San Luis, Arizona — The City of San Luis hosted a forum for the Arizona State University (ASU) Mandela Washington Fellowship students. 1,000 fellowship students were selected from a pool of 40,000 applicants. Each Mandela Washington Fellow takes part in a six-week academic and Leadership Institute at a U.S. university or college in one of three tracks: Business and Entrepreneurship, Civic Leadership, or Public Management. A group of 25 ASU students that were selected are from 20 different African countries and visited the City of San Luis, Arizona. The purpose of this visit is to learn about how the City of San Luis manages a border city.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, began in 2014, it is the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that empowers young people through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking. ASU is one of only four universities that were selected to host two institutes this summer. The Fellows, who are between the ages of 25-35 and represent all 49 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, have established records of accomplishment in promoting innovation and positive change in their organizations, institutions, communities, and countries.
“I think these fellowship programs are a great opportunity for all foreign students to learn about the public sector in the United States and how it works, hoping to inspire them to make to become leaders in their countries” said Mayor Sanchez.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship had the opportunity to interact with the City of San Luis Department Directors and to learn about their specific duties. They were also provided with a presentation by CBP officials where they learned about the port inspection process, students also had a chance to ask questions and visit the Port of Entry I. The City of San Luis Interim City Manager, Tadeo A. De La Hoya, provided the students with a question and answer forum as well as a tour of the City of San Luis Police and Fire Departments. Students were really excited to see the City Hall facilities, our technology and the processes used to manage the city.
“I have always supported educational programs and will continue to do so, as I believe they are a great tool for learning about other countries and to boost their academic performance in public management” said Interim City Manager, Tadeo A. De La Hoya