Learning Life’s interns do vital work to grow our organization. This spring, their work includes: assisting with in-person Democracy Dinners and gathering content and subscribers for our new, email DMV Democracy Dispatch launching this year; outreach to thousands of people on Facebook to help grow the Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI) worldwide, identifying promising individuals among the 19,000+ members of FDI’s Facebook group, and gathering content and subscribers for our new, email Family Diplomacy Dispatch likewise launching in 2025; growing our Citizen Diplomacy International subscribers and bibliography; and more. Learning Life is very grateful for their dedicated work. You can learn a little about each of our interns below.
Mina Dakovic
Year, major, and school: I’m a senior majoring in Political Science and International Relations at Marymount University.
Hobbies: I enjoy running, working out, reading, and traveling. Exploring new restaurants, cafes, and small towns are my favorite activities during my free time.
Career aspirations: I aspire to have a career in international relations and become a diplomat. I believe that working for embassies, international organizations, and government agencies can provide valuable experience in this field. I am eager to explore opportunities that will allow me to represent my country on a global scale, while also remaining open to other possibilities in international relations.
Why Learning Life? I became interested in Learning Life after my professor, Dr. Margaret Tseng, recommended it as an exceptional internship opportunity. She shared insights from the experiences of previous interns, which piqued my curiosity. After exploring the organization’s website, I was particularly impressed by the remarkable work they do. All three branches of Learning Life —diplomacy, education, and democracy — caught my attention. While they are all interconnected, I especially aimed to contribute to and learn from the Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI). My desire to help create a more compassionate and connected world through diplomacy and democracy is what ultimately led me to choose Learning Life. Organizations with missions like Learning Life’s are essential now more than ever!
Maridel De Los Reyes
Year, major, and school: I’m a sophomore majoring in Political Science and Philosophy at Columbia University. I am also considering a minor in Physics.
Hobbies: I love listening to jazz and rock, running long distances, reading, knitting, and watching food documentaries!
Career aspirations: I am planning to pursue a Juris Doctor and become a lawyer. I hope to practice in the criminal justice system and serve the community that raised me. I am also interested in immigration and anti-trust law.
Why Learning Life? After discovering Learning Life and its mission, I was intrigued by its novel approach to fostering a democratic community locally and globally. The mobilization of the family as a unit for learning and action struck me as a beautiful way to engage multiple generations in education and democracy. With the current state of democracy in institutions across the globe, I feel very strongly about supporting the fight to uphold democratic values and increasing fellow feeling in a world that is becoming increasingly polarized.
Luciné Gezalian
Year, major, and school: I am a senior at the University of California-San Diego, majoring in International Studies with a disciplinary focus on Political Science.
Hobbies: My hobbies include reading, working out, and baking. I especially enjoy reading fiction. Some of my favorite novels are The Secret History, Dracula, and Crime and Punishment. Health and fitness is important to me overall, and I love to bake banana bread to share with friends and family.
Career aspirations: After graduating, I plan on attending law school. I am most interested in business law and intellectual property law. I’d also love to work in academia one day and become a professor.
Why Learning Life? I was intrigued by Learning Life’s mission to build a more caring world, and fascinated by the Family Diplomacy Initiative.As an Armenian living in the diaspora, Learning Life’s focus on diplomacy and democracy resonated with me deeply. Armenia has encountered many challenges which threaten stability and democracy in the region, from the Armenian Genocide in 1915 to the Artsakh War in recent years. As the region continues to confront threats that compromise diplomacy and democracy, engagement in both are essential to secure a peaceful future while building a caring world. Interning at Learning Life allows me to contribute to this mission in a meaningful way.
Adrián Mata
Year, major, and school: I am a first-year student studying International Relations at American University.
Hobbies: Listening to music and writing creatively are two of my favorite things to do in my spare time. On the music front, I want to have as diverse a playlist as possible, with songs ranging from Ray Charles and 20th-century folk music to modern-day rappers and ballads. In terms of writing, I can often times be found writing a poem in the vault of my notes app or reading the works of Charles Bukowski.
