US Consul General visits Andhra University, Australian naval vessel in Vizag

VISAKHAPATNAM: U.S. Consul General Jennifer Larson has visited Saint Joseph College for Women which has hosted an English Language Fellow sponsored by the United States government since 2019. Jennifer Larson is on her first visit, lasting three days, to the port city since Sunday.

The United States Department of State funds the English Language Fellow programme, which places highly qualified American educators in prolonged fellowships at academic institutions around the world.

During her visit, she met students and alumni of US-government cultural programmes at the American corner located on the campus of Andhra University. The American Corner has a cultural outreach centre that hosts guest speakers, movie screenings, English language workshops, reading clubs, education consulting for US universities and holiday festivities. Jennifer Larson also met Vice-Chancellor Prasad Reddy at the University.

Jennifer Larson also took a drive up to Kailasagiri for a panoramic view of Visakhapatnam and the Bay of Bengal. Later, she attended a reception aboard the Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ship HMAS Adelaide. The Australian naval vessel is in Visakhapatnam as part of the Indo-Pacific Endeavor 2022 initiative, which is led by the Australian Defence Force and aims to increase engagement and relationships with regional security forces.

"Visakhapatnam represents so much of the dynamism of the U.S.-India partnership," said Consul General Larson. "We're sponsoring English classes at Saint Joseph's, we're organizing cultural and educational programs at the American Corner on the Andhra University campus, and our militaries regularly conduct joint exercises based out of Eastern Naval Command. It's a great illustration of the depth and breadth of U.S.-India relations,'' she added.