Persons Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria. tahmina.kg@gmail.com Medina Aytieva completed a Master’s degree at Indiana University and is now teaching sociology at American University Central Asia in Bishkek. medinaitieva@hotmail.com
Russia Timur Timurshin (Kazan) has a new job as deputy director of Tatnefteproduct Media, a filial of the major holding company Tatnefteproduct. His company carries out all types of media and public relations support. ttimurshin@mail.ru
Ukraine Oksana Pidufala received a full fellowship to the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, where she is working towards a Master’s degree in international affairs.
Class of ’98 Georgia Matuta Bzhalava attended a course on office management/administration at the Center for Training and Consultancy with Vocational Training and Job Center in Tbilisi, and now works for CARE International at Guria Adolescents' Health Project. matato00@yahoo.com
Russia Mariya Mozgovaya (Arkhangelsk) is working as a specialist in the Tourism Department of the Arkhangelsk Regional Administration, Committee of Foreign Relations and Tourism Development. marymary81@mail.ru.
Ukraine Karina Makarenko graduated from Kyiv Medical University. Recently, she has served as a facilitator for several Open World delegations from Ukraine to the U.S. karinamedik@yahoo.com
Zuleyha Odayeva (Turkmenbashy) became a manager’s deputy at the Petronaz Company.
Ukraine Viktoriya Volkova (Kyiv) received a full scholarship to study international law at Harvard University. snowhiteua@yahoo.com
Class of ’00 Azerbaijan Timur Aliyev participated in the Azerbaijan Business Case competition among MBA students of Azerbaijan. His team won first place and was awarded a scholarship to attend summer school at the U.S. university of his choice in any field. Timur and his team decided on the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. fsa7timur@hotmail.com
Moldova Silvia Ursu was accepted to Oxford University to pursue a Master’s degree in comparative social policies. s_ursu@yahoo.com
Ukraine Mykola Pekh (Lviv) entered Shakh Computer Academy to major in network administration. Mykola also launched a project on scanning literature for visually impaired people using facilities of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv Drahomanov Library. mpekh@ukr.net
Uzbekistan Ulugbek Usmanov is working as counsel to the chairman at Eurasia Engineering International Company. The company attracts foreign investors to Uzbekistan. bekausmanov@yahoo.com
Class of ’01 Russia Svetlana Botkina (Saratov) successfully completed the Stanford University Distance Learning Program course International Environmental Politics. She received an A as her final grade. She also participated in the Summer School of the Blind held in Togliatty, which was organized by the nongovernmental organization of the disabled SAMI and the Embassy of the Netherlands. starspark@yandex.ru
Uzbekistan
Ukraine
Yusufjan Sadikov was working for Save the Children as a community mobilizer. Yusufan left his job in October to begin a Master’s degree program at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. yusufjan_bub@yahoo.com
Yuriy Basyuk (Odesa) was elected president of the Odesa branch of the worldwide student organization AEGEE. Anastasiya Marchuk is the secretary of AEGEE-Odesa. bas@farlep.net and stasy@farlep.net
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Bradley Bits Class of ’02 Moldova Cristina Andoni participated in a one-week conference in Bucharest, Romania: “New Europe Who’s Afraid of Democratization.” She met with Romanian politicians and the Romanian president. andoni_cristina@yahoo.com
Turkmenistan Bahar Nuriyeva received a full tuition scholarship to attend Berea College in Berea, KY to major in political science and minor in sociology. flex_report@yahoo.com
Ukraine Stanislav Kukhlevskyi and Olha Tsar (Lviv) started the Lviv branch of the International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA). IFMSA works in the areas of research, knowledge and experience exchange, professional exchange, public health, medical education, refugees and peace, and HIV/AIDS prevention. http://www.ifmsa.org As well, this summer Olha went on a IFMSA professional exchange program to St. Luke’s Hospital in Malta, where she worked in the Organ Transplantation and Gynecology Departments. She also assisted a team of plastic surgeons who came to Lviv on Mission for Children. stanislav_k@hotmail.com olga_tsar@yahoo.com
