June 6, 2008, EWC Pacific Islands Reception
- (Click to englarge) Top: From left, Satu Limaye, Director of the East-West Center in Washington with Mr. Vincent Sumale, Minister-Counselor at the Embassy of Papua New Guinea.
- Middle: From left, scholars Agustinho Caet and Jose Manuel Sarmento of Timor-Leste, and Eslyn Kaltongga of Vanuatu.
- Bottom: On the far left, Joseph Brider, a Cook Islands scholar, converses with participants.
Welcoming the U.S. South Pacific and Timor-Leste Fellows from the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai’i
(Washington, DC) June 6 – The East-West Center’s U.S. South Pacific and Timor-Leste Scholars enjoyed a welcoming reception at the East-West Center in Washington to kick-off their month-long internship program in the nation’s capital.
The eight scholars currently in DC—who hail from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and East Timor—were greeted by dignitaries from a number of Pacific Island embassies, and were also joined by Ambassador G. Joseph Rees, the U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste from 2002-2006. Their internship placements in Washington include positions at the Smithsonian Institution, the National Democratic Institute, and the Academy for Educational Development, among others.
The U.S. South Pacific (USSP) and Timor-Leste (USTL) Scholarships are funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and administered by the East-West Center. They provide educational opportunities for individuals from South Pacific countries and Timor-Leste to pursue degree study at U.S. institutions in fields relevant to development needs in the Pacific islands region. The program also gives the participants an opportunity to obtain a broader understanding of the United States through experiential activities and a summer internship in Washington, DC.
For more information about the USSP and USTL scholarship programs, visit the EWC’s scholarships page.
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