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Bannockburn Estates • October 2016 October 2016 • Bannockburn Estates14 15
young achiever
reflects on her recent internships
george washington university
aisha
With Plan International And Partners Of The Americas
J U N I O R, AZIMI,By Aisha Azimi
I’m a big advocate for equal access to education for students
of all backgrounds, so when I came across the internship list-
ing for Higher Education Communications Intern on Wayup.
com, Partners of the Americas immediately appealed to me.
Everything they do works to connect countries in North and
South America through service and educational partnerships,
two very important parts of my life. One of my favorite extra-
curricular activities during the school year is being a member
of the Youth Advisory Council on access to higher education. I
write feedback on College Board marketing campaigns like com-
mercials designed to make the college admissions process more
transparent and standardized testing less intimidating. I love
being part of that Council and the people who are in it. That made
writing the application essay for Partners so natural. A couple
hundred words morphed into a blog post complete with photos
of my heroes – my mom and dad – who sacrificed everything so
my sisters and I would be able to attend school in one of the best
districts in the country. With this internship, I had the unique
opportunity of linking my love for education with my communica-
tions skills to tell stories of scholarship recipients. My work was
immensely meaningful and I hope will leave an impact – I had the
chance to write and publish press releases for the Department of
State, design campaign one-pagers and three blog posts on topics
like gender equality, 2020 sustainable development goals and the
water crisis in South American countries. I learned so much from
the three months I interned at Partners, I couldn’t possibly write
it all down.
This summer felt like a crash course in the nonprofit develop-
ment sector and I had some of the best in the business teaching
me. To visually represent the disparities in study abroad partici-
pation, I was also tasked with creating infographics highlighting
under-representation in study abroad and other statistics, which
drew on my studies of mass communication at GWU's Media and
Public Affairs school. The campaigns I worked on were called
100,000 Strong in the Americas and Capacity Building Grants
for U.S. Undergraduate Study Abroad. One Hundred Thousand
Strong is Obama’s initiative aiming to increase the number of
U.S. students studying in Latin America and the Caribbean to
100,000 annually and the number of Latin American and Carib-
bean students studying in the U.S. to 100,000 annually. Capacity
Building Grants are funded by the State Department’s U.S. study
Aisha Azimi (Right)
A principal in Joseph, Greenwald
& Laake’s Estates and Trusts
Group, Paul Riekhof has more
than 20 years of experience in
representing individuals, families,
and businesses in matters
including estate planning,
probate, trust administration,
estate tax planning, business
planning, guardianships, and
estate litigation matters.
Maryland | District of Columbia | Virginia
Community
takes the
Confidence
to tackle groundbreaking cases, and the
Character
to be a fearless advocate.
Protecting our
PAUL RIEKHOF
Rockville, MD
240-399-7899
priekhof@jgllaw.com
jgllaw.com
athlete of the month
it's all about teamwork
for soccer player,
Reid,Dylan
By Jackie Lesser
At the age of three, what are most toddlers able to
accomplish? Ride a tricycle. Identify colors correct-
ly. Say his or her name. Answer simple questions.
At the young age of three, Dylan Reid was able to
play the game of soccer. Thirteen years later, he
continues to play soccer as a defensive center back
for the Bethesda-Olney Academy and the Whitman
soccer teams.
Playing for the Bethesda-Olney Soccer Academy has
made it possible for Dylan to travel the world. Because
of soccer, Dylan has traveled to multiple countries in
Europe -- such as, Spain, Scotland and England.
Participation on both a school and academy team can
be challenging, however, there are many benefits of
this time-consuming commitment. In the fall of 2014,
the Whitman boys’ soccer team battled their way
to the Maryland state championship game against
Chesapeake High School. That year happened to be
both Dylan’s first year on the Whitman team and his
first year at the school. In the end, the team defeated
Chesapeake 4-1. Dylan cites this all-important win
as his most cherished memory of the sport.
There are two idols Dylan has looked up to while
playing this sport. His favorite mentor is Phillip
Gyau, a coach he had for multiple years as a child. A
legendary idol of Dylan’s would be Renaldo de As-
sis Moreira, more commonly known as Ronaldinho,
a FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.
To anyone just beginning to play soccer or to anyone
who wants to play the game, Dylan says that team-
work is vital to any success you will have. He notes
that it is also important to practice, practice, practice
-- without, he would not be where he is today in the
sport. His hard work, determination and love of com-
petition allow him to express his full potential.
““
Dylan Reid
At the young age of three,
Dylan Reid was able to
play the game of soccer.