Class of ’03 Azerbaijan Magsud Ibragimov became a bronze medal winner at the International Olympiad in Information in Athens, Greece, which took place in September. maksud_i@yahoo.com
Georgia Nelly Akobia won second prize in a public speaking competition held by the English Speaking Union of Georgia and receives a fully funded trip to London to participate in a public speaking contest there. nakobia@yahoo.com
Kazakhstan Dmitry Lemayev is the president of the Contact Club in Kyzylorda, and won a Disney Hand Minnie Grant in support of the club’s Global Youth Service Day project. dlemeyev@freenet.kz Gulnaz Ukasova became a finalist in the Kazakhstan Public Speaking Contest in Japanese. gulnaz19@yandex.ru
Ukraine Yevhen Bobyk and Anna Smirnova both from Kharkiv, participated in a study tour to Poland. The Polish-American Foundation
of Liberty and Foundation “Education for Democracy” organized a 12-day course for active students from Belarus, Ukraine and Russia in academic centers in Poland. For more info visit www.studytours.pl. eugenebobyk@yahoo.com anechka86@yahoo.com
Uzbekistan Aliya Prenova participated in the sixth Central Asian Competition on International Humanitarian Law organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Aliya’s team took first place among 16 teams. She also won the Best Speaker Award. aliya_prenova@yahoo.com
FLEX Family News The Bradley Herald invites you to share your personal successes! This column, a new feature, will highlight what alumni are doing outside the classroom or boardroom. We’ll be glad to tell of your news of marriage, children, travels, reunions with host families and FLEX friends, adventures – all that makes your life bright and rewarding. Send photos and stories to bradleyherald@actr.ru
Class of ’04 Belarus Olga Kapylova took second place in the National English Language Olympiad in Minsk, Belarus. olenkak@hotmail.com
Moldova Vadim Dubceac served as a moderator at a digital videoconference, organized in Balti, by the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Office. The conference united sister cities Balti, Moldova and Lakeland, Florida. The goal was to establish contacts for future cooperation between the two cities. vadcomcorp@narod.ru
Anton Khokholov ’98 from Yakutsk, Russia with his bride Dariya. khokhol@freemail.ru
Russia Pavel Trofimov (Cheboksary) took first place in the All-Russia English language Olympiad. pault@mail.ru
Class of ’05 Georgia Keti Chachava, Giga Chachibaia, Nick Iakobishvili, Ana Megrelishvili, Irakli Naridze, Maia Otarashvili and Nino Samvelidze passed the National Unified Government Exams and received full scholarships. They began their studies in September in various universities.
Fariz Ismailzade ’96 of Baku, Azerbaijan writes, “I am rushing to tell you that yesterday, March 17, my family grew by one child (first one). She is Manzar, named after my mother. We are all smiling here.” fariz_1998@yahoo.com
All Classes Azerbaijan Minai Massimova ‘96 and Hanum Azizova ‘98 attended the annual Rotaract conference on June 24-26 in Antalya, Turkey to represent Rotaract Club of Baku of which Hanum is the president and Minai is the vice president (2004-2005). (www.rotaract.az) minashka@yahoo.com bibihanum@hotmail.com Tatiana Echim ’98 and husband Andrei of Chisinau, Moldova with their daughter Katea on the day of her baptism. t_echim@yahoo.com
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Essay
FLEX and JESSUP Meet to Strengthen Legal Education in Russia Anna Oganesyan ’98 Moscow, Russia/Banks, OR aoganesyan@moscow.whitecase.com What do you do when you return from an amazing year of study in a foreign country, where you have gained new insights about the world around you? Where do you turn with your experiences, impressions, and goals? FLEX is about volunteerism and study. The FLEX student studies, and his or her host family volunteers time, home and heart to make the experience worthwhile. Most FLEX alumni go through a readjustment phase as they return home and try to apply what they have learned to a world they have not inhabited for some time. I was no exception. I spent a couple of years