Author: Marija Vasilevska
In honor of the US Independence Day and on the initiative of two MAAA members a round table discussion was organized on 1st July, 2022. In the round table discussion titled “How has the participation in a US Exchange Program impacted my values and professional path?“ MAAA members shared their personal stories about the impact their participation in the US Exchange Programs had on their values and professional path. Five MAAA members with different professional backgrounds and with a different exchange program experience were invited to discuss the values they adopted during their stay in the US and shared back in their community. The main idea of this event was to tighten the US-North Macedonia relations even more by spreading the good American values in the Macedonian society context and thus celebrate the 4th July with MAAA members.
The event was opened by the President of MAAA, Ms. Verica Jordanova. In her speech, Ms. Jordanova highlighted the importance of organizing such events, especially when they come as an initiative from MAAA members. She underlined the benefits of sharing and exchanging the experiences gained by the alumni during their stay in the US and their participation in the exchange programs as motivation for peers, friends and colleagues who have not yet been part of any program, but also as a reminder for all MAAA members that each one of them has the responsibility to bring the experiences and values gained in the USA back to their communities.
H.E. Ms. Kate Marie Byrnes, United States Ambassador to North Macedonia 2019-2022 greeted the participants, by acknowledging all professionals from North Macedonia who were enrolled in various US Exchange Programs during the past years. She also emphasised the values of initiatives of this kind, such as this round table discussion, especially because it was held on the occasion of marking such an important day for the USA. After her speech, the following MAAA members shared their stories on how their participation in the USA Exchange Programme impacted their values and professional path:
Ms. Milena Ristovska, Director, Web Development with ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer (Knowledge and Learning Consultant with the World Bank and International Finance Corporation)
Ms. Olga Rajčić, Founder of Challenger
Mr. Lokman Musliu, Owner of Lucky Media
Ms. Katerina Šapkova, Associate Professor at The Faculty of Law, Iustinianus Primus
Mr. Sefer Selimi, Executive Director at Association for Democratic Advancement - Democracy Lab
In their speeches, they shared specific examples and situations from their exchange stay in the USA and specifically focused on how it shaped them into the professionals they have become. In addition to this, they shared the importance of the networks they built with other professionals from Europe and the USA for their further professional enhancement.
The event was moderated by the MAAA members, Ms. Marija Vasilevska and Mr. Ivan Durgutov, who were its initiators, and it was followed by over 40 MAAA members, some of whom briefly discussed the impact of their participation in the US Exchange Program on their personal and professional values, promising to dedicate even more on tightening the US-North Macedonia relations and spreading the American values in the context of the Macedonian society.
