COTABATO CITY โ Ayesha Aeda A. Masbud, a 24-year old lass and a planning officer of the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA), successfully finished her โAcademic Fellowship on Environmental Issues,โ a five-week program for the Spring 2023 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) held at the United States of America on March 15 to April 19, 2023.
Said program was hosted by the East West Center in Hawaii, managed by the University of Montana, and sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
The YSEALI Academic Fellowship is a short-term academic exchange program that provides young leaders, aged 18 to 25, an opportunity to enhance their leadership skills in the fields of civic engagement, environmental issues, social entrepreneurship, and economic development.
Aeda was the only Mindanaon out of the five fellows under the โEnvironmental Issues Cohortโ who were selected as official delegates of the Philippines for the Spring 2023 YSEALI.
โIt was truly an honor and privilege to represent the region and the country. I am also happy because it was a great opportunity for me and it will help me greatly in my work in the region. To represent the region and the country was really a dream come true,โ she said.
Upon her arrival here in the Philippines, she said this program increases and broadens her knowledge and understanding on these environmental issues: Disasters and Emergencies, Climate and Energy, Ocean and Fisheries, Agriculture and Food, and Water and Rivers.
Aeda also shared that her travel experience in San Francisco, California made her explore whatโs inside the famous Golden Gates National Park.
โI started my journey in Hawaii, then to San Francisco and ending in Washington DC. I met a lot of people during this program. Many of these people, I have considered as lifelong friends. It was truly life changing experience,โ she stressed.
Among the hundreds of applicants for the Spring 2023 YSEALI, the Philippines had selected 15 delegates for three cohorts: social entrepreneurship and economic development, civic engagement, and environmental issues. (๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฟ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐-๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐, ๐ต๐๐ท๐ด-๐ต๐ด๐ ๐๐)