Hosting International Visitors: Expanding Our Horizons

As the intern for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) at The International Center, it's part of my job to assist my supervisor - Beth Barich, The Center's IVLP Program Manager - with preparation and execution of the local program.

Hold on. Back up. Maybe I should explain a few things. First off, IVLP is a professional exchange program run by the Department of State that brings emerging foreign leaders in diverse fields to the United States to meet with their professional counterparts. The International Center's role in the program is to act as Indiana's local Council for International Visitors (CIV). The visitors begin their programs in Washington, D.C., or New York City, then move on to various cities within the United States. As I mentioned, we are responsible for organizing the program for when the visitors are in Indiana.