The third year of the Global Leaders of Fairfax County program concluded with a ceremony May 21 at Oakton High School recognizing 110 Fairfax County high school seniors for successfully completing the program.
The initiative, founded in 2020, aims to prepare “fellows” in the initiative to be global citizens and change agents in their local community and the world.
Throughout their senior year of high school, fellows have opportunities to engage with leaders from various fields and undertake trips to civic institutions to advance their understanding of international affairs and global issues.
Participants from the GazetteLeader coverage area’s high schools include:
Shanthi Ashok, Oakton; Mina Aydin, Thomas Jefferson; Achraf Azzaoui, Thomas Jefferson; Arina Banks, George C. Marshall; Tarini Basireddy, Thomas Jefferson; Max Blacksten, McLean; Jenna Cai, Langley; Alison Chavez, Thomas Jefferson; Nicole Chin, Oakton; Catherine Choi, Oakton.
Nicole Chowdhury, McLean; Angela Guo, Oakton; Ryan Halloran, James Madison; Lydia Hu, McLean; Zahraa Hussain, Oakton; Joanne Jung, Oakton; Cate Kanapathy, McLean; Agnese Lasmane, Oakton; Amber Li, Oakton; Eileen Lincoln, Oakton. Katie Mahieu, Oakton; Anshra Malik, Langley; Vihaan Mathur, Thomas Jefferson.
Maaz Nadeem, Oakton; Simar Narula, Thomas Jefferson; Jennifer Otieno, Oakton; Nikki Pillai, McLean; Michelle Qiu, Oakton; Nora Refai, Oakton; Angela Sidhu, Thomas Jefferson; Jawand Singh, Thomas Jefferson; Elliot Smith-Chauss, McLean.
Anisha Talreja, Thomas Jefferson; Amy Thiam, Oakton; Suraj Vaddi, Thomas Jefferson; Christal Wang, Thomas Jefferson; Hannah Yeom, James Madison; and Odessa Zhang, McLean.
Reflecting on what the graduates had learned in the program, managing director Ryan McElveen told them that “I hope you feel that this program has helped prepare you to take on the challenges we face as a global community, because ultimately, it will be up to you to employ that advocacy to fix the mistakes of those of us who came before you.”
Also addressing the students were Fairfax Superintendent Michelle Reid and keynote speaker Marine Gen. (retired) John Allen.
McElveen also announced that, beginning this fall, the Global Leaders of Fairfax County program will expand through a partnership with the Fairfax County Public Schools’ global-classroom project and the Brookings Institution’s 17 Rooms program. The program’s next cohort of fellows will undertake a year-long project focused on applying each of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals to the Fairfax County community. This initiative will be the first of its kind involving K-12 students.
For more information about Global Leaders of Fairfax County, see the Website at www.fairfaxleaders.com.
