The Mandela Washington Fellowship at Texas Tech to be Honored

The Mandela Fellows will be honored by the Lubbock City Council and Texas Tech University.

Created in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training and networking opportunities.

YALI was created by President Barack Obama in 2010 and aims to support the growth and prosperity of young African leaders, strengthen democratic governance and increase peace and security across Africa.

The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and its implementing partner, the International Research & Exchanges Board.

The group will receive honorary citizenship from the Lubbock City Council and wrap up their time at Texas Tech with a closing ceremony.

The cohort of 25 Texas Tech University Mandela Washington Fellows will be presented with honorary citizenship by the Lubbock City Council this week, followed by a ceremony concluding the six-week leadership institute hosted by the university.

The Lubbock City Council will present honorary citizenship certificates at its regular meeting to the scholars of the Mandela Washington Fellowship. The fellows also will be presented with a special recognition of friendship and goodwill.

The City Council meeting will be held at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, July 27th, in the City Council chambers, located at 1625 13th Street.

The Office of International Affairs will host a closing ceremony at the Museum of Texas Tech, located at Helen DeVitt Jones Sculpture Court in the Museum of Texas Tech University, located at 601 Indiana Ave, on Friday, July 28th from 4:00 p.m.  to 5:30 p.m.