Over the past two years, ACAP has forged a number of educational alliances in Croatia, manifesting its commitment to academic excellence and collaborative growth.
A cornerstone of these partnerships has been mentorship. Since 2021, ACAP’s U.S.-based members have been actively mentoring students based in Croatia, providing them with invaluable insights and guidance. Concurrently, scholarships have been granted to U.S.-based students attending the esteemed Domovina summer program in Croatia, symbolizing ACAP’s investment in fostering international educational experiences and reconnecting new generations of Croatian-Americans with Croatia.
Scholarships
This September marks another significant milestone. ACAP proudly announces its collaboration with some of Croatia’s leading educational institutions:
– University of Zagreb – Faculty of Engineering and Computing (FER)
– Zagreb School of Economics and Management
– Rochester Institute of Technology Croatia, and
– Algebra University College.
The primary focus of this alliance is to sponsor scholarships for the current academic year for deserving students who have demonstrated remarkable academic achievements and are in economic need.
These partnerships are expected to continue in the future as ACAP Foundation and its members work with the partners by providing mentorships, scholarships, internships in a collaborative manner while growing the American Croatian professional network in the US and Croatia.
Mentorships
Building on the scholarship donation is also continued mentoring programs that ACAP started with ZSEM and ACAP New York chapter, now in its third year, expanded to Algebra and ACAP Seattle chapter this year in its inaugural season. ACAP is now working with RIT and FER to explore mentorship programs based on student interest and will be announcing the details soon.
Fellowships
Medical fellowships also received a significant boost with ACAP partnering with globally recognized institutions such as Cleveland Clinic, Mt. Sinai in New York, and the University of Miami. ACAP is working with these institutions and their doctors and executives, who all have ties to Croatia, in sponsoring the qualifying Croatia-based students. These fellowships are slated to commence in 2024.
Engineering and Computing is not left behind, with ACAP joining forces with FER to explore opportunities for fellowships for Ph.D. students at universities in the U.S.
Special Programs
In its bid to support STEM education, ACAP has made a donation to STEMI, benefitting three schools in Eastern Croatia. This contribution will help wider adoption of the ‘Škola Budućnosti,’ a successful year-long sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics-based program where schools around Croatia partner with STEMI to advance the learnings with the use of computers and robotics.
Finally, ACAP has also partnered with University of Zagreb and has donated the funds to develop the first-ever study abroad program Croatia, where Croatia-based colleges within Zagreb University are partnering to offer a semester-long courses for interested US students in select US colleges and universities, with initial start date targeted for the school year 2024-25.
ACAP continues to advance its educational and career development mission, and continues to connect US and Croatian communities across the generations, geographies and industries. These partnerships, rooted in mentorships, scholarships, and internships described herein, aim to strengthen the American-Croatian professional network in both the U.S. and Croatia, and continue to nurture two-way collaboration and exchange of knowledge, contacts, and ideas among the network members and partners.
As a foundation, we focus on making a meaningful impact in our community. While we know that we lack the resources to meet every need, we remain committed to identifying those areas where relatively small financial contributions can make a large impact. 100% of donations reach intended recipients.