By Deniece Griffin
On Monday, July 25, Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Public Policy and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute (ENI) hosted 25 fellows from the Alumni Enrichment Institute (AEI) for the Mandela Washington Fellows for Young African Leaders. This flagship program was created by the U.S. Department of State over 10 years ago serving almost 5,100 participants. It was indeed an honor for ENI to host these leaders and budding entrepreneurs from 19 sub-Saharan African countries.
While in the United States, the Fellows will be visiting other universities across the country participating in leadership training. “We were delighted to have had the chance to host such a distinguished group of leaders here at Georgia State for the afternoon,” said, LaunchGSU Manager, Erica W. Bracey. “In addition to the knowledge and skills they gain on their visit, the Fellows will enrich their host communities through public service, cultural exchange and the lasting personal ties they create during their program.”
ENI’s visit with these young leaders included an overview presentation from ENI staff members Deniece Griffin and Erica W. Bracey. The overall entrepreneurship program at Georgia State University was the focus of the presentation. We shared our signature business accelerator program, the Main Street Entrepreneurs Seed Fund and our student incubator space, LaunchGSU where they spent the afternoon before proceeding over the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) for a private tour.
CMII did not disappoint! A tour of the advanced digital and audio production areas, and EX-Lab media makerspace truly impressed our guest. The highlight of the afternoon was the augmented reality lab complete with a 3-D model image demonstration. Many thanks to CMII’s Lecturer, Judiffier Pearson and her team for sharing just how innovative GSU’s media-focused facility is and how the university has kept in stride with the growing Atlanta film and entertainment industry.
Later in the evening, the Mandela Washington Fellows attended a reception in their honor at Centennial Hall where President Blake welcomed our visitors.
Read the official press release from Andrew Young School of Public Studies.
About the Flagship Program:
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). YALI was created in 2010 and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2020. Established in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship has brought nearly 5,100 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States for academic and leadership training. The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished innovators and leaders in their communities and countries.
