Fellows visit the state capital

UD’s Mandela Washington Fellowship participants traveled to Dover in June, where they were greeted by State Reps. Paul Baumbach and Charles Potter and State Sen. Margaret Rose Henry.

“We are honored to have you in our country,” noted Henry, Senate majority whip and the first and only African American female to serve in the state senate. “We have to let you know how proud we are that you’ve taken the time to come better yourselves and your community.”

Fellows were officially recognized by the state with certificates, and were given the opportunity to introduce themselves and their civic engagement pursuits both on the House and Senate floors during the last days of the year’s session.

“Recognition and appreciation of one’s endeavors is the greatest motivation of them all,” remembered Heri Emmanuel, a UDMWF from Tanzania. “I was personally moved and super heartened to continue and take my endeavors to a further dimension.”

Later, Gov. Jack Markell hosted the fellows in his office for a one-on-one briefing, where he shared his steadfast view on priorities as the head of the state. “You’ve got to think about the challenges as the challenges for the people you seek to lead,” he said. “When people ask me what keeps me up at night, it’s never about me. It’s about the people I meet who are in my state, who are struggling, who have lost their job, who don’t know how they are going to keep a roof over the head of their family.”

Markell continued by discussing the government’s issues-at-hand, including the initiative to ensure that local youth are prepared with the skills and knowledge they need to step successfully into the world as adults, an issue that he himself has championed.

Markell cited Delaware’s World Language Immersion Programs, now in their fifth year, as a prime example of preparing youth to succeed in the global economy. The program, of which UD’s Confucius Institute is a major partner, will be a hallmark of approximately 3,000 Delaware students’ educational experiences as of this September.

“The best-case practices from the First State, though needing customization and adjustment to jigsaw fit in the home context, are richly brave and quite useful,” said Emmanuel.

SUSIs hear from Delaware women leaders

Throughout their program, SUSI Women Leaders ventured twice to the Delaware state capital, first for a session with the state’s chapter of the League of Women Voters and later to hear from State Rep. Valerie Longhurst, an advocate for women’s rights.

Both focused on ways SUSI leaders could help give others the strength to find their voice.

“Do you want to know how to empower women? Tell the woman next to you how amazing she is,” said Longhurst, House majority leader and a supporter of efforts to close the state’s 18-percent gender wage gap.

Ellen Wasfi, a longtime member of the League of Women Voters, encouraged the women to continue in the constant pursuit of change in their home communities across sub-Saharan Africa, and to serve as an example for those who seek to speak up and become involved.

Wasfi and other members of the group also dared the women to see beyond bipartisan, religious and social borders. “Diminish the divisions. Enhance the commonalities. That is what leaders do.”

This year’s 45 UD Mandela Washington Fellows and SUSI Women Leaders have recently returned to their home countries, each equipped with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to create a better tomorrow for their communities.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship and Study of the U.S. Institutes Women’s Leadership Program are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered at the University of Delaware by the Institute for Global Studies.

For more information on all of UD’s Department of State Exchange programs, visit the IGS website, Follow @UDGlobal on Instagram and Twitter, or contact Dan Bottomley.