Chicago, Illinois - Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan will travel to Chicago, Illinois on July 14 to engage with State Department-sponsored exchange program participants from around the world. Assistant Secretary Ryan will first visit Northwestern University and meet with participants of the EducationUSA Academy, a three-to-four week summer academic program that provides English language courses, college preparatory content, tours of colleges and universities, and cross-cultural activities for self-funded 15-to-17-year-old students from around the world.

Assistant Secretary Ryan will then connect with 100 Mandela Washington Fellows from Sub-Saharan Africa, part of President Obama’s Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI), who are building technical and leadership skills at YALI Business and Entrepreneurship Institutes hosted by Northwestern University, the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University, and Purdue University. She will accompany the Fellows on site visits to Scott Ray and Sam (SRAM) Corporation and World Bicycle Relief.