ISLAMABAD, (DNA) – Pakistan is home to the largest Fulbright program in the world.  The program allows Pakistani students to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in the United States.

More than 200 Pakistani alumni of the Fulbright Program gathered at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad from November 30 to December 2 for the 15th annual conference focused on “Emerging Leaders.”  The event highlighted the diverse ways in which alumni are blazing new paths for Pakistan in agriculture, education, the arts, and media.

This past weekend, Christopher Fitzgerald, Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Mission to Pakistan, congratulated the alumni on their accomplishments and urged them to continue applying the skills and connections they developed in the United States to their professional and personal pursuits in Pakistan.

15th annual Fulbright alumni conference celebrates emerging leaders

“For almost 70 years, the United States has brought future leaders from Pakistan for study in America under the Fulbright program, and Americans have come to Pakistan for study and research.

This year, 800 Pakistanis are in the United States on a variety of academic and professional development programs.  Alumni of these exchange programs become leaders in Pakistan and bridge-builders between our countries.  We’re very proud of them,” Fitzgerald said at the event.

The participants of the conference join a network of over 25,000 alumni of various overseas and in-country exchange programs, the largest network of its kind, supported by the United States of America.  Each year over 800 Pakistanis participate in high school, undergraduate, graduate, and professional U.S.-sponsored exchanges.