|
|
|
|
|
The American Academy of Achievement is like no other organization in the world. For more than 45 years, this unique non-profit entity has sparked the imagination of students across America and around the globe by bringing them into direct personal contact with the greatest thinkers and achievers of the age. The annual International Achievement Summit has provided thousands of outstanding students with an unforgettable, life changing experience -- one in which young people whose dreams will determine our collective tomorrow draw inspiration, courage and strength from those individuals who have shaped our world of today.
Since 1961, these generation-spanning forums have allowed exceptional students to interact one-on-one with Nobel Prize-winners in the arts and sciences, world-renowned public servants, crusading journalists, intrepid explorers of our planet and outer space, revered humanitarians, world champion athletes, legendary figures of stage and screen, and countless others who represent the pinnacle of achievement in their respective fields. Such personal encounters with greatness can, and do, send an enormously powerful message to students raised in a world that so often seems to value the superficial and ephemeral over the monumental and enduring.
These gatherings take on special significance in light of current world events. The sight of students of various lands and faiths coming together to enter into meaningful, reasoned dialogue with eminent leaders in many fields is surely a sign of hope for the future. Without greater understanding between nations, there can be no lasting peace, and this kind of intellectual discourse between individual leaders, both present and future, is essential to establishing such an understanding.
It is in this spirit, and to further these ends, that the Academy has established the International Achievement Summit, as well as outstanding programs such as Achievement TV and its Museum of Achievement in Washington, DC. Yet the heart of the Academy experience -- that distinctive feature, found nowhere else, which truly sets it apart -- remains the International Achievement Summit.
Each year, late in spring, the American Academy of Achievement invites 50 men and women of exceptional accomplishment -- 30 distinguished previous awardees and 20 new guests of honor -- to share their wisdom and experience with 250 of the world's most outstanding graduate students from more than 40 countries. During the four-day "International Achievement Summit" held in one of the world's major cities, these young leaders of tomorrow have a chance to meet and discuss issues with eminent achievers from every facet of human endeavor... the sciences, business, the professions, sports, literature, entertainment, the military, the arts, and public service.
The Summit program starts on a Thursday evening with a reception and dinner, and continues throughout the weekend, when informal get-togethers, roundtable discussions and a symposium series give each of the honored guests an opportunity to reminisce briefly on career highlights, and perhaps share some new challenges and goals with the students. The dramatic highlight of the Summit is reached on Saturday night, with the eagerly-anticipated Banquet of the Golden Plate -- an impressive black-tie affair where each guest of honor is presented with the Golden Plate Award as a "representative of the many who excel" in his or her chosen profession.
The International Achievement Summit can perhaps best be described as a global celebration of the human spirit to excel that lies at the heart of the American Dream. Its honored guests are those who have made a significant difference in today's world through individual effort in their own fields of endeavor. The roster of past awardees reads like a "Who's Who" of modern civilization, and includes many Nobel, Pulitzer, National Medal of Science, Business Hall of Fame, Golden Globe, and Oscar winners.
A sense of electricity grows throughout the program's four days, as the students, through direct personal contact with past and present Academy honorees, are reminded of the shared history of human progress, and of the common heritage of individual leadership and initiative which know no national boundaries. Similarly, the guests of honor draw inspiration from the promise represented by this unique collection of young, creative minds. Generational and cultural barriers fade away as all participants join in the spirit of the occasion, and the Academy's celebration of the power of the individual to shape our world reaches its climax in the prestigious Banquet of the Golden Plate.
Honorees and students alike come away revitalized, with a new sense of purpose. General Colin Powell, a member of the Academy class of 1988, has described it as "...one of the most inspiring and gratifying occasions in my lifetime of occasions."
The American Academy of Achievement launched its series of International Achievement Summits in Budapest, Hungary in June, 1999. Summits held in subsequent years include those in London, England (2000), Dublin, Ireland (2002), Washington, D.C. (2003), Chicago, Illinois (2004), New York City (2005), Los Angeles, California (2006) and Washington, D.C. (2007).
The Academy's Golden Plate Awards Council annually reviews a broad spectrum of candidates who are inspiring "exemplars of excellence" for possible invitation to the International Achievement Summit. From this list, the Awards Council -- which is comprised of eminent past honorees of the Academy -- selects 20 new guests of honor. Thirty illustrious previous honorees join the new guests of honor at the Summit, and participate in the awards presentation at the Banquet of the Golden Plate ceremony.
The individuals honored as recipients of the Golden Plate represent the very pinnacle of human achievement in their respective fields. For example, recent honorees among those dedicating their lives to public service have included:
- William J. Clinton, 42nd President of the United States
- George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States
- Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States
- Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States
- Barack Obama, United States Senate
- Hillary Clinton, United States Senate
- Henry Paulson, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
- Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States
- Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
- John R. Lewis, United States Congress
- Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City
- Robert M. Gates, U.S. Secretary of Defense
- Mikhail Gorbachev, former Premier of the Soviet Union
- Lech Walesa, Nobel Prize for Peace
- Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Prize for Peace
- Bertie Ahern, Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
- Henry A. Kissinger, Nobel Prize for Peace
- His Majesty, King Abdullah II of Jordan
- Her Majesty, Queen Rania of Jordan
- Rudolph Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City
- Alvaro Uribe Velez, President of the Republic of Colombia
- Shimon Peres, Nobel Prize for Peace
- Antonin Scalia, Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
- Anthony M. Kennedy, Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
- John McCain, United States Senate
- Richard M. Daley, Mayor of the City of Chicago
Rest assured that equally impressive lists of world-famous individuals possessing similarly stellar credentials could be compiled in the fields of science, exploration, sports, literature, and the arts.
