Fellows Meet First Lady of Georgia at Fundraiser

2009 Muskie fellows Sopio Chakvetadze, Otar Kantaria, and Olena Mar'yenko recently had the chance to meet the first lady of Georgia, Sandra Roelofs Saakashvili, at the annual Taste of Georgia fundraiser organized by the Atlanta-Tbilisi Sister City Committee. The event, held at the Atlanta City Hall, was also attended by the Georgian Ambassador to the United States, Batu Kutelia.

"The Georgian first lady is well aware of the Muskie program and she frequently attends Muskie fellow receptions in Georgia," Sopio commented. "When she learned that we would be in Atlanta, she invited us to attend the fundraiser. We talked to the first lady about our studies, told her about our programs, and shared with her our future plans." The first lady also presented Sopio with a signed copy of her autobiography. Sopio and Olena are studying at the University of Georgia, while Otar attends Georgia State University.