Career aspirations: My current professional pursuit is that of a diplomat with the U.S. State Department. I want to be a Foreign Service Officer and potentially work my way up to being an Ambassador for the United States. I have grown up with the opportunity to travel often and experience an abundance of cultures. Meeting people, learning of wondrous customs, and seeing beauty on an international scale has made me want to play my role in fostering global cooperation. Beyond my desire to work in diplomacy, I want to return to academia at some stage in my life. It has been a long-burning passion of mine to teach at some level and spur growth in the next generation of students.
Why Learning Life? Learning Life’s main goals and initiatives focus on democracy, diplomacy, and education; three things that I hold dear to my heart. I believe discussions surrounding democracy are beyond important in general, but even more so given the current political climate in the US and abroad. Being part of a team that focuses on establishing connections between people, cares about families and democracy on local and global levels, and believes education is a lifelong endeavor, is the place for me.
Estefanía Madrid Romero
Year, major, and school: I am a junior at Bowdoin College, majoring in Psychology with a focus on Neuropsychology, and minoring in Visual Arts.
Hobbies: My favorite things to do are reading, solving puzzles, and playing card games with my friends, like Slap Jack and Speed. I also enjoy doing photography. My favorite is black-and-white film photography. The best part about it is getting to process the film in the darkroom.
Career aspirations: I am interested in Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology, and Neuropsychology. After college, I plan on working abroad to get hands-on experience and a broader perspective before continuing my education. Hopefully, this experience will help me decide if I want to follow a medical path with Psychiatry or Neuroscience, or if I want to attend graduate school for Clinical Psychology or Neuropsychology. Psychiatry is interesting to me because of its combination of medicine and mental health, while Neuroscience interests me because of its focus on brain functions. The thing that captivates me about Clinical Psychology is its emphasis on therapy and assessment, while Neuropsychology is interesting because of its focus on cognitive function and brain disorders. Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to understanding and improving mental health for all.
Why Learning Life? I chose to intern with Learning Life because of its emphasis on education, social impact, and global engagement. As someone who is interested in the mental health field, I appreciate the opportunities that expand my understanding of human behavior, communication, and community building. Learning Life’s commitment to creating meaningful connections with people across different cultures through education and outreach directly aligns with my goal of understanding the societal influences on mental health. As someone who does not live in Washington, DC, the remote aspect of the internship is helpful since it allows me to balance my studies while also managing the internship. I particularly enjoy how working in small teams and directly engaging with leadership broadens my knowledge about nonprofit organizations and project management.
Keira White
Year, major, and school: I am a third-year undergraduate student from the University of California-Santa Cruz, double majoring the Politics and Ethnic Studies.
Hobbies: In my free time I love to sing and perform. I have been an active member of Acquire Accapella since my Freshman year and love the friendships and connections I have made through that group. When I’m not singing or performing you can probably find me at a cafe drinking a coffee or lounging at the beach.
Career aspirations: Following my experience studying abroad in Marseille, France I was very inspired to pursue a career in international relations with a particular interest in international education. After graduating I hope to work for an international education or development organization and get some work experience under my belt before returning to school to obtain my Master’s and possibly my Ph.D. Ultimately, I see myself teaching or doing research in the international sphere, exploring the world, and gaining valuable life experience through my adventures.
Why Learning Life? I chose Learning Life because I really resonated with its mission and values. I was raised by two high school teachers, so the importance of education, connection, and conversation has been something ingrained in my head. When I learned about the kind of work Learning Life is doing it aligned with a lot of my personal values and I appreciated that someone was doing this sometime frustrating, but valuable and meaningful work.
