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Akash Patel

@speakerakash

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@happypatel91 ‘s twin | UN Association of USA @una.usa 🇺🇸🇺🇳 Chairman | @happyworldinc Founder | @ted speaker 🌎👓

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Five years ago today, I lived the horror of being pulled out of my classroom and being informed by my school’s resource officer of the passing of my 26-year-old twin brother Anand Happy Patel to a tragic plane crash in Arizona. His death has left a void that will never be filled but it has given me and my family a sense of purpose with the Happy World Foundation Inc. Thanks to the many global citizens and friends worldwide who answered our family’s call to serve - today hundreds of thousands of students and teachers have the unique opportunities to travel without ever leaving the classroom 🌎👓
I hope you will consider signing up to volunteer today or consider making a tax-deductible donation to HWF in my brother’s memory: www.happyworldfoundation.us by @speakerakash

@time ’s first-ever list of Innovative Teachers is out. We are so honored to announce our Founder & @dallasisd Spanish teacher @speakerakash is a part of this group of educators who are changing the landscape of education in America: www.time.com/innovative-teachers 🔥🇺🇸🌎👓 by @speakerakash

🇺🇸🇺🇳 Meaningful conversations. Inspiring connections. A shared commitment to global health. 🌍

Grateful for the opportunity to attend Advancing Global Health: Progress in Reducing Harmful Alcohol Use at United Nations Headquarters in New York, hosted by the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), in partnership with Anheuser-Busch InBev and the Permanent Mission of Belgium to the United Nations 🇧🇪

It was a pleasure connecting with Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres; Robert Skinner, Chief of Partnerships and Global Engagement at the United Nations; Kristen Kaufman, Senior Vice President at USCIB; and several senior executives from Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Beyond the important discussions on global health, what made the evening particularly memorable were the people, perspectives, and thoughtful conversations.

As National Council Chair of the United Nations Association of the United States of America, I value opportunities like these that bring together leaders from the United Nations, the private sector, and civil society to exchange ideas and explore solutions to shared global challenges.

Thankful to USCIB and its partners for bringing together such an engaging group of leaders and fostering an important conversation about public health and shared responsibility. 🌎 #UNGA81 by @speakerakash

🇪🇸 What an incredible journey!

Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to return to #Spain as a guest of FEDELE (Federación Española de Asociaciones de Escuelas de Español para Extranjeros), connecting with educators and leaders from around the world who share a passion for language learning, cultural exchange, and bringing people together.

From Madrid to Valencia, Castellón, Dénia, and Alicante, I had the opportunity to visit schools, explore beautiful communities, exchange ideas, and, most importantly, build friendships and connections that I hope will last a lifetime. I also had the privilege of speaking at the conference about ways to strengthen cross-cultural understanding and advance people-to-people diplomacy through language and education.

This trip was especially meaningful because ten years ago, I first came to Spain after being invited to speak at an education conference at the Universidad de Zaragoza about my work connecting classrooms and communities around the world. I never could have imagined all the places life would take me over the next decade.

And here I was, ten years later, back in Spain, still doing what I love: connecting people, cultures, and classrooms across borders.

I’m incredibly grateful to the entire FEDELE team, the schools that welcomed us, and all the wonderful people I had the pleasure of meeting along the way. Thank you for your warmth, generosity, hospitality, and unforgettable memories.

Sometimes life has a beautiful way of bringing us full circle. ❤️

¡Hasta pronto, España! 🇪🇸🇺🇸🌎 by @speakerakash

#Valencia qué bonita eres. 🇪🇸💙 #Spain #España #Europe #Europa by @speakerakash

De #Madrid al cielo. 🇪🇸 #Spain by @speakerakash

Una noche para celebrar conexiones, culturas y nuevas amistades. 🌍✨🇪🇸

Noche de gala de @federacionele junto a grandes profesionales y amigos de la enseñanza internacional del español. Gracias por una semana llena de aprendizaje, colaboración y momentos inolvidables. ❤️

¡Qué privilegio formar parte de esta comunidad global! by @speakerakash

Connecting people, cultures, and classrooms around the world. 🇺🇸🌎🇪🇸 by @speakerakash

Made it to #Spain! 🇪🇸

What a night in Alcalá de Henares — after an incredible roundtable with executives and leaders from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and @federacionele (Federación Española de Asociaciones de Escuelas de Español para Extranjeros) we stepped out to the Plaza de Cervantes, at the foot of Don Quixote.

I am honored to be here representing the United Nations Association of the United States of America (@una.usa ), as Past President of ACTFL, and on behalf of Happy World Foundation Inc. — building bridges through languages and cultures.

Grateful for this VIP invitation from FEDELE and for sharing this moment with powerhouse colleagues and friends: National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE) President Dr. Margarita Machado-Casas, @aatspglobal American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese President-Elect Sybil Sanz, and AATSP Immediate Past President RB Bell.

We had an absolute blast and made some very high-level connections. This is just the beginning of a very exciting week in #Madrid and #Valencia.

Thank you to the Spanish Ministry and FEDELE for believing in the power of language education to unite people and nations 🇺🇸🇪🇸🌍❤️ by @speakerakash

Of all the remarkable people I had the opportunity to meet during #UNGA81 week, one who particularly stood out was His Excellency @robertabela.mt , Prime Minister of Malta 🇲🇹 — one of the smallest countries in the European Union and an island nation at the crossroads of the Mediterranean.

Perhaps that’s exactly what makes Malta’s place on the global stage so interesting.

Sitting between Europe and Africa, #Malta has long sought to use its unique position to build bridges, encourage dialogue and contribute to international peace.

During #UNGA81, Prime Minister Abela spoke about rebuilding something our world desperately needs: trust — between people, institutions and nations.

That resonated with me.

We live in a world where it has become incredibly easy to stop listening to people who disagree with us — politically, culturally or otherwise. Yet diplomacy requires almost the opposite: listening, finