United States

THE NAF CONNECTION - NEW YORK
March 20, 2009

New York Committee Members
Renée Joosten, Chair
Sjaña Holloway
Erwin Maas
Eulani Labay Sargenti

On the 20th of March 2009, approximately 65 guests gathered at the Center for Architecture in New York City for a reception honoring the 2009-10 Dutch NAF-Fulbright Fellows. Joining the festivities were NAF alumni, Board Members, members and friends. They came together to meet old friends, share stories and celebrate the connection between the U.S. and the Netherlands.

The 2009 reunion carried on the NAF tradition of honoring fellows on both sides of the Atlantic. Current fellows submitted photos of their experiences abroad from which Alumni Committee members assembled a slide presentation that ran throughout the evening. Guests enjoyed seeing life in the U.S. and the Netherlands—freshly observed through the eyes of fellows—and meeting new friends and old.

Board Member Theodore Prudon opened the formal portion of the evening by welcoming special guests, including representatives from Metro International, the International Institute for Education, the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York, and other NAF Directors. Ms. Renée Joosten followed with an introduction of the program. Two speakers addressed how the NAF-Fulbright awards had affected their lives and career opportunities. Current Dutch Fellow Johan van Rijn (International Relations, Yale University) focused on student life in New Haven, Connecticut and travels across the U.S. Former American Fellow Mark Vlasic (International Law, The Hague Academy of International Law and Universiteit Leiden) discussed his work as a prosecuting attorney at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and his work teaching international law training courses for Iraqi jurists, amongst other things.

The evening concluded with Fellows adjourning to a nearby club to continue their festivities. After a few hours sleep, Fellows joined each other and friends for a brunch at the home of NAF Board Member, Jan Joosten, where they made an online connection with their American counterparts, simultaneously gathered in Amsterdam.

To view photos from the 2009 NAF Connection event, please click here.