2025 Family Diplomacy Dialogues Launch March 1
Join Learning Life via Zoom Sunday, March 1, 12-1pm (New York time), for the first of nine monthly Family Diplomacy Dialogues in 2025! From March to November 2025, on the first Sunday of each month at 12-1pm, we will ask participants from varied countries to share their thoughts on family live via Zoom. Each meeting will have a different family topic. This first meeting on March 1 will offer a chance for you to introduce your family: family member names, city, country, and something interesting about your family (e.g., extraordinary experience, quirky traditions or routines, something distinctive about a fam member or ancestor). Please bring one or more family pictures you can share, and join us with one or more members of your family.Join us to connect, learn, and practice international family diplomacy
The Family Diplomacy Dialogues are part of Learning Life’s Family Diplomacy Initiative. FDI is an ambitious, grassroots effort to connect, train and empower a growing international corps of volunteer family diplomats (FDs) to participate in decision-making at local to global levels. We envision a world more connected and caring because every family has one or more FDs networked with fellow FDs across the globe, and these citizen diplomats together advocate effectively for the needs, concerns and aspirations of families worldwide via nonprofits, businesses, media and governments.
Interested? Sign up for the monthly email Family Diplomacy Dispatch, and you’ll get dialogue details and interesting information about family life worldwide.
New Format for Democracy Dinners in 2025
Learning Life’s Democracy Dinners continue in 2025 with a new format to help connect and inform Washington DC area residents interested in strengthening democracy in the U.S. capital region.
In 2024, Learning Life’s five Democracy Dinners focused on organizing for, then reflecting on the first DMV Democracy Festival. This year, the five planned Dinners’ meeting structure and content follow a new format that will (a) bring attention to local research and action on democracy issues happening in the DC area to worldwide, and (b) foster learning and collaboration among DMV residents interested in and/or doing democracy. Here is the new format:
6:00-7:00: Reception with appetizers
7:00-7:15: Settle in for dinner, then go around for brief introductions
7:15-7:45: Reports from individuals and organizational reps doing democracy work
7:45-8:30: 1-3 speakers on a democracy topic, then discussion
8:30-9:00: Extra meeting time, if needed, then mingling
The 2025 scheduled Dinner dates and topics are:
March 1: Civic education
May 3: Deliberative democracy
June 28: Democracy and media
August 23: Economic democracy
November 8: Authoritarianism and polarization
All Dinner dates are on Saturdays, 6-9pm, and will take place in or near Washington, DC. See the poster below for the first Democracy Dinner of 2025, and the 49th since the launch of the Dinners in June 2019.
“Learning Life’s Democracy Dinners are a place for small “d” democrats in our nation’s capital region to connect, learn, and build relationships. This new Dinner format strengthens that purpose, and advances our organizational mission to widen and deepen democracy by nurturing more caring, capable and connected citizens,” said Learning Life’s founder and director, Paul Lachelier.
Mark your calendar, and RSVP for any of the Dinner dates you plan to attend. Seating is limited and therefore not guaranteed with your RSVP, but we will inform you via email of each Dinner date. Also, for each Dinner you attend, please contribute what you can in advance or at the Dinner toward the cost of the Dinner, the 2025 DMV Democracy Festivalcoming in October, and the building of the wider DMV Democracy Learning Community. We ask working individuals to contribute $40, couples or friend/colleague pairs $70, and $20 for students, retirees, and individuals unemployed or with gross annual incomes below $50,000. Note that if you are employed, you may be able to get reimbursed for the Dinner through your workplace.
The DMV Democracy Learning Community is a growing association of DC area individuals and organizations working to make democracy more fun and inclusive by connecting professionals, publics and policymakers via social events, products, services and spaces that nurture fun, learning, networking, collaboration and wider, deeper citizen participation.
Stakeholder Spotlight: Cindy Mah
The “Stakeholder Spotlight” is an occasional series of posts highlighting people who are helping to advance Learning Life’s work. Our latest post in this series features Cindy Mah, a member of Learning Life’s Board of Advisors since March 2022 who has thoughtfully initiated and guided a strategic planning process since August 2023. That process will culminate in the first half of 2025 with goals, metrics, communications materials and a regular evaluation process that will strengthen Learning Life’s mission, programs and revenue. For her patient, expert strategic guidance, Cindy has been named Learning Life’s Outstanding Volunteer of the Year for two consecutive years, in 2023 and 2024.