Bannockburn Estates • October 2016 October 2016 • Bannockburn Estates16 17
Americas as well as increase the potential number of qualified
candidates who may wish to pursue a career in the industry.”
“When women move forward, the world moves with them,” is
Exxon’s slogan for their Women’s Economic Opportunity Initia-
tive, aka the fund for putting on GWIM. That fund made it pos-
sible for the 26 amazing women to spend a month becoming the
best versions of themselves.
abroad branch. Higher education institutions (HEIs) in the U.S.
and abroad partner to create programs that will provide lower
socioeconomic, minority and students in underrepresented disci-
plines with the chance to study abroad. I read so many inspiring
grant proposals with innovative ideas on how to engage female
engineers, non-traditionally aged students and native popula-
tions, to name a few. I plan to study abroad in the spring 2017
semester and being behind the scenes of U.S. Government-backed
campaigns gave me hope that students of all backgrounds can ac-
cess the same opportunities I’m fortunate to have.
Articles I wrote:
Partners Answers United States of Women’s Call to
Educate Young Women http://www.partners.net/blogs/
partners-answers-united-states-women%E2%80%99s-
call-educate-young-women
Sustainable Water for Sustainable Communities
http://www.partners.net/blogs/sustainable-water-
sustainable-communities
UTEP Engineering Students Create Sustainable Solu-
tions for Mexico's Guadalupe Valley http://www.part-
ners.net/blogs/utep-engineering-students-create-sus-
tainable-solutions-mexicos-guadalupe-valley
Infographics @ a Glance:
Plan International
I concurrently interned for Plan International USA, with their
Leadership & Capacity Building team for the 65th Global Wom-
en in Management (GWIM) workshop. GWIM was one of the
most inspiring, transformative experiences of my life. I had the
privilege of welcoming 26 grassroots NGO women leaders and
business owners from around the world to train to become even
better at what they do. Gender equality, women’s empowerment
and education tie as my number one causes, so when I was decid-
Thanks Aisha for sharing your story. If you know of a young achiever to be
featured, please email sarah.taylor@n2pub.com.
ing between interning at Partners or GWIM, I couldn’t choose
one over the other. Luckily, my indecisiveness allowed me to
experience interning for two incredible organizations part time.
GWIM leverages a 35+ year history of women’s leadership pro-
grams and responds to the call for greater involvement of women
in development efforts. I found out about the internship through
a George Washington University newsletter for careers in Human
Services, Government, Law & Education.
As an intern, I worked with the trainers to prepare and imple-
ment the 4-week program. Little did I know I would learn so
much from just being in the same room as the women. Listening
to their stories of hardship and perseverance, how they manage
to simultaneously be mothers and business owners and change
makers in their community in the face of war and external
struggles was incredible. There was never a dull moment – from
televised panels to international night performances and site
visits to women-run farms and resorts. By the end, I felt like I had
traveled the world. Their generosity extended to me on more than
one occasion and I accumulated a small treasure trove of gifts from
around the world – Egyptian hieroglyphic quilts, handmade Roma-
nian jewelry from survivors of domestic abuse, Indian bangles, Ar-
gentinian bracelets, Peruvian key chains, South African beads and
a Thai scarf. But the physical gifts were only a small part of what I
will always keep with me. I’ll never forget the words of encourage-
ment Lufuno told me just after the graduation ceremony: “You are
like a seed planted on fertile ground, Aisha. You are surrounded by
everything necessary to develop and reach your fullest potential.
Take this and grow for the girls who can’t.“ The atmosphere of en-
couragement from the participants and kick butt behind the scenes
team of Mollie, Ketty, Eva and trainers, Sue and Jenn, made Plan a
place I loved to come into every day.
Connections/Reflections
It was far from easy juggling two internships and working 50-
hour weeks but there’s no doubt I would do it all over again if I
was given the chance. I got to play a small but mighty role in the
two causes I’m most passionate about and that made it all worth-
while. Even though I was working with an international and
regional organization, I noticed a lot of overlap between them.
For starters, both were funded by ExxonMobil. Exxon sponsored
three 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund competi-
tions. Vice President Neal Goins describes the partnership with
100,000 Strong as a “unique opportunity to expand the educa-
tional experience in regions that are strategically important to
ExxonMobil as well as strengthen academic disciplines that will
drive the energy industry into the future.” He believes “the suc-
cess of this initiative will further economic development in the
Partners of the AmericasGWIM Farewell
Global Women in Management
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