World Trade Center Institute

We spent an incredible week hosting a brilliant Ukrainian delegation through the Open World Program, funded by the Congressional Office for International Leadership (COIL)!

These young tech founders—all visionaries in cybersecurity and AI—came to Baltimore fresh from the SelectUSA Investment Summit. They jumped right into the local scene at the Greater Baltimore Committee's State of the Region and the Invest in Baltimore Region SelectUSA Spinoff Event.

From there, it was a whirlwind tour of Maryland’s best innovation hubs. They joined a networking breakfast with the US Commercial Service Baltimore, the Maryland Department of Commerce, and the Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee, and met with amazing teams at The City of Baltimore Development Corporation - BDC, UMD BioPark, SteelToad at UMBC bwtech, Maryland Technology Development Corporation - TEDCO, the Quantum Startup Foundry at UMD College Park, and Tenable. Thank you to everyone who welcomed them!

But the real magic happened thanks to our amazing host families. 🦀🎶 From home-cooked dinners and jazz club outings to traditional Maryland crab feasts, you showed them the true heart of Baltimore. These memories will last a lifetime.

Thank you to American Councils for International Education for making this cohort possible, and to Yuliia Kosharna for her fantastic facilitation throughout the week!

What an incredible weekend at Goucher College, celebrating our Albrecht High School Fellows. Seeing our students surrounded by their families, friends, and mentors was the perfect way to cap off an intensive five-month journey.

From learning about leadership to exploring public policy, these students have put. We can't wait to see all that you accomplish.

A massive thank you to the 36 speakers, spanning industries and functions across the corporate, non-profit, academia, and start-up communities, who shared their experience with our students. A special shoutout to Star Bogenschutz, Kent Devereaux, Eddie Resende, and Dr. Jim Albrecht for sharing your wisdom at the ceremony.

To the members of our Advisory Council in attendance (Joyson, Princess-Bua, and Alexandra) and our amazing staff (Nina, Daniel, and Ethan)—thank you for your heart and dedication to these kids. And a huge thanks to Michelle Evans and Dana Montesinos from our marketing team for their expert help behind the scenes, making this graduation day so special.

Join us in congratulating the Class of 2026 in the comments!