Dear fellows, friends, and supporters of the UC Davis Humphrey Program,

I am writing in follow up to the regretful news that the UC Davis Humphrey Fellowship Program Graduation Celebration has been canceled in accordance with public health guidance related to the Coronavirus.

During these unprecedented and challenging times, we are most appreciative of our UC Davis Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program community of fellows, colleagues, friends, and supporters. Like you, I have so enjoyed getting to know this year’s UC Davis Humphrey Fellows, having the opportunity to learn from them and hear their perspectives on common opportunities and challenges.

In particular, I fondly remember reading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in various languages with our fellows at International House Davis, waving the flags of our home countries across the field at half time of a UC Davis football game, moderating a panel of our fellows on gender equity and leadership, and seeing our fellows meet Allan E. Goodman, the president of IIE (the organization that administers the program), during his recent visit to campus.

Our fellows have been busy all academic year volunteering in our community, presenting to students, serving on expert panels, and collaborating on important projects, including those that serve communities and the environment. You can read more about some of the activities of the fellowship on our website here and more will be posted this spring.

I hope you will join me in congratulating our 2019-20 Humphrey Fellows: Nazmul Ahsan, Jihad Atallah, Issam Chariag, Fabrice Inkonkoy, Vindyani Jayasinghe, Ojja Martin Kapaya, Alain-Georges Moukoko, Zuomei Ning, Rommel Reconco, Karina Vergara, and Thu Vo.

Being selected for this prestigious fellowship is an honor in itself. The collaborations these 11 truly remarkable international leaders have formed and the projects they have started over this academic year are even more impressive.

To our fellows, your fellowship experience doesn’t end at graduation. You are always a part of our global community. I encourage you to stay connected and to continue to foster these relationships and collaborations as you continue to advance your personal and professional goals.

We have been hosting the Humphrey Fellowship Program at UC Davis for 29 years and you are about to join a UC Davis Humphrey community of almost 300 fellows from more than 100 countries—and almost 6,000 Humphrey alumni if you include all institutional hosts. Time and time again, we see these continued connections lead to amazing projects and positive changes in our communities.

Thank you to our fellows and thank you to our campus and community partners for sharing your experiences, perspectives, and time with us this academic year. Thank you to our dedicated UC Davis Humphrey team: Director Karen Beardsley, Associate Director Nikki Grey Rutamu, and Associate Program Coordinator Sasha Ferreira (all of whom you may contact with any questions), to our Advisory Board, and to our many other colleagues and students across campus.

Last but not least, thank you to our partners in UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education for their support of this program and International House Davis for sharing their space, and all the host families, professional affiliation colleagues, and the many partners of this program.

I hope we will all get the opportunity to celebrate our outstanding Humphrey Fellows together soon! Thank you and best wishes to you all,

Joanna Regulska

Vice Provost and Associate Chancellor of Global Affairs
Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies
University of California, Davis