Media gallery

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2004
Santiago, Chile
November 14-20, 2004

Over 100 students and educators participated in the 2004 “Voices of the Future for APEC” meeting in Santiago, Chile. Representatives from Furman University included Amer Ahmad ’06, Dan Ennis ’06, Monica Handa ’07, Mike Overby ’05, Chris Schoen ’07, Jordan Teague ’05 and Cindy Youssef ’07 (political science and economics majors). They were accompanied by Dr. Cleve Fraser, professor of Political Science and Dr. Ken Peterson, professor of Economics.

Furman students had the opportunity to meet students from nine of the twenty-one APEC member economies, and were responsible for documenting and producing video interviews with high-level APEC CEO Members and ABAC (APEC Business Advisory Council) officials. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Chilean Secretary of State Ignacio Walker, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega, and the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Richard Lugar were among those interviewed.

The entire group, comprised of students from each of the twenty-one member economies, was also given the opportunity to participate in a joint press conference with Chilean Foreign Minister Ignacio Walker and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, both of whom provided the students with insight into the similarities and differences between the U.S. and Chilean governments.

Additionally, as members of the Voices program, Furman students were given the chance to meet and interact with people from other parts of the world, serving as “citizen diplomats.” The only college-age group from the United States, they answered questions from other nations regarding U.S. foreign policy, shared their views of the situation in Iraq, and expressed their vision for a better world. According to Cindy Youssef, “our experience in Chile taught us that the world is constantly changing and evolving. The lasting friendships, the engaging discussions and the experience of being a college student in a foreign land have transformed our expectations of diversity and convinced us of its necessity in our schools, our work environments, and in our communities.”

Press Coverage

The Furman Magazine written by Mike Overby, The Furman Magazine written by John Roberts, The Greenville News penned by Cindy Youssef, and Furman’s press release.