UVA Center for Politics Hosts Virtual Exchange for 120 Iraqi and UVA Undergraduate Students

UVA Center for Politics Hosts Virtual Exchange for 120 Iraqi and UVA Undergraduate Students

(CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) – Today, Monday, July 26, the University of Virginia Center for Politics kicked off the virtual 2020/2021 Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program for Undergraduate Students (IYLEP). The exchange, which will continue through Aug. 22, is hosted in partnership with World Learning and is sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. It includes approximately 60 undergraduate students from across Iraq and 60 UVA students. The majority of UVA students are also participants in this summer’s ongoing 22nd Century Scholars program.

The IYLEP will be the 31st exchange group hosted by the Center for Politics’ Global Perspectives on Democracy program. The Iraqi participants will receive training to enhance their leadership and civic engagement skills and will be joined by the UVA students for peer-to-peer activities meant to share experiences and establish lasting bonds.

The Center for Politics’ Global Perspectives on Democracy program fosters dialogue between the United States and other countries through public events and international exchanges. Visit www.centerforpolitics.org/gpd.html for more information about GPD programming. For more information about the IYLEP, contact Daman Irby at 434-981-7965 or irby@virginia.edu.

Anne-Caroline Aries-Praud
 Lara Arif
 Katharine Barbour
 Max Boland
 Shannon Britt
 Robert Brown Jr.
 Nicole Chebili
 William Clawson
 Cole DeLong
 Jaden Evans
 Geetanjali Gandhe
 Nishita Ghanate
 Raed Gilliam
 Natalie Gonzalez
 Molly Hayes
 Rachel Hightman
 Emma Hopp
 Booker Johnson,  III
 Raghda Labban
 Ryan Lanford
 Nicholas Lansing
 Olivia LiVolsi
 Patricio Lopez-Guerra
 Susannah Loss
 Garrison Lowe
 Dante Massimo
 Matthew McConnell
 Jackson McCummings
 Edward McPhillips
 Olivia Morrison
 Austin Orfield
 Elizabeth Rankin
 Donna Reynolds
 Advika Roongta 
Isabelle Saillard
 Henry Schock
 Abigail Schofield
 Charles Sewell
 Manan Shah
 Rahul Sharma
 Aidan Sheahan
 Katherine Snider
 Emma StJohn
 Amelia Strouth
 Katherine Thomas
 Greta Timmins
 Ian Toubin
 Allie Touron
 Jacob Womack
 Derek Yang

“This innovative program is in keeping with the University of Virginia’s long history of developing leaders in government and politics,” said Larry J. Sabato, Director of the Center for Politics. “And I’m delighted that so many of our exceptional University alumni have stepped forward to serve as mentors to these students. This not only bolsters the students’ understanding of what it means to be a public servant, but it also strengthens UVA’s intergenerational connections.”

The 22nd Century Scholars Program is made possible through funding from the Jefferson Trust, the Larry J. Sabato Foundation, and the Peter and Eaddo Kiernan Foundation with additional support from Sonja Hoel Perkins, McGuireWoods Consulting, Michael Greenwald, Larry Schack and Katie Shaw, Erik Hirsch, and many other generous donors.