CCIP (J-1 Intern) recognition ceremony

Foreign and local government officials, community leaders, and 71 elite Asian Pacific exchange visitors come together to celebrate accomplishments and efforts in the field of cultural exchange.

FUSIA/CCIP J-1 Exchange Visitor Program (The Cross Cultural Internship Program, CCIP, www.fusia.net) celebrated another year of accomplishment and brought together key supporters of its cultural initiative and exchange visitors themselves by holding the 2015 Recognition Ceremony at Citi Field, home of the Mets, on July 10, 2015.

That night, over 140 guests, including exchange visitors, local and foreign government representatives, university partners, and host representatives, attended the event to celebrate the joint efforts of the greater New York City community and exchange visitors from Asia and Pacific nations to promote cultural exchange through the CCIP exchange visitor program.

Government officials in attendance:

- NYC Councilman Peter Koo
- Assemblyman Ronald Kim, who also represents one of the internship host organizations
- China Consul Chang Quansheng
- Singapore Consul Eugene Ng (Ng Chang Yang, Eugene)

Various government offices also presented greeting letters or commendations recognizing the involved parties' efforts and achievements of the program in its cultural endeavors:

- US Senator for New York, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
- US Senator for New York, Senator Charles Schumer
- Congresswoman Grace Meng, whose office is also one of the internship host organizations
- Congressman Joseph Crowley
- NYS Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, whose office is also one of the internship host organizations
- NYS Assembly Member David Weprin
- NYS Senator Toby Ann Stavisky
- NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio
- NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer
- NYC Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer
- NYC Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams
- Public Advocate for the City of New York Latitia James
- NYC Councilmember Rory Lancman

Also, Mr. Shaun Belle, representing Genesis Realty Group LLC, and Mr. Andrew Yu, representing Yu & Associates, two of the program's host organizations, took the stage to describe the positive experience of collaborating with the program and its participants.

As a token of appreciation to the host organizations for helping the FUSIA/CCIP exchange visitor internship program further its mission of promoting cultural exchange, exchange visitors presented handmade plaques to each host. The ceremony commemorated the students' experiences in the program with a video presentation produced by the exchange visitors. The photos featured in the video offered a touching look at student life that also took students on a trip down memory lane.

Most remarkably for everyone in attendance, the stadium was filled with enthusiastic cheering and applause for the students, who had built meaningful relationships with each other and the community at large.

The event concluded with closing remarks from Marc A. Haken, the Youth, Education, and Library Committee Chair of Community Board 8 in Queens (CB 8Q) and President of Friends of Cunningham Park and a program advisor, who thanked all parties' collaborative efforts, which contributed immensely to the success of CCIP in its goodwill initiative.

After the Ceremony, the Spirit Award was presented by the Mets to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to the local and global communities, which included the FUSIA Communications/CCIP J-1 Intern Exchange Visitor Program. FUSIA/CCIP was specifically honored for its work in bridging relations between the US and Asia as well as developing future global leaders. FUSIA Communications is one of the 84 Department of State — Exchange Visitor Program Designated Visa Sponsoring Organizations in the J-1 Intern category, focusing on exchange visitors from Asian and Pacific nations.

A baseball game between the New York Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks followed the close of the ceremony, providing students with a beloved and classic American experience to end the night. While the ceremony marked the end of the program for the first wave of this year's CCIP participants, it also marked the beginning for Session B students, who have seven exciting weeks in the US to look forward to.