Impact
Shahreen Fatima
Kinnaird College for Women
Pakistan Student Participant
“When you go as a tourist to a country, your perspective is different. But when you go on programs like these, you meet the [average] American [sic] and it is a wholesome experience.”
Minahil Javid
Kinnaird College for Women
Pakistan Student Participant
“[APEX} made me realize we all carry stories, and when we share them, the world becomes a lot more smaller, but also a lot more compassionate and more beautiful.”
Haniya Adnan
Kinnaird College for Women
Pakistan Student Participant
"This program shattered stereotypes about Americans, about Pakistanis, and about what it means to belong somewhere."
Zak Sarkarati
Bristol Community College
U.S. Student Participant
“It was really a great experience, giving me a new perspective while also giving me memories, which I'll probably remember for the rest of my life. I'm so appreciative that I could have been a part of this project and meet everybody. And I can't wait to see where it goes next.”
Emma Oswalt
Sauk Valley Community College
U.S. Student Participant
“[...] we are assaulted with information constantly through Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, the news, email, even. [...] being able to take a step back and just genuinely and earnestly interact with someone from a different country [...] is wondrous.”
Inshrah Nisar
Kinnaird College for Women
Pakistan Student Participant
“For me, the world changed after [APEX]. I see fewer borders and more bridges, and I believe that each one of us has the power to build those bridges through better understanding and dialogs.”
Janis Jones
Professor, Early Childhood Education
Sauk Valley Community College
“We may come from different backgrounds, but in spite of all of that, we just want the same things.”
Zoya Shaffay
Professor, Political Science
Kinnaird College for Women
“I would always call [APEX] the most profound experiences of my academic and professional career I've ever lived. It also allowed me, and I think the rest of the delegates, to demystify and to have a very different perspective about each other."
Steve Miko
Professor, Criminal Justice
Sauk Valley Community College
“The experience changed my worldview and expanded what is possible for me. The valuable connections will stay with me throughout my life, and I will be taking the newfound knowledge to the classroom and in my community.”
Valerie Kern-Lyons
Professor, Mental Health and Academic Counselor
Sauk Valley Community College
“I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to go beyond the classroom, to go beyond the books, to go beyond even videos, what they can do for us because the interactions, the conversations, the research that we were able to do together in that short period of time was life changing.”