Laughter and chatter fill a classroom at the University of Nevada, Reno. Papers are shuffled, computers are closed and the creaking of chairs signifies the movement of people ready for lunch. A filmmaker stands at the head of a classroom in the William N. Pennington Center for Student Achievement. He stands purposeful, directing a group of 25 of the top Africans in the field of business and entrepreneurship between the ages of 25 and 35. It's clear that lunch will just have to wait.

Mark Wambui, a filmmaker and founder of two cinematic companies in Kenya, stands at the front of this classroom making a promotional video for the Mandela Washington Fellowship. As Wambui instructs the fellows scene-by-scene, he demonstrates persistence, expertise and an unshakeable vision - all traits that make the program an important opportunity for not just the Mandela fellows, but the University and northern Nevada business community as well.

"Many presenters for our program are asking if they can meet with the fellows again, either to continue engaging dialogues about entrepreneurship or within a social setting," Carina Black, executive director of the Northern Nevada International Center, said. "They bring such a fresh perspective to things which transform our classrooms into something bigger. It's 25 of the best and brightest minds of 20 different African countries. Seeing the impact that they're having on our community is pretty amazing."

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program funded by the Young African Leadership Initiative, a State Department initiative dedicated to promoting partnerships with Sub-Saharan African countries through strengthening the connection between the United States and the burgeoning community of young, entrepreneurial professionals in Africa.

The program includes academic classes, leadership sessions, volunteer activities, site visits of local businesses and cultural components in order to help fellows learn and grow in their respective projects and expertise such as a women's discussion panel and workshop on global security. Through these courses, the program works in conjunction with the White House's policy goals for promoting trade and investment with Sub-Saharan African countries. According to fellow Gadza Makopola, Botswana, the U.S.'s strategy of targeting the young minds of Africa's brightest is a welcome change to foreign policy in the region.

"The beautiful thing about the fellowship is that the U.S. targeted the most important resource, which in my opinion is the youth, with a different approach," Makopola said. "It is now done with respect and we are being looked at now as partners, not as people to colonize. While other countries are targeting resources from the ground, President Obama's strategy was to target the minds."

Not only has the fellowship functioned as a bridge between the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa on a policy level, it also has a far-reaching impact beyond what many of the fellows, Reno business community members and University faculty had ever imagined. While the fellows learned how to build upon their skillsets from the guest speakers, they also found that they were able to make connections and teach the local business community about Africa allowing a fruitful and respectful partnership to form between the fellows and business owners in Reno, according to Makopola.

However, learning and bonding is not limited to the fellows and the mentors. Many of the fellows found that one of the greatest surprises of the program was being able to connect and learn more about each other.

"The whole program is about us coming to learn about the American economy and the economy in Nevada and things like that and meeting different business people," Vans Oduho, a fellow from South Sudan, said. "What I didn't count on was having so much fun with the fellows, and learning from them. As much as they've connected us here to the businesses and business people in the Reno community, they've also connected Africans as well."

Not only were the connections and friendships formed with each other a welcome surprise to the fellows, but it's a part of the program that Black finds the most formative and transformational for all involved.

"So many of our African fellows expect to learn the most from their academic program here, but the biggest lessons learned are in each other's potential within Africa," Black said. "A fellow told me the other day, ‘When we're told to travel abroad, we're told to travel to Europe or America. Why don't we travel within our continent and look for business opportunities?' That's a pretty cool revelation."

In as much as the fellows have gained from the program and each other, the most impressive success is the ways in which connecting so many professionals will make a positive impact in nations across Africa. Many look to promote causes, become agitators for change and advance their countries in the international stage. Candice Muir, a fellow from Bostwana, looks to use skills gained in the program to create a national education campaign to end the stigma surrounding physical and mental disabilities, while other fellows look to team up and create businesses and projects with each other upon their return.

In its second year at the University, the Mandela Washington Fellowship is well on its way to playing a seminal role in the advancement of relations with the increasingly complex and innovative nations of Sub-Saharan Africa. The fellowship will continue throughout the month of July where it will culminate in a Presidential Summit in Washington D.C. during the first week of August.

For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit unr.edu/nnic/programs/mandela-washington-fellows.