IREX

Congratulations to the Fellows on completing the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative. In 2026, we celebrate two important milestones: the 250th anniversary of the United States and 10 years of YLAI. Over the past decade, YLAI has connected emerging entrepreneurs from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada with partners in the United States—helping expand opportunity, strengthen markets, and build lasting ties across the Western Hemisphere.

This milestone reflects the power of investing in young leaders whose ideas, entrepreneurship, and collaboration are shaping a more connected, innovative, and prosperous region. Today, YLAI’s network of more than 60,000 young leaders and 1,900+ Fellows speaks to the scale of that impact—and to the enduring value of partnership grounded in shared opportunity.

We are proud to celebrate the 2026 Fellows and all they have accomplished, and we look forward to the ideas, leadership, and partnerships they will continue to spark in the years ahead.

The Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and funded by the U.S. Government.

Universities around the world are exploring AI—but many don’t yet have the strategy, policies, training, or governance needed to use it responsibly.

IREX and Development Gateway just released a new report exploring ways to help higher education leaders benchmark readiness and prioritize safe, ethical, scalable AI integration.

Read the full report: https://bit.ly/4weK8Np