trying to recreate in Russia the strong sense of community I had found while in the U.S., wondering how I could give back and share. Fast forward seven years to February 12, 2005: a blustery Moscow day and the scene of my reunion with fellow alumni at the Jessup Russian National Moot Court Competition. Moot court, or “mooting,” is an academic exercise used in law schools to help nascent lawyers practice arguing before a court of law. The Jessup’s guiding principle is to expand the international legal community by building a network of volunteers dedicated to Jessup and moot court. The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, founded at Harvard Law School in 1960, has become the largest international moot court competition, with participants from over 100 countries. Still fairly young, the Russian Jessup is organized by White & Case LLC and now includes over 20 participating universities. Extraordinarily, the 2003 Russian National champions, Mari State University, placed second in the international rounds in Washington, D.C. After FLEX, Anastasia Putilova ’98, Alexei Konovalov ’96/Ugrad’02, and I have all become involved in Jessup. Since we all were pursuing law careers, the Jessup—perhaps the world’s biggest community of legal volunteers—was a natural choice. Jessup volunteers share a passion for international law and a desire to impart what they know to young lawyers. Anastasia was a member of the 2005 Russian National Runner-up team, as well as second-place oralist. Alexei was a member of the phenomenal Mari State team in 2003 (with Ksenia Lapteva ’97). Now a corporate lawyer, he stays active in Jessup as a judge. I am currently helping put the Jessup together in Russia—as assistant to
Anna Oganesyan ( R ) with Fellow Organizers at the Jessup Russian National Moot Court Competition
the Jessup National administrator and team coordinator. I remember my first day on the Jessup when Magali Veneau, the Russian National Administrator, told me: “Once you do Jessup, you can't stop, you'll be involved in it over and over again.” Those words did not mean much then. It was only after watching 22 teams plead their case at the Russian National Championship, over 90 lawyers volunteering their time, a distinguished Judge from the International Court of Justice (the Hague) and a Columbia University professor travel halfway across the world to sit on the Jessup Final Bench that I understood the essence of the Jessup spirit. It is amazing to see how Jessup unites people, and how willing they are to be involved year after year. Alexei comments: “Jessup is a unique opportunity to test and develop one’s abilities as a team player. I was lucky to have the best team members one could wish for, and even when we had tensions about certain issues, we remained a team, striving to achieve the same goal.” Being involved in Jessup for the past six months, I, too, am impressed to see the loyalty of the team members. Seeing Anastasia plead during the Championship Round, I understood that no matter what the results were, Anastasia and her
teammates had already won the most important game: they became a cohesive team that uses the word “We” instead of “I.” Teamwork is one of the most important skills lawyers can learn early in their careers. When organizing the Russia Rounds, we turned to the FLEX alumni network to find volunteers. FLEX and Jessup, though completely different programs, are joined by the common thread of volunteering. As alumni, we have to find our voice after FLEX. Nothing makes me happier than the feeling that I contribute to something important not only for my future but also for the community. In my case, it is the legal community, of which I hope to become a fullyfledged member in the nearest future. Editor’s note: Anna writes, “ Update on Russian Jessup 2006: 36 teams have registered in comparison to 22 teams in 2005. The Competition promises to be challenging and lively with Madame Claire L’Heureux Dube former Supreme Court Justice of Canada and His Excellency Judge Anatoly Kovler of the European Court of Human Rights judging the finals. We would be delighted to have FLEX alumni volunteers again this year! To find out more about the international Jessup Moot Court go to the International Law Students Association site: www.ilsa.org and www.whitecase.ru.
