The 2010 Cross-Cultural Internship Program (CCIP) officially kicked off with the orientations, both the pre-arrival and post-arrival briefings, which took place in Hong Kong and New York.

Taking place every summer from May to August in New York City, the program emphasizes East-West cultural exchange and brings together university students from Asia and host companies in New York City, and prepares them for the new challenges of the global marketplace.

Divided into two seven-week sessions, the program has placed students in companies all around the NYC area which specialize in a variety of fields such as advertising, product design, pharmaceuticals, real estate, finance, law, nonprofit, etc.

Leith Ter Meulen, the President of Landair Project Resources, a company specializing in real estate and a second-year host company participant commented, "We had a wonderful experience with the interns last year. They were bright, inquisitive, and ready for whatever challenge we put before them. They also taught us important cultural lessons about doing business in China that we applied right away. Our whole team is so excited about participating in FUSIA's internship program for our second summer and we are eagerly looking forward to accomplishing a lot of work with the new interns between now and August."

This year represents a significant step forward in the evolution of the program. It has grown to 34 host companies and 130 students of the program's partner universities such as the University of Hong Kong and the National University of Singapore along with the newcomers such as the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Macau University of Science and Technology.

"What makes this year more exciting is not just the increased participation but that the program is receiving more support from companies and universities working hand in hand to foster the growth of the next generation of global professionals from Asia," said Elizabeth Kay, founder of CCIP and the President of FUSIA Communications, Inc.

About the program: The 2010 Cross-Cultural Internship Program (www.exploreinternship.com) officially kicked off its summer internship program. The program brings together university students from Asia and host companies all around New York City, and prepares them for the new challenges posed by the global marketplace. Founded by FUSIA Communications (www.fusia.net), with the support of 34 host companies and 7 universities, this year's program has 130 university student participants. For more information, visit www.exploreinternship.com.