Welcome, MEPI Fellows!

GCIV is excited to welcome to Atlanta Aminah Abotalaf and Maisa Hakimi, participants in the U.S. State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). Aminah, from Kuwait, and Maisa, from Yemen, are part of the MEPI Legal and Business Fellowship Program, which brought twenty young Arab women professionals to the United States for executive training and business fellowships at top U.S. companies. They just finished their first week of their fellowships: Aminah at Southern Company, and Maisa at Coca-Cola Company. The fellows are also exploring Atlanta, having already visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, Piedmont Park, Atlantic Station, and more.

Typically, GCIV’s exchange programs are extremely fast-paced: International Visitor Leadership Program delegations are in and out of Atlanta in four to five days. Every once in a while, we have the opportunity to host someone long-term, and the impact on our community is always incredible. We are lucky that Aminah and Maisa are here in Atlanta for three months as they put the skills they learned at the Wharton School of Business to use in their fellowships.

GCIV is not only tasked with arranging their professional experience, but also immersing them in American culture. In the coming months you will see notices of GCIV events planned for Aminah and Maisa. Please join us to welcome them to our city. Here is an example of some of the events we have planned in the coming weeks:

Thursday, June 4th, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Turner First Thursdays Art Walk
Join GCIV members and our MEPI fellows from Kuwait and Yemen at this free event. The First Thursdays Art Walk is a time when several downtown art galleries are open to the public. We'll meet at GCIV's downtown, office, visit several galleries, and end at the SunDial Restaurant, where the Mose Davis Trio plays jazz music every Thursday.

Tuesday, June 9th, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Atlanta Braves Game
Join GCIV members and our MEPI fellows from Kuwait and Yemen at a baseball game featuring the Atlanta Braves vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates. We will meet at the stadium and purchase tickets there, between $10-20.

Thursday, June 11th, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Atlanta Botanical Gardens' Cocktails in the Garden
Cocktails in the Garden on Thursday evenings provide an ideal opportunity to view the massive bronze sculptures of Moore in America when they are dramatically lit in the cool of the evening. Join GCIV members and our MEPI fellows from Kuwait and Yemen at this unique event. There will be light tastings from a local restaurant, and admission is $15 (free for members of the Garden).

Monday, June 15th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
GCIV International Dining Experience at Mosaic Cafe
Get to know other GCIV members and hosts and share your questions, experiences and insights about hosting international visitors in your home. We will share a meal at Mosaic Cafe in West Midtown, and our MEPI fellows from Kuwait and Yemen will join us. The price is $20 per person, and this includes the meal, a non-alcoholic drink, tax, and gratuity.

We hope you can join us at some of these events to welcome Aminah and Maisa to Atlanta and help them get a feel for the city. Please email Ashley to RSVP. We’ll also be taking them to Screen on the Green, Jazz at the High, and much more. Do you have any ideas of unique events they should attend while here in Atlanta? If so, please let us know in the comments. We welcome your input to help make their stay a memorable one!