Page 13 The Bradley Herald
Exchanges to Internships: Four Months at the Ministry of Communications Tamerlan Mammadov ‘02 Ganja, Azerbaijan/Kansas City, MO tamerlan85@box.az When I came back from the U.S. in 2002, there were a lot of things I wanted to achieve. It took a full year before I understood what being an alumnus meant. The next thing I had to do was find my own place in Azerbaijan. The question that troubled me the most was: “What can I do for my Motherland?” While studying at Baku State University, I had some great teachers who helped me see the problems that we have in our country. One of those is a lack of professionalism. Our country needs professionals who can make required changes in Azerbaijan. I believe that we – the alumni – can become professionals, but we need support. I also believe that FLEX alumni can’t be pessimistic. The FLEX program is the opposite of pessimism. We spent a year in the U.S., learned a lot of new things, and we can’t just be egotistical and inactive. Our duty is to give as much as possible to the society. When it became known that the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan and American Councils were setting up an internship program with Azerbaijani government ministries, I couldn’t believe it. It was a great chance for me to show my abilities
Joining the San Marcos Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association Elena Wisely (Verbitskaya) ‘01 Volgograd, Russia/Lubbock, TX termojader@yahoo.com Many police departments in the United States have programs called “Citizen Police Academies,” which help them strengthen the idea of community policing and fulfill the mission of the police. One of my co-workers went through one of such academies and encouraged me to join as well. I participated in the San Marcos, Texas, Citizen Police Academy through the spring semester 2005. This program was originally designed to give citizens a better understanding of the mission and operations of the San Marcos Police
FLEX Interns Meet U.S. Ambassador Reno Harnish at the “Exchanges to the Internship” Reception
and integrate into society. I applied to participate in the program and won a four-month internship at the Ministry of Communications of Azerbaijan. The internship was a valuable period in my professional life. I learned lots there, but I’ll just mention the most essential ones: I learned to work with a team; I learned about the governmental system, which I knew little about before; and I learned to use my skills in a proper way. I learned a lot about myself and my abilities. Also, when we started this internship program, we were all worried that we wouldn’t have a chance to do ‘real’ work. But, to our surprise, we were taken very seriously and had lots of jobs: paperwork, translations, Internet research, official letter writing, etc. I also helped prepare a couple of presentations. At the Ministry, I had to build
communication with fellow workers. But, I was quite lucky as my supervisor and co-workers were very nice to me and ready to help. I felt the responsibility of what I was doing. That is great, because I believe that without responsibilities, work loses its value. I believe those of us who want to be a part of the active life of our country, must participate in such programs. I would say that programs like this one are really great, not only for Azerbaijan, but for all post-Soviet regions. Today we are entering a new era where the significance of the new generation is huge. And it’s a great chance for alumni to show themselves. We have to be active in creating dialogue with the authorities in our countries, and in this way, “Exchanges to Internships” is a great model.
Department. The 12-week course consisted of one three-hour session per week. We were introduced to basic information that all police officers must know to perform their jobs: patrol tactics, criminal and narcotics investigations, use of force, communications, DWI [Driving While Intoxicated/drunk driving] procedures, family violence, and juvenile law. Part of the program completion requirements was riding along with police officers on their patrol shifts and observing a 911-dispatch center. I received insight on how the department operates on a regular basis and provides day-to-day help for civilians. The fun part was learning how to shoot guns, drive police cars and learn different defensive tactics. After I completed the program, I changed my perspective on American police officers and things they do in every-day life. Those people behind the badges wearing uniforms are there to protect us and help us deal with situations that we don’t have skills, knowledge and training to deal with. I learned about how various
laws apply to real life and where to seek help in various situations. I am now a member of the San Marcos Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association. The SMCPAAA assists the police department in obtaining special equipment, helping with the protection of property while residents are away on holidays, issuing parking tickets in busy shopping areas, participating in kids’ fingerprinting, and providing meals for officers, communications operators, fire fighters, and Emergency Medical Services personnel who must work Christmas day. On August 2, 2005, many American communities nationwide gathered for the National Night Out, where they had a chance to meet local police officers and CPAAA alumni, fire fighters, and talk to neighbors about how to better coordinate our volunteer effort. By the end of this year, the Alumni Association members are organizing a community-wide garage sale, raising money to donate to needy families, as well as for other projects. We want to help police officers serve continued on p. 14
The Bradley Herald Page 14
Essay continued from p. 13
our communities in a more efficient way and at the same time learn from them in order to benefit our own lives. With regard on this I want to address the issue of the Russian law enforcement agencies, their type of policing and ways to improve it. There is a form of community policing in Russia, known as “uchastkovaya militsiya.” Each local officer knows which areas of his assigned neighborhood he has problems with, so do the people that live around. A local volunteer effort could be organized with assistance and consultation of local police departments to help officers faster identify and take care of problems and civilians to have better understanding, support
