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K-State Today

June 17, 2019

Opening ceremony to welcome Mandela Washington Fellows

Submitted by Hannah Sutherland

Help welcome 25 of Africa's brightest emerging civic leaders to Kansas State University from 4-6 p.m. Friday, June 21, at the Leadership Studies Building. The opening ceremony will include a reception and brief program starting at 4:30 p.m. Please RSVP by Monday, June 17.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative, or YALI. Twenty-five fellows are selected from a competitive candidate pool to attend the Leadership in Civic Engagement Institute hosted by the Staley School of Leadership Studies at K-State. Working closely with the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and its implementing partner, IREX, the Staley School of Leadership Studies faculty have designed academic programs to challenge, inspire and empower these young African leaders.

During this six-week intensive program, the Mandela Washington Fellows will participate in academic and leadership training, mentoring, networking, community outreach and professional opportunities. At the end of July, the group will travel to a summit in Washington, D.C., where they will meet with global leaders and 700 other Mandela Washington Fellows from institutions across the United States. At the end of the summit, the fellows will return to their home countries to make great impacts in their communities.