Introducing the 2024 McCarry Leadership Award winners!

Eliza Chirilă-Pop is the Country Director at American Councils for International Education in Romania. She has previously served as a Romanian Youth Delegate to the United Nations and has worked at the Romanian American University, the Romanian Youth Forum, and the Romanian Students Union on programs related to youth, labor market access, and international affairs. Under her leadership, American Councils in Romania implements major programs like FLEX, FLEX Abroad, and Open World, as well as regional initiatives such as the Elie Wiesel Study Tour and SURE – Students for a United and Resilient Europe.

With extensive experience in international education and cultural exchange programs, she plays a key role in promoting educational opportunities and fostering cross-cultural collaboration between Romania and the United States. Through her leadership, she helps develop programs that support students, educators, and institutions in both countries, enhancing academic and professional exchanges.

Amber is a Program Officer for the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program at Amideast, where she oversees a portfolio of countries in the Middle East and North Africa. In this role, she works on recruitment and selection, on-program student support, and international alumni programming.

Prior to Amideast, Amber worked on the YES program at iEARN-USA and with a global youth training organization. She is particularly passionate about finding the intersections between international exchange, social justice, and youth development. She was also a 2019 Boren Scholar to China and Taiwan and a 2017 National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholar to China. She graduated from George Mason University where she studied Global Affairs and Mandarin Chinese.

Laura Wondra is a passionate advocate for International Exchange, inspired by her own transformative experiences that opened her mind to diverse perspectives and cultures. From an early age, Laura engaged in homestays in Vietnam and forged connections with locals in Egypt, experiences that profoundly shaped her worldview. Driven by a desire to create similarly meaningful intercultural experiences for others, she has dedicated herself to this work.

After earning her MA in International Education from SIT Graduate Institute, Laura led exchange programs both in the US and abroad, eventually leading her to direct an international leadership exchange program for teenagers in upstate New York. In her current role with World Learning, Laura manages two full-scholarship exchange programs with youth from Argentina, Chile, and México. She additionally designed and managed the inaugural Youth Ambassadors Summit in Washington, DC, bringing together young leaders from 26 countries and 25 US states.

With over a decade of experience in International Education and Exchange, Laura has worked with youth from more than 35 countries and 30 US states. Laura believes that every positive intercultural encounter is a move towards a more understanding world, and she is committed to making these opportunities accessible to all.