Two Years with FLEX: Reflections Tatyiana Bykova ‘03 Minsk, Belarus/Oakland, CA ustanyok@mail.ru I still remember that summer day in June 2003, and a whole group of us, half-conscious of our arrival to our homeland and still smiling at people on the streets as if we were in the U.S. I remember the re-entry seminar and a fervent speech given by Jon Crocitto, then director of the American Center [which administers the FLEX program in Belarus], my heart pounding each time I heard him calling us the “hope of our country,” my breath held within me as he spoke about “our endless and serious mission.” We were seated in a circle with our curious eyes fixed on Jon. We heard him. No, to say that we heard him is to say nothing. We felt his words soaking into our consciousness. At least I felt that way, and I could read it in the eyes of my friends, FLEX exchange students, and now FLEX alumni. There are so many names for these young bright and industrious people. They are little stars that shine in the horizon of Belarus tomorrow. They are the solution and the means for Belarus in the future. Maybe if you met one of them on the street you wouldn’t even notice their power and influence. They will smile at you and make a nice joke; they will listen and probably help you out. But don’t be surprised when you see them on TV, don’t pop your eyes wide open when you see the guy with a funky hair and a goofy look speaking at your school or playing with kids at the orphanage. These weird/comic-looking young people have a borderless world inside them and a big heart and enthusiasm to create, improve, and bring a smile to peoples' faces along with motivation and goals for future. They probably don’t know you, but they already care about your life. I once heard a FLEX alumna say that “there is no finish line for the FLEX program, there is only a beginning.” The true sense to these
and reaction time from the police. When people join together in teams to work on solving the same issue, better results can be accomplished in shorter periods of time. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that a group of thoughtful citizens is watching to ensure nothing happens to your apartment while you are gone on vacation? Or that the same group is raising money to help needy families feed their kids or get medicine to survive? Our neighborhoods and streets will become safer if only people would build a volunteer relationship of trust, mutual help, and care for others. Conscious citizens (alumni?) could initiate it as a community based effort, but it can’t work without help and support
from law enforcement agencies. Russian local police officers would have to change their attitudes toward their jobs and responsibility they have for peace and safety of citizens as well as the role common people can play in the law enforcement process. For additional information on citizen police academies in the US, refer to http://www.nationalcpaa.org/ "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
words did not occur to me until later. My mind skipped over them and I moved on with my life in Belarus. I came from the States to find out that National Kolas Lyceum for Humanities, my beloved school, had closed. There would be no talent nights and concerts that I used to prepare with my classmates. There would be no literature evenings with eminent Belarusian poets and writers, no lyceum theater (“Narodny Albom”) directed by our gifted principal Uladzimir Kolas. By my last year of school, the authorities had effectively put an end to my exploration of the Belarusian language. A winner of national Belarusian language contests and simply a patriot of my country, I was now at a Russian-speaking school in Minsk with kids embarrassed of my language, mocking it and not even knowing how to say the word ‘paper’ in Belarusian. Facing this kind of attitude was the beginning of my reverse culture shock. My lyceum was gone and America remained oceans away from me. I let my gloomy thoughts out with the help of the American Center and friendships with alumni. We were trying to put our zest left over from America into Belarusian lives and at the same time guard ourselves from negativity and pessimism. We went to schools to speak about being exchange students. We played with kids at the orphanage houses. We cleaned the front yards of the local nursing home. We interpreted for seminars at the University of Culture and Ekofilm festivals. That year I realized that I didn’t want to come home and watch soap operas when there are so many people in need of my energy and help. Every day after school I went somewhere and made people smile, shared responsibilities and work. And there was not a single moment of regret or doubt. This was my way to live and I savored every minute of my after-school involvement in the life of American Center, my fellow alumni and Belarus. It is strange that this proper noun Belarus gained a new sense for me. Every day I would get on the bus and see the distressed and sleepy faces of my people. They were pushing me and sometimes cursing at me. I hated them for that. I even dedicated my first poem Call
of Despair to my bus rides. It was my call of despair, my "I’ve-had-it" attitude for Belarus. Now I get on the bus and see the same picture. But I don’t hate these grey people. I look at them and my heart aches, and I can’t stop the tears, even as I write. I want to cry every time I come to Belarus from Lithuanian Christian College, where I now study, because I know that my despair is nothing compared to that of the miserable bus riders. Because I was lucky to speak and learn my language, because my parents collected money for me to study English, because I was blessed with a chance to be educated in the lyceum by the intellectual elite of Belarus, because I am a happy person, able to think for myself, with dreams for big future, with my entire life for the future of my country. It’s been a few weeks since my second return from the U.S. I went there for a few months to see my university professor and her son. For four weeks I taught at Penn View Christian Middle School in Pennsylvania. I went from the second grade till the eighth and shared my knowledge about the history of Belarus and Eastern Europe, the political situation here, as well as the problems and prospects of this region. With the eighth-grade Honors English kids we also read J. Knowles’ A Separate Peace. I can be sure that they are well aware of what Belarus really is, and I, in turn, was delighted to share my knowledge with them. Recently, I gave a speech in my Communications class about my lyceum. I went on the stage to speak for a grade but instead I spoke with all my might and passion for my country and its future. That day I realized that wherever I am on Earth, I am always with these desperate and worn-out bus-people. And I won’t curse at them; I will smile and love them despite their anger and resentment. I will smile at their children at schools, I will teach them as students at the International University in Belarus one day. This is the promise I made to myself: to never let go of my love for Belarus and my desire to bring a light of knowledge to the bright people of my home country.
