Rockville man leading global youth project in Africa

Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2006

Josh Goldstein of Rockville recently returned from Kampala, Uganda, where he helped organize a 10-day global youth conference.

As associate director of Global Youth Partnership for Africa, Goldstein co-created and co-directed the Global Youth Kimeeza: U.S.⁄Uganda Youth Summit.

While in Kampala, Goldstein led 25 other American student representatives who met with an equal number of Ugandan Student Global ambassadors to promote cultural understanding and compassion between the U.S. and Uganda.

After graduating from the University of Maryland, College Park, last spring, Goldstein helped launch Global Youth Partnership for Africa, formerly Project Namuwongo Zone B.

GYPA is a nonprofit organization that strives to cultivate youth as global citizens and partners in development and advocacy for Africa. The partnership seeks to develop a deeper appreciation, understanding and respect between young American and African leaders, who are tomorrow’s global decision-makers.

During the recent youth conference, the students affirmed their moral responsibility in ending the extreme human suffering created and deepened by the conflict in Northern Uganda, a place where more than 20,000 children have been kidnapped, 90 percent of the population has been displaced, and 80 percent of the combatants are youth and children, according to Global Youth Partnership officials.

Included in the itinerary were trips throughout the Kampala area, visiting communities with high concentrations of people from Northern Uganda, meetings with government and civil society leaders, and excursions to Uganda’s countryside.

At the close of the conference, all delegates signed the 2006 U.S.⁄Uganda Youth Alliance Action Statement, mapping out their continued commitment on projects in areas of women’s rights, HIV⁄AIDS and the conflict in Northern Uganda.

Good mannersare worth a mention

People who use good manners always impress me. It seems we get further and further away from common sense and civility all the time.

So anytime someone does something that might be considered old-fashioned by our high-tech standards, like sending hand-written thank-you notes, I feel it’s worth noting.

So a special hello goes to my new friends at Redland Middle School, who were kind enough to send me thank-you notes after my recent visit to the school.

Teacher Joyce Khori’s communications students were very engaged during our brief presentation (Gazette ad rep Damon Ehrlich talked about the advertising side of the business) and asked lots of interesting questions.

Scholarships available

District 19 legislative college scholarships are available for the 2006-07 academic year for continuing, returning and incoming students.

To qualify, applicants must be residents of District 19, which includes parts of Aspen Hill, Olney, Layhill, Wheaton, Kemp Mill and Silver Spring.

To request an application, call Del. Carol S. Petzold’s office at 800-492-7122, Ext. 3060, or send an e-mail to pmaldonado@house.state.md.us.

Applications must be returned to the delegate’s Annapolis office by March 20.

To determine your legislative district, visit http:⁄⁄mlis.state.md.us or call the county Board of Education at 240-777-8500. For information on other state educational assistance programs, visit the Maryland Higher Education Commission at www.mhec.state.md.us or call 800-735-2258.

On campus

*Christopher Postek of Derwood received his MBA degree in December from Frostburg University. Michelle Postek was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at Frostburg. Both Christopher and Michelle are graduates of Richard Montgomery High School and the children of Michael and Christine Postek.

*Jessica L. McCullough of Rockville, daughter of Kevin McCullough and Sandra Jones and a 2004 graduate of Walter Johnson High School, was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa.,

*Richard Deitchman, son of Linda and Roy Deitchman of Cork Tree Lane in Rockville, was named to the Dena’s List for the fall semester at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. He is a junior majoring in geosciences and a graduate of Richard Montgomery High School.

*Jessica Ashley Hamilton of Rockville was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at Wake Forest University.

*Lauren Suzanne Mahjoubi of Rockville was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at Wake Forest University.

*Michael Wayne Perry of Rockville was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at Wake Forest University.

*Lauren Dobos of Rockville, a senior communication and theater arts major, was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. She is the daughter of Andrew and Cathy Dobos.

*Matthew Craven, son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Craven of Rockville, was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at the University of Dayton in Ohio.

*Nicholas Cooper Hailey, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gary D. Hailey of Rockville, was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

*Michael David Abend, son of Dr. and Ms. Jeffrey A. Abend of Rockville, was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

*Brandelyn Alexis Abend, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Klein of Rockville, was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

*Janice J. Lee of Rockville was named to the Dean’s Honor Roll for the fall semester at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.

*Aaron Kurman, son of Michael Kurman and Patricia Hoff of Rockville, is among 12 national recipients of the 2006-07 George J. Mitchell Scholarship. A 2005 graduate of the University of Virginia and a 2001 graduate of Richard Montgomery High School, Kurman will study for a master’s degree in peace and conflict studies at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. The Mitchell Scholarship is administered by the U.S.-Ireland alliance, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. It is named in honor of the role the former U.S. senator played in the Northern Ireland peace process.

Special note to our‘On Campus’ contributors

Due to the large volume of items we receive for inclusion in our ‘‘On Campus” portion of this column, and due to the fact that the fall semester ended in December at most colleges and universities, the deadline for items regarding the fall semester is March 1. All items submitted by the deadline will be published in future issues of The Gazette, as space is available.

Items appropriate for this column should be sent to Judith Hruz, Editor, The Rockville Gazette, 1200 Quince Orchard Blvd., Gaithersburg, Md. 20878; faxed to 301-670-7182 or 301-670-7183; or e-mailed to jhruz@gazette.net. Deadline is Thursday at 5 p.m. Items are subject to editing and used on a space-available basis.