A USG alumni Event took place on Saturday, November 19th in Volgograd. Alumni met with Beth Poisson, Cultural Affairs Officer in the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy and Mariya Shustina, staff member in the Public Affairs Section.
The arrival of the Guests of Honor was due to the opening of the “American Seasons”. “American Seasons” is designed to bring a similarly wide spectrum of cultural offerings to the Russian public in order to introduce them to contemporary artists from the United States. Volgograd was chosen to be the performance place for the one of the most innovative and powerful forces in the modern dance world Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.
During the meeting our Guests and USG alumni discussed a wide range of issues, such as pre-election campaign, impact of economic crises, current risks for the U.S. economy. Mrs. Poisson was also interested in what seemed most interesting for the alumni while they were in the United States. Alumni eagerly shared their impressions: they talked about good social programs for underprivileged people, completely different conditions for people with special needs and the hospitality of Americans.
The topic of education was also covered at this meeting. Especially alumni were interested in other programs that might open ways for them to further develop their education in the American colleges or universities, opportunities to finance their education and entrance requirements.