Page 15 The Bradley Herald
Profiles Bermet Tursunkulova Home town: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan .U.S. City and State: Frederick, Maryland Year returned home: 1994 Email: bermet13@hotmail.com Education: BA in International Relations and International Law, International University of Kyrgyzstan 1998; MA in International Relations and European Studies, Central European University (Budapest, Hungary), 1999. Currently finishing a post-graduate (kandidat of sciences) dissertation in Political Science. Current place of work and title: Recently resigned from the position of Regional Manager for Central Asia and Mongolia of the Academic Fellowship Program (Higher Education Support Program, Open Society Institute) to finish my dissertation and deliver my second child. I am teaching two courses in the International and Comparative Politics Department, American University Central Asia, Bishkek. Educational, Professional and Personal Goals. Educational: To defend my kandidat dissertation. Professional: I see myself in academia or the educational sector in Kyrgyzstan. Personal: To deliver a healthy baby and to be able to find a balance between raising my kids and making a career. Right now I am reading: In Defense of Globalization, by Jagdish Bhagwati How I feel about the future of my country: The Tulip Revolution in March 2005 came as a surprise to almost everyone in Kyrgyzstan. People were also glad
Nadir Guluzadeh Home town: Baku, Azerbaijan U.S. City and State: Concord, California Year returned home: 1994 Email address: aylisli@yahoo.com Education (university, degrees, major, area of specialization): BA in Political Science, the Western University, Baku, 1999; MA in International Policy Studies (specialization: International Development/Gender & Governance), Monterey Institute of International Studies, Monterey, CA, 2004 Current place of work and title: Program Coordinator, American Councils/ ACCELS-Azerbaijan. How I feel about the future of my country: Very positive! We are a qualitatively different society now than ten years ago. Everywhere I see many young professionals – in government offices, businesses, NGO meetings, – and I think unwittingly, just by their presence, they catalyze many positive changes around themselves. In another 10 years Azerbaijan will be a totally different country! The global issue of greatest concern to you and why: I believe the education system in Azerbaijan is in greatest need of a transformation. In its current state, it does not encourage appropriate market mentality and does not encourage the
Tamerlan Zaseev Home town: Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Russia U.S. City and State: Port Hueneme, California Year returned home: 1995 Email address: Beslan-fund@yandex.ru, Ztamik@noso.ru Education: Diploma of North-Ossetian State University, Faculty of International Relations, Major: Teacher of English and Spanish, Translator. Current place of work and title: International Office of North-Ossetian State University (NOSU); Senior translator. Government of Republic of North OssetiaAlania, Office of the Vice-Chairman; Teacher in a foreign languages school Highlights of your work: Coordination of international projects of NOSU (mostly students and staff exchange), preparation of project proposals for fundraising and coordination of activities of the granted projects, organization of conferences and other joint activities. Correspondence and supervision over ministries of social services sector. Coordination of international projects aimed at supporting social and medical infrastructure of town of Beslan after terror act of Sept.1-3, 2004. Teaching English to students in a private evening school. Educational, Professional, and Personal Goals: Educational goal: To promote
