Washington, DC – The Hungarian American Coalition (Coalition) welcomes its 100th John N. Lauer Leadership Training Program (LTP) participant Csendike Somogyvári who arrived in Washington DC on February 15, 2023. Csendike, who was initially selected for the program before the pandemic in 2020, will be interning for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation through May.
Csendike Somogyvári in front of the White House in Washington DC
LTP is the flagship leadership development program of the Coalition, established in 2005. Following the success of the White House (1996 – 2004) and Congressional Internship Programs (2005 – 2018), LTP has the goal of bringing English-speaking Hungarians from Hungary, the Carpathian Basin and the U.S., to gain first-hand work and life experience at Washington, DC-based institutions.
LTP participants learn about the workings of both the U.S. government and the non-profit world through assignments to think tanks and non-governmental organizations. In addition, participants complete a Coalition research project within the vibrant Hungarian-American community. Their experiences are customized to their areas of interest and help them establish contacts in the U.S. in their chosen field, and motivate them to enter public service in their country of origin.
In March 2020, following the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic and global health crisis, the Coalition temporarily suspended LTP because so much of the beneficial experience is based on face-to-face contact working in offices at host institutions, participating in community activities and networking at events in Washington DC.
Csendike Somogyvári obtained her graduate degree in International Relations from Corvinus University Budapest in 2019 and also holds a master’s degree in Theatrology at Károli Gáspár University. She is currently enrolled in a PhD program at Eötvös Loránd University. Csendike’s research fields include de- and re-democratization movements in Central Europe, performance studies, and political communication. In the past three years, she worked on several projects at the Coalition.
Csendike Somogyvári in front of the Victims of Communism Museum in Washington DC
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) is an educational, research, and human rights nonprofit organization devoted to commemorating the more than 100 million victims of communism around the world and to pursuing the freedom of those still living under totalitarian regimes. Located in downtown Washington, DC, its recently inaugurated Museum is the first in the world dedicated to describing both the history of communism as well as its current global reach around the world. It opened to the public on June 13, 2022.