The outstanding students selected to attend the International Achievement Summit are chosen from among the most distinguished young scholars and student leaders in the world. They include many White House Fellows, Rhodes Scholars, Fulbright Fellows, Truman Scholars, Marshall Scholars, Gates Cambridge Scholars, Soros Fellows, Kennedy Memorial Scholars Howard Hughes Medical Fellows. Hailing from six continents and more than 40 countries, they are alumni of the world's leading institutions of higher learning, including major American universities such as Harvard, Stanford, MIT and Johns Hopkins, as well as prestigious foreign schools like Oxford, The Sorbonne and the Max Planck Institute. Additional student delegates are designated by the faculty of leading institutions around the world, such as The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, the Sanger Centre at Cambridge, MIT School of Engineering, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, University College Dublin, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton, Institut d'”tudes Politiques de Paris, Moscow Institute of International Relations, Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, and the United States Military Academy at West Point, Naval Academy and Air Force Academy.
These young people have distinguished themselves not only in their academic pursuits, but also in records of selfless service to their schools and to their communities. Their individual interests know no bounds, and span the full spectrum of intellectual inquiry, including the sciences, public service, the humanities, law and the arts. But no matter what their particular area of expertise, each of these otherwise unique young men and women share one common characteristic - they have a vision of a world larger than their own self-interests, and thus represent humanity's best hope for a peaceful and prosperous Twenty-First Century.
The Board of Directors, composed of "Patrons of the Academy" and representatives of the Awards Council, oversees all financial aspects of the Academy's operation. Each year, the Academy's Board of Directors reviews -- and considers for its approval -- a detailed budget. Additionally, an annual independent audit is presented to the entire Board.
The principal underwriter of the American Academy of Achievement's International Achievement Summit is The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation. The Foundation, which has sponsored the International Achievement Summit since its inaugural gathering in Budapest, has also generously provided funding for a number of other Academy educational initiatives, including this website. A more complete listing of Academy Patrons and sponsors may be found by clicking on Academy Patrons.
The Academy is a non-profit organization within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. All contributions to the Endowment Fund and to the Academy itself are tax-deductible under federal law.
The lives of legendary achievers have endlessly fascinated the public. We marvel at George Washington's selfless commitment to his countrymen, Thomas Edison's vision, Helen Keller's courage. Such heights, young people often believe, could only have been scaled by someone of unparalleled genius, or persons born to privilege, or those favored by sheer luck. However, the lives and words of these heroes reveal a different story. Few were born rich. They were no luckier or unluckier than their contemporaries. They were individuals like us, beset by the same challenges that human beings have faced throughout the ages. Their greatness lies not in accidents of birth or good fortune, but in how they met and overcame the extraordinary challenges they faced in their own lives.
Founded on the belief that great achievers can motivate and educate others by serving as inspiring role models, Achievement TV introduces a revolutionary concept by bringing individuals who have shaped the history of our time directly into the classroom. Achievement TV is an electronic forum that allows students to meet and learn from the outstanding visionaries and leaders of the last half-century. In their own words, these famous achievers tell of their experiences, struggles, dreams and personal paths to success, and engage in a unique, lively and innovative dialogue with the young people before whom each show was taped. All students, from those deemed "at-risk" to those in advanced placement classes, can discover heroes whose words and deeds will encourage them to strive for excellence in their studies and in their lives. Achievement TV programs are broadcast on various educational channels.
|
|
The American Academy of Achievement has created a museum in Washington, D.C. featuring interactive, multi-media displays telling the life stories of many of the Academy's distinguished honorees and their personal paths to success. Drawing upon its vast archives of exclusive, first-person source material amassed over the past four-and-a-half decades, the Academy has created an exciting and totally unique exhibition that no other museum in the world can duplicate.
Through state-of-the-art technology, visitors are brought into "virtual contact" with the personas of Academy honorees that have shaped our time. In their own words, these eminent leaders and visionaries share their great achievements, as well as candid insights into their own personal and professional lives. The contributions of these remarkable individuals to humanity's progress during the past century and their indomitable spirit of innovation and ingenuity will be preserved in the Academy's museum to inspire the creative thinking of future generations.
|
Fourth grade students from the Elsie Whitlow Stokes Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. visit the Academy's Museum of Achievement for a day of education and inspiration.
|
|
The American Academy of Achievement's extensive collection of exclusive, first-person interviews with its honorees is available to parents, teachers and students on the American Academy of Achievement's website (www.achievement.org). In addition to written interview transcripts, this online Virtual Museum also features a Gallery of Achievement that includes video footage of insightful discussions with Academy members. Visitors can access our extensive online library and discover which books made a difference in the early lives of eminent achievers. This interactive museum of living history includes an area devoted to Achievement TV curriculum materials and broadcast highlights.
The Academy could not be more pleased that our website receives more than 20 million hits per month from educators and students around the world. Our mission is to bring the inspiring life stories of the eminent achievers of our time to the fingertips of every student, teacher and parent -- and that is precisely what the Internet allows us to do.
|
|
|
