PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The United States Friday announced that nine Trinidad and Tobago nationals had been selected to participate in the Department of State’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI).
The US embassy here said that the annual fellowship programme brings 250 entrepreneurs from 37 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada to the United States for skills-based mentorship programmes in host businesses and enterprises.
It said that the participants learn a particular business skill set, and have the opportunity to make and expand their networks with their professional U.S. hosts.
“Our embassy’s YLAI fellows always come back from their exchange brimming with ideas and initiatives to grow their businesses and improve their business practices,” said U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Dr. Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz.
“I’m confident this cohort and their American counterparts will equally benefit from their in-person experience. The YLAI exchange increases prosperity for all of us,” she added.
.The nine Trinidadians – Dominick Alexander, Naomi Anderson, Dharnel Duprey, Kedella Isaac, Desirai Johnson-Phillip, Shereesa Khan, Donnelle Maharj, Simon Neptune, and Sanatan Ramjattan- will travel to Houston, Texas in April for the opening orientation.
They will then travel to various cities across the United States for a four-week professional placement with the programme ending in Washington, D.C. in May.
The Embassy said that since its launch in 2015, YLAI has enabled more than 2,000 fellows to build connections and learn from and collaborate with American innovators and industry leaders.
“Within one year of completing YLAI, 84 per cent of fellows secured new resources to advance their work. With the 2026 cohort, the total number of fellows from Trinidad and Tobago to date will reach 47, further expanding the network of entrepreneurs who benefit from American partnership and mentorship.
The YLAI programme is funded by the US government.