to find out that there is a civil society in the country and they were not afraid to speak out and protest. With the regime change people had hoped that there would be many positive changes and people are disappointed now not seeing them. The new government's biggest challenge right now is to not lose their citizens’ trust. It is important now (maybe it has never been so important) to participate in the state-building and carefully watch which reforms are being implemented and not. It will take the efforts of government, mass media, nongovernmental sector and business to build a truly democratic state. A personal achievement I am proud of: At 25 I became the deputy director of the Civic Education Project for Central Asia and Mongolia. The challenge was combined with the fact that I had exams for “aspirantura—graduate studies” and I was seven months pregnant. I am also proud to see many of former students working towards their graduate degrees in the world’s top universities. How I have made use of my U.S. experience: I grew personally. I learned how to be stronger when needed, how to get along with people and be more independent at the same time. I also realized that my family is the most important thing in my life. Also, my U.S. host sister came to Kyrgyzstan and spent a year with me studying Kyrgyz language and history and improving her Russian. What I’d like to see to FLEX Alumni?: We have much more potential than any other U.S. State Department alumni in Eurasia do. First, there are so many of us. Second, we already represent different generations: our age ranges from 15 to 30. Third, we’ve been exposed to different culture and values at such a young age, so we were able to learn new things and learn to appreciate our own culture as kids. All of the above gives us so many opportunities and advantages and not using them for the benefit of our own and for the benefit of our countries would be a mistake. culture of citizenship among students. Teachers should be educated that the role of education is not “to fill empty brains” but to shape creative, critical and inquisitive minds, to develop community conscious and environmentally sensitive personalities. Education is to transform the society and deliver to its needs. We cannot have forward-thinking leaders tomorrow if children are not having fun while learning today. Right now I’m reading: Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa. It’s a historical novel about medieval Japan. It’s got good historical lessons about leadership, integrity, and competence. How I have made use of my U.S. experience: I learned tolerance and appreciation of diversity in America. Being respectful enough to listen, compassionate enough to understand, and patient enough to work towards mutually acceptable solution are the skills I learned from my host family, and these skills have helped to boost my career and have a fulfilling family. The FLEX Program is important because: It shows that there are different perspectives on conventional ideas; that flexibility shows strength of character, not weakness of opinion or will; that change is good; that it takes huge responsibility to value and preserve freedom; and that a person is strong only when appreciated by friends. What I’d like to say to fellow alumni: It’s more fulfilling to initiate and lead a change than cope with it!
and bring learning of foreign languages at NOSU to an international level, educating new generations of fluent speakers of foreign languages, thus improving interaction of North Ossetia’s education and business with the broader world. Professional goal: To get Master’s Degree in public administration/personnel management and raise quality of public services in North Ossetia. To work in close interaction with foreign partner institutions. Personal goal: Two more kids (my first son turned three in August ☺), private house, lots of travel, basketball in the evenings, small business with friends (preferably a hairdresser’s). A personal achievement I’m proud of: So far I am proud of everything I’ve done: building my personality and career (starting from FLEX ’94-95), getting married and nurturing a son. How I feel about the future of my country: I feel that everything is in our hands, we just need to work properly and be self-demanding and helping each other, also by criticism. The global issue of greatest concern to you and why: After studying and instructing Stanford University’s distance learning courses on international security issues to NOSU students, I am concerned with lots of questions, though the closest to me is building a consolidated, modern and flexible multinational community in Ossetia. The local issue of greatest concern to you and why: Peace and sustainable development of Ossetia’s politics, economy & social services. How I have made use of my U.S. experience: I use it every day in all of my three jobs; they all involve tight interaction with various people, computers and English language.
