Troy Woman Selected to Attend Madeleine K. Albright Institute

Deborah Tien, a senior Astrophysics major originally from Troy, is among a select group of 40 Wellesley College juniors and seniors who are participating in The Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA. Tien and others will spend the month of January learning to become effective global leaders.

"We are witnessing a generational change in the American political scene," Madeleine Albright, a member of the Wellesley College class of 1959 and former U.S. Secretary of State, said at the launch of the first Institute in 2010.

"This is the right time – and Wellesley is the right place – to help train a whole new group of young women leaders."

The Albright Institute is an intensive three-week course held during the month of January. Albright Fellows like Tien learn from the expertise and perspectives of faculty and thought leaders who represent a wide variety of fields including environmental science, sociology, political science, and economics.

“Through the Albright Institute, I hope to better learn how to apply my scientific skills to solving global issues," Tien said in a statement on the Wellesley College website. "I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from my fellow peers of such varied backgrounds, and I'm very excited to become more enlightened by the distinguished speakers.”

Drawing from what they learn during the expert presentations and from their own multidisciplinary studies at Wellesley, the Fellows team up in groups to develop and propose innovative solutions to world problems. In the final week of the program, Fellows present their proposals to the institute's faculty for critique and analysis. Some of the topics to be presented this year include:

• Making available the funds required to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, cholera, malaria and tuberculosis
• Promoting food availability and affordability
• Pursuing excellence in education at all levels with a focus on ensuring gender parity

This summer, each Fellow will have the opportunity to further apply what she has learned by participating in a global affairs internship in the United States or abroad.

This year's Albright Fellows Class comprises 28 juniors and 13 seniors. 27 of the fellows are U.S. citizens (some with dual citizenship); there are 14 international students representing 22 countries including: Albania, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Lebanon, Moldova, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Tibet, United Kingdom, United States and Zimbabwe.

The preceding information was provided by readMedia.