Hubert Humphrey alumna Larissa Novikova (University of Maryland College Park, 2007-2008) was awarded an Alumni Professional Development Grant to attend Freedom Summit 2013, a two-day conference that serves as a catalytic event to bring different communities, organizations and interested individuals together around the issue of human trafficking. Freedom Summit 2013, which took place on January 25-26^th in Fremont, California, stands as the largest anti-trafficking gathering in the US.

Hubert Humphrey alumni Shanta Nagendram (Tufts University, 1987-1988) and Khairuddin Tahir (UC Davis, 1988-1989), both of Malaysia, were recently lead trainers of a training and study tour for Afghan Ministry Officials. The ten-day tour brought 16 agriculture research and extension specialists from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) to Malaysia to learn from experts in agricultural development.

Each fall, the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program gathers the current cohort of Fellows together in Washington D.C. for the Global Leadership Forum (GLF).  The GLF provides opportunities for Fellows to meet their colleagues in the Humphrey cohort, establish professional connections, and begin new friendships. In addition, Fellows learn what experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) foresee as challenges the world will confront in the future.

Oana Claudia Iacob, 2010-11 Hubert Humphrey alumna from Romania, has contributed to the Anti-Corruption Guidelines, released in November by the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania (AmCham Romania). The guidelines are “meant to contribute to the prevention of bribery and corruption, as well as to a more efficient approach towards corruption to be embraced by the companies in Romania.” Claudia recently appeared on Romanian national television to discuss the guidelines, as well as corruption and transparency in the country.

Complementing the professional development activities that play such a large role in the Humphrey Fellowship Program is the long-term Professional Affiliation (PA). Fellows are required to devote at least six weeks of their Humphrey year to working full-time with a U.S.-based organization outside of their host universities. The goal of the Professional Affiliation is for Fellows to exchange knowledge and expertise with their American professional counterparts and hopefully continue these linkages after returning home at the end of their Fellowship year.

On November 26th, 2012 Humphrey alumnus Yussef Auf (American, '11-12) was interviewed by NPR regarding his views on the recent decision made by judges in Egypt to strike after a series of controversial decrees were made by President Mohammed Morsi.  Please click here to view the article.

The 2012 Global Leadership Forum was held Sunday, October 21, through Thursday, October 25th. Fellows participated in a number of activities, including listening to presentations from two Humphrey alumni and other engaging speakers, participating in roundtable discussions about some of the world's most difficult challenges, attending a reception at the Department of State with Assistant Secretary of State Ann Stock, visiting local high schools, and touring Washington, DC.

We are looking for outstanding stories from Humphrey alumni describing their Fellowship experience and the impact it has had on their lives, both personally and professionally.