Students prepare for semester in US

Islamabad: Over 100 Pakistani undergraduate students attended a pre-departure orientation in Islamabad here on Tuesday in preparation for their upcoming semester of study in the United States through the US government-funded Global Undergraduate Exchange Programme (Global UGRAD). Since its launch in 2010, more than 1,000 Pakistani students have participated in the program. 

US Embassy Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer Bettina Gorczynski congratulated the students on being selected for the program, which is funded by the US Department of State and managed by the US Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP).  “The US government is committed to Pakistan’s youth and Pakistan’s future development,” Gorczynski said. “That’s why we send hundreds of young Pakistanis to the United States every year to study and gain experience at American institutions of higher education.”

Pakistani Global UGRAD participants hail from all four provinces as well as Gilgit-Baltistan, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad Capital Territory. They represent a broad range of academic fields including the humanities, basic sciences, engineering, and business administration. “We are especially pleased that young women are represented in the program in record numbers this year,” USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar said.