Other events in Baltic States

U.S. Ambassador to Latvia Judith Garber on June 11^th hosted a reception to honor the recipients of this year’s Fulbright, Humphrey and Baltic American Freedom Foundation Fellowships and will launch a joint alumni association for the Baltic American Freedom Foundation and U.S. government exchange programs, reports U.S. Embassy’s

Public Affairs Section in Riga/

This year, four students and four scholars from Latvia received Fulbright Fellowships to study and do research and one mid-career professional will receive a Humphrey Fellowship for a year of professional development work in the United States. Ten students will receive BAFF scholarships. The recipients of this year’s award will attend U.S. higher education institutions. (Please see the attached fact sheet for this year’s recipient names, affiliations and U.S. host institutions.)

Since 1991, the United States has offered Fulbright fellowships to 163 outstanding students and scholars from Latvia. Recipients of the Fulbright Foreign Student Fellowship will undertake graduate work at a U.S. university. Recipients of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Fellowship will conduct research and lecture in the United States. The Humphrey Fellowship recipient will participate in an internship program and develop her professional skills while based at a U.S. university. Since the establishment of the BAFF in 2010, 77 scholars of the Baltic States already have been accepted for this valuable education opportunity in the United States – 22 from Estonia, 34 from Latvia, and 21 from Lithuania.

The Fulbright Program is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 300,000 participants worldwide with the opportunity to exchange ideas and observe each other’s cultures and political and economic institutions.

The Humphrey Fellowships Program provides mid-career professionals an opportunity to enhance their professional capabilities through participation in a specialized year of graduate-level, non-degree academic course work and professional development activities at selected U.S. universities. Programs are individually designed to include course work, independent projects, internships, consultations with U.S. experts and special seminars. The Humphrey Program thus fosters an exchange of knowledge and mutual understanding. Since 2000, the United States has offered Humphrey Fellowships to seven outstanding professionals in various fields from Latvia.

The mission of Baltic-American Freedom Foundation is to enrich the ties between the United States and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, trough programs of education and exchange centering on economic growth and democratic processes. Since fall 2010 34 fellows from Latvia have received BAFF scholarships. BAFF offers three types of scholarships – Professional Internship Program participants receive an opportunity to have practical training at American companies, Graduate Scholarship fellows can acquire master or doctoral level education in U.S. universities, and Research Scholars have a chance to do scientific research in universities and research centers.

The U.S. Embassy encourages students, scholars and professionals in Latvia to participate in the competition for next year’s fellowships. The deadline for the Humphrey Fellowship Program and the Fulbright Student Fellowship this year is August 31; the deadline for the Fulbright Scholars program is November 16. Application forms and more details are available on our website at http://riga.usembassy.gov/. Application for BAFF Research Scholar program and Professional Internship Program is organized twice per year with the closest application deadline on 30th of October. Graduate Scholarship contest is organized once per year with the annual application deadline on the 1st of April.