Vladivostok
flexaa_lviv@americancouncilskyiv.org.ua
Alumni Office
Minsk
Russia, 690091, Vladivostok, Okeanskiy prospekt, 15a +7 (4232) 40-82-13 (fax/phone) flexalum@vlad.ru
Kazakhstan, 480091 Almaty, ul. Seifullina 531, k. 604 +7 (3272) 72-08-03, 79-80-96 (fax) alumcoord@yahoo.com http://www.actr.org/eic/astana/ http://www.actr.org/eic/uralsk/ http://www.actr.org/eic/ust-kamenogorsk/ http://www.actr.org/eic/shymkent/
Ashgabat Turkmenistan, 744000, Ashgabat, 48a Gorogly Street +993 (12) 35-42-95 (phone/fax) flexalum@online.tm http://www.actr.org/eic/ashgabat/
Baku Azerbaijan, 370001, Baku, AZ1014,Baku, 183 Suleyman Rahimov Street +994-12-499-7005, 499-1933 ext 212 (fax) flexalumni@americancouncils.az
Bishkek Kyrgyzstan, 720040, Bishkek, ul. Tynastanova 98, apt. 1 +996 (312) 66-48-38 (fax/phone) flex_alumni@accels.elcat.kg http://flex.freenet.kg
Chisinau Moldova, MD 2012, Chisinau, 37 B Tricolorului Str. +373 (22) 22-58-60; 21 12-53 (fax) flexalumni@accels.dnt.md http://www.iatp.md/accels/
Dushanbe Tajikistan, 734001, Dushanbe, 105, Rudaki Apt., 13-14 +992 (372) 21-21-03; 21-17-95 (fax) flexalum@americancouncils.tj http://www.actr.org/eic/dushanbe
Kharkiv
Novosibirsk
Volgograd southrussiaflex@mail.ru
Russia, 630090, Novosibirsk, Prospect Lavrentieva 17,1st floor, 4th entrance, rooms 1-3 +7 (3832) 30-92-93 (phone/fax) alumflex_nsk@yahoo.com http://actr.nsk.ru
Yekaterinburg
Odesa
Armenia, 375037, Yerevan Zeitun Street No. 2, House No. 38 Tel./Fax: (374-10) 23 13 77; 24 60 23; 23 14 01 f_alumni@accels.am
flexaa_odesa@americancouncilskyiv.org.ua
St. Petersburg Russia, 191025, St. Petersburg, Nab. Fontanka, 46, 4th floor Biblioteka im. Mayakovskogo +7 (812) 571-45-93, 571-07-34 571-76-55, 571-09-34 (fax) flexalum@americancouncils.spb.ru www.americancouncils.spb.ru.
Russia, 620144, Yekaterinburg, 104 Khokhryakova, office 309 +7 (343) 257-82-05; 257-74-23 (fax) flexalum@ural.actr.ru
Yerevan
Tashkent Uzbekistan, 700031, Tashkent, 68 Konstitutsiya str. +998 (71) 152-24-07; 120-70-03 (fax) alumni@flex. bcc.com. uz http://www.actr.org/eic/bukhara/ http://www.actr.org/eic/namangan/ http://www.actr.org/eic/tashkent/ http://www.actr.org/eic/nukus/ http://www.actr.org/eic/samarkand/
LEADERS
Almaty
Belarus, Minsk, flexalumni@amcenter.by www.amcenter.by
FUTURE
Russia, 119049, Moscow, a/ia 1 (for mail) Leninsky prospect, 2, k.503 (for visits) +7 (495) 230-4582, 230-4544, 230-2223 (fax) fsaalumni@actr.ru www.americancouncils.org
ALUMNI
Lviv
E XC HAN G E
Future Leaders Exchange Offices in Eurasia
NEWSLETTER
The Bradley Herald Page 16
Tbilisi Georgia, 380079, Tbilisi, 2 Arakishvilli str., +995 (32) 25-21-06 (phone/fax) flex_alumni@amcouncils.ge www.americancouncils.ge
Upper Volga Region uppervolgaflex@mail.ru uppervolgaflex@gmail.ru The Bradley Herald alumni newsletter is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. State Department. It is produced and edited by American Councils for International Education ACTR/ACCELS.
flexaa_kharkiv@americancouncilskyiv.org.ua
Email: bradleyherald@actr.ru
Kyiv
Editor Mary Shea
Ukraine, 04050, Kyiv, vul. Melnykova 63 +380 (44) 482-0221, 482-0222 482-0220 (fax) flexalumni@americancouncilskyiv.org.ua http://www.americancouncilskyiv.org.ua
Design and Production – Domino Company Prospekt Mira, 105, Moscow, Russia Tel.: (+7 495) 105 5104 E mail: domino@orc.ru