Please tell us about your current and prior work.
In my current work, I advise leaders on aligning strategy, processes, people, and structure to strengthen overall organizational integrity. I use a purpose-based planning approach that I developed to support social impact organizations. It is a framework that enhances organizational ability to define their long-term workforce plans and strategies, and design sustainable pathways and processes to meet their goals. This includes conducting organizational assessments and facilitating strategic planning to create prioritized action and operations plans. I also guide professionals to cultivate critical skills and competencies for their sustainable development using tools like the Leadership Circle Profile. I complement this with developmental coaching as a certified Integral Associate Coach.
I started my career at the Institute of International Education (IIE), whose mission is to help people and organizations leverage the power of international education to thrive in today’s interconnected world. During my tenure at IIE, I served in progressive management roles before joining the senior leadership team where I developed IIE’s signature initiatives and directed cross-functional program services. This included providing interim oversight of 11 of IIE’s international offices. My program management background includes designing and implementing global scholarship competitions, leadership and workforce development programs, primarily with private sector clients. This work prepared me to understand workforce needs and trends, and deepened my focus on developing people through education access and training programs, as well as leadership and organizational development.
What do you like to do in your free time?
My focused career in international higher education belies my early trajectory towards clothing design and creative arts. My interest in clothing and textiles expanded to include jewelry and craft making over the years. Having had the opportunity to travel and experience many different cultures, I love learning to cook different cuisines and learning new languages. I’m particularly proud of my nearly five-year streak on Duolingo, learning Mandarin, Korean, Spanish, and French. And like many during the COVID-19 pandemic, I found some virtual escape through Korean dramas, music, and food culture.
What drew you to Learning Life?
Initially, the organization’s name drew me in as my work was centered around lifelong learning and the name resonated with me. Once I learned more about Learning Life’s mission and focus on inclusive learning communities and widening participation in democracy and diplomacy, I felt it aligned with my interests and experience and was drawn to support a young organization that was seeking to grow its impact. In particular, I was intrigued by the Family Diplomacy Initiative as I wasn’t familiar with focusing on the family unit in the diplomacy space.
What is something interesting you learned in the process of guiding Learning Life’s strategic planning?
In addition to sharing something interesting I learned, I first want to express my appreciation and gratitude to Paul Lachelier, Learning Life’s Founder and Director, for being open and willing to commit to a strategic planning process. It can be a daunting endeavor, but critical to shaping an intentional and sustainable organization.
As a Board of Advisory member, I initiated a conversation with Paul to explore how I might be able to help him with his external communications needs at the time. This led to a discussion to revisit Learning Life’s strategy to assess its alignment with its programs and future activities. Doing this would support more effective communications to its various audiences. As we gathered stakeholder insight through interviews and surveys, I came across vast differences in opinion about what Learning Life should be focusing on, but there was a common sentiment about the importance of Learning Life’s mission and vision and the desire to support its growth and success.
What is one piece of advice you would offer to small nonprofits looking to grow?
In the start-up and growth stages of small nonprofits, it’s important to consider how to grow a viable and sustainable organization. As the organization grows beyond its founder or small group of founders, it will be critical to establish systems of accountability across all aspects of the organization: governance and leadership, processes and systems, staffing and structure. And establishing a strong foundation of measurement and evaluation will be key to sourcing funding and support. Founders will need to be open to seeking help and support to complete gaps in their skills and expertise. They will also need to be open to continuing their own self-development as a leader. It is a continuous learning journey that will be rewarded with a sense of accomplishment and impact!
Mina Dakovic
Maridel De Los Reyes
Luciné Gezalian
Adrián Mata
Estefanía Madrid Romero
Keira White
