On February 9-15, 2016, thirteen Humphrey Fellows from the University of Minnesota traveled to Arizona to study immigration with Humphrey Fellows in journalism at Arizona State University. Fellows learned hands-on through site visits and meetings with leaders and academics dealing with issues on the border. This year for the first time, Fellows crossed the border into Nogales, Sonora, Mexico to examine border issues from the Mexican side. The following is a reflection by Ja Aung Lu, who attended this cross-campus collaboration.

Cabo Verde is a small nation, comprised of an archipelago of 10 islands located about 350 miles off the coast of Western Africa. After gaining independence from Portugal in 1975 and writing a constitution in 1980, the first multi-party elections were held in 1991. Two years later, Cabo Verde’s first Humphrey Fellow, Andre Corsino Tolentino arrived in Minneapolis to study public administration, management, and planning as part of the Humphrey cohort of 1993-1994. After Tolentino’s departure in the spring of 1994, it would be 20 years before another Cabo Verdean won a fellowship.

From October 25 to October 29, 2015, 167 Humphrey Fellows representing 90 countries attended the 2015 Hubert H. Humphrey Global Leadership Forum, “Resilience in the Face of Climate Change: A Global Perspective on Leadership,” at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. During the five-day Forum, the Fellows focused on how global warming affects the world, their nations and their professions.  They also explored the importance of developing leadership skills, managing change and networking with their American and international peers.

Recently, Americans sat down together to eat, socialize, and watch football, commercials, and the most popular concert of the year. As the most watched telecast in U.S. history—this year’s event was watched by 114.4 million viewers—the Super Bowl promises a grand spectacle. This year featured a very competitive game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks that was decided in the last minute of the game. We asked some Humphrey Fellows in Boston and Seattle what their experiences were like.