Baltic-American Freedom Foundation Newsletter

Spring 2011 was a very exciting time for The Baltic-American Freedom Foundation. After the first selection round in autumn, we were tasked with the challenge of finding the best host organizations for our interns. We also focused on organizing team-building activities, doing outreach work at universities and education fairs, and preparing for the second selection round.

We’re very happy that the selection process went smoothly and that we can now proudly announce BAFF have doubled the count of applications as well as the count of scholarships awarded for the Fall 2011 term!

BAFF interns, students and scholars will have the opportunity to experience the diversity of American culture and corporate environment. They will learn from the most authentic environments and case studies and apply this acquired knowledge to the business, academic and administrative environment in all Baltic countries.

Second group of BAFF scholarship awardees selected

After intensively evaluating 98 applications and conducting 51 interviews, the next group of BAFF scholarship receivers have been selected. Eighteen professional internships, one research and five graduate scholarships have been awarded.

We’re so amazed by the variety of professional fields BAFF participants represent! Financial consulting and investment, civil engineering and construction, “green” energy, communications, journalism and cinematography, architecture, and packaging design are just some of the professional areas our interns, students and scientists are interested in. We’re sure the experience they are going to get in the United States will serve them well!

BAFF interns from Latvia meet President Valdis Zatlers

About BAFF - President Valdis Zatlers On March 10, 2011, just several weeks prior to their trip to the United States, three BAFF interns from Latvia — Dmitriy Averyanov, Ilze Lagzdina and Ilona Markunaite had a meeting with Valdis Zatlers, President of Latvia. Judith Garber, Ambassador of the United States participated in the meeting as well as BAFF regional manager Ilze Doskina and Humphrey and Fulbright scholars.

President Zatlers expressed his gratitude to BAFF and emphasized the important role foundations play in offering valuable education opportunities for citizens of Baltic States. He was impressed at how effectively BAFF programs help to improve the connection between the United States and Baltic countries. Zatlers also encouraged other students and scholars to apply for scholarships in the United States as such an experience can have a positive long-term effect on the participant as well as one’s home country.

Baltic-American Freedom Foundation education fairs and career days

About BAFF - Education Fairs and Career Days This past spring, BAFF was present at education fairs in Lithuania and Latvia. We received a lot of inquiries from prospective interns, students and scholars.

BAFF also continued to approach students at their universities. We participated in Riga Technical University Career Day, Career Opportunity Day at the University of Latvia and study Abroad Day in Tallinn University.

Participants gather for a pre-departure orientation seminar

About BAFF - Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar On March 9th all BAFF program participants gathered in Riga for a pre-departure orientation seminar.

Here we covered topics such as; how to open a bank account in the U.S., what to do in case of emergency, and how to look for an apartment. Relocating to another country can often present challenges. This pre-departure meeting helped provide clarity and direction to these challenges. Our guest, Amy Storrow, Public Affairs Officer of the Embassy of the United States of America, also provided interns with her experience and valuable tips on acclimating and enjoying American culture.

BAFF interns meet in Tallinn

About BAFF - Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar In January 2011, the first group of BAFF interns met in Tallinn to get to know each other, involve themselves in some ice-skating activities and share their stories at a dinner.

During the meeting a small video was captured and we invite everyone to get a glance of our first group of interns. Watch the first BAFF video!