We hope you enjoy these news stories about TFAS activities, alumni and events this week. Sign up to receive TFAS updates, and visit us on social media for additional up-to-the-moment TFAS news!

Change Through Action: TFAS Programs Inspire Courageous Leaders to Make a Difference

What does it mean to make “change through action?” The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) programs in the U.S. and abroad place an emphasis on giving young leaders the tools and knowledge to make the world a better place. Whether it be through leadership training, internship experience or advice from esteemed faculty and speakers, students leave TFAS with a renewed perspective on the problems facing the world and the resources to achieve their goals.

TFAS has been such an important part of my college experience because I’ve always had an interest in the economic development of my country. TFAS helped reinforce that interest for me.” – David Delgado ’20

Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, David Delgado ’20 joined the TFAS Santiago program in January 2020 with an open mind. After two weeks in courses on political economy and liberty, Delgado was inspired to take his new knowledge back to his community to make an impact.

“TFAS has been such an important part of my college experience because I’ve always had an interest in the economic development of my country. TFAS helped reinforce that interest for me,” Delgado said. “When I returned to Venezuela from the program, I knew even more how much I wanted to be a part of important change.”

The TFAS program inspired Delgado to start a social venture called Espacio EDUCA, which aims to provide training programs in coding, data science and computer software for young people in low-income Venezuelan communities to better equip them for the job market. Leaders like Delgado represent the countless TFAS alumni around the world who continue to give back through their careers in government, business, economics and the nonprofit sector. TFAS collegiate programs expose young leaders to the ideas of economics and the principles of free societies – including the role that humanitarianism plays in both.

Learn more about how TFAS is developing courageous leaders and agents for “change through action” who are passionate about making a difference at TFAS.org/AlumniMakingChange.

TFAS Capital Semester Program Reaches Students Worldwide

Each fall and spring semester, TFAS welcomes a new cohort of college students to Washington, D.C., for TFAS Capital Semester Programs. These programs offer academic courses, internships, housing, site briefings, guest lectures, a professional development series and mentorship program over the course of nearly four months in the nation’s capital. The 2021 Capital Semester Fall invited 12 young leaders from around the world to D.C. last semester, including three Hungarian students sponsored by the Hungary Foundation.

Boldizsár Hajas ’21, Csenge Savanya ’21 and Zsombor Verkmann ’21 traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Capital Semester Fall program in August, where they learned about important events in American history through the lens of past presidents. The three students were selected for the Hungary Foundation’s 2021 Fall Széll Kálmán Public Policy Fellowship, which provides students from Hungary full scholarships to participate in the TFAS D.C. Academic Internship Programs.

In an interview with the Hungary Foundation, Hajas said the experience gave him a better perspective on the importance of American history.

“The program was even better that what I could have imagined,” Hajas shared with the Hungary Foundation. Generally speaking, my main expectation was to understand the U.S. and its people better – this, I got 100% through the classes, museum visits and meaningful conversations with guest lecturers and program peers.”

Click here to read more about the students’ TFAS experience.

Faith Bottum, Rago ’21, opines for The Wall Street Journal on potential censorship issues with Bard College’s decision to add a “diversity auditor” to its library.

Jakub Janda ’13 discusses why he decided to open a branch of a Prague-based think tank in Taiwan in Newsweek.

TFAS professor Dr. Don Boudreaux writes about antitrust policy for The Frontier Post.

2021 Thomas L. Phillips Career Achievement Award recipient Neal Freeman shares his thoughts on conservatives breaking from fusionist ideals in a piece for The American Spectator.

LinkedIn Senior News Editor Andrew Seaman ’07 discusses the “Great Resignation” in an interview with NBC News New York.

Jennifer Maas ’09 has joined Variety as a TV business writer in New York.

Faysal Itani ’03, ’06 shares his experience growing up in a Sunni Muslim/Christian Orthodox family in Beirut, Lebanon, in New Lines Magazine.

Kristin Tate, Novak ’19, visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum, joined Fox Business Network’s “Making Money with Charles Payne.”

Kurt Couchman ’02, PPF ’07, shares how states can stabilize their budgets in an interview with the Cato Daily Podcast.

Nate Hochman, Novak ’21, discusses divisiveness in the United States in an episode of The Agenda with Steve Paikin.

Lauren Aguirre ’15 has celebrated two years as audience editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Rachel Lu, Novak ’15, writes about the “Great Resignation” and American labor market trends in an essay for Law & Liberty.

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