Graduate of the month: Sanjaakhand Nansalmaa
Under this month’s partnership theme, we highlight 2015-2016 Fulbright student Ms. Sanjaakhand Nansalmaa (Handa) and the Mongolian State Alumni Association (MASA).
Handa holds a master’s degree in public administration as well as an advanced degree in international and non-governmental organization leadership from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and has worked for years to promote volunteerism. in Mongolia. “I had a passion to give back [even] before my Fulbright experience. At the time, volunteering was not well known or welcomed [in Mongolia]”, Handa shared. “When we donated to children’s hospitals, people would question our intentions, asking me if I had sick children myself.
However, Handa persevered in raising awareness of volunteerism and using volunteerism to benefit Mongolia. After her Fulbright studies, she wanted to share this opportunity with others and joined the MASA Board of Directors in 2017 and has since served as CEO, a volunteer position, for two terms.
MASA, also known as Ambassadors for Development, was established by a handful of Fulbright and Humphrey Program alumni in 2007. A nonprofit organization comprised of Mongolian alumni of Department of Health-funded programs. of U.S. state and self-funded U.S. graduates, MASA operates under the belief that an experience is twice as valuable when shared with others and even more so when harnessed for the good of the community.
Since its inception, MASA has raised over US$20,000 and secured US$300,000 from various funding sources to foster the professional development of members and Mongolian society. For more than a decade, MASA has improved the lives of Mongolians through engaging projects and events, including: “East Asia Pacific Alumni Association Enrichment Conference”, which attracted the participation of 55 participants from 12 countries; “TRY Asia in Mongolia”, a ten-day international conference that promoted the rights of persons with disabilities; “Bidchadna Project” (bidchadna.mn), which helps qualified people and entrepreneurs with reduced mobility to find employment; “GO-MASA”, a small grant competition between members; and the “Alumni Rural Outreach Program”, which engaged alumni in rural areas on projects and promoted studies in the United States
In December 2017, Handa represented MASA at a two-week International Visitor Leadership Program on Alumni Association Development. As part of the program, she attended sessions on fundraising, member building and retention, and strategic planning alongside alumni association leaders from 23 other alumni associations in State around the world. Reflecting on her IVLP experience, Handa said she took the opportunity to connect with other alumni communities and share MASA best practices because “MASA is one of the alumni associations most active and important students in the world, with [years of] experience in the implementation of many projects.
Leveraging its extensive experience and track record of successful projects, MASA applied to become the Implementing Partner for the U.S. Department of State-funded EducationUSA program in Mongolia in 2020. MASA, as Implementer Implemented by EducationUSA Mongolia, provides free, comprehensive advice and information about studying at universities and other accredited post-secondary institutions in the United States. By becoming the first state alumni association to run the program in the world, the MASA implementation team uses its knowledge and experience in American higher education as well as its passion for equal opportunity and volunteerism to build EducationUSA Mongolia’s international reputation as an innovative and highly respected leader. In the region.
Currently, Handa works as Finance and Budget Officer at UNICEF Mongolia and as a board member and volunteer at NGO Save Infants and MASA. She also continues to engage and spread awareness of volunteering throughout Mongolia. Meanwhile, MASA and its CEO continue to promote democratic social development and equal opportunity in all sectors of Mongolian society.