June 20 is World Refugee Day, dedicated to raising awareness about refugees throughout the world, a day on which I inevitably always look back on the formative years of my life.

In 1991, my family and I were forced out of our home in Croatia because of our ethnic origin, and we began a life of exile, torn from everything known and dear to us and forced to swim in the uncharted waters of life as a refugee. Our lives had been changed drastically; a life of abundance had become a life of misery. 

After completing an intense two-week introductory session at the University of Southern California, seven students and two professors are ready to begin this summer’s Problems Without Passports trip to Rwanda.

Now available for viewing, video of President Obama's acceptance speech at the 2014 Ambassadors for Humanity gala held May 7, 2014. Also included are speeches from USC President C. L. Max Nikias, Holocaust survivor Celina Biniaz, school teacher Michelle Clark, and Institute founder Steven Spielberg. All worth watching!