Hello All!
I do not remember the last time I wrote an update about my life. I have been busy.
Let’s start with March. On March 2, I found out that I was offered admission into University of Chicago’s MA in Social Sciences Program (MAPPS) with funding. The following month (April 4-6) I attended MAPSS Campus Days.
Then, April 18-19, I attended Bertelsmann Foundation’s 4th Annual Conference in Washington, DC. The themes were economic recovery and job cretion. Speakers and panelists included Hilda L Solis (Secretary of Labor), Ursula von der Leyen (Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Germany), Margethe Vestager (Minister for Economic Affairs and the Interior, Denmark), Marek Belka (President of the National Bank of Poland, former Prime Minister), James M Flaherty (Minister of Finance, Canada), among others. Here are links to the four news articles I wrote on the conference.
Making a Comeback: The Bertelsmann Foundation’s Flagship 2012 Conference
A Blueprint for an International Non-Profit Credit Rating Agency
Making a Comeback: In the Know – Learning to Create Jobs
Making a Comeback: A Conversation with Ma Weihua
Presently, I am in Capetown, South Africa for the Youth Summit (May 21) and OpenForum 2012 (May 22-24) organized by Open Society Foundations: Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa’s (OSISA), Open Society Initiative for East Africa (OSIEA), Open Society Initiative for West Africa’s (OSIWA), and Open Society Foundation – South Africa (OSFSA). The theme is “Money, Power, Sex: The Paradox of Unequal Growth. I will be doing a write-up soon, but this conference was dynamic and informative. The Youth Summit was a space for my generation of activists, artists, thinkers, innovators to converse and share ideas and solutions for issues ranging from land rights to the “branding” of Africa.
If you’re interested in pics, here’s the official photo stream.
More later,
Arrianna
Arrianna Planey's Blog 
I can’t wait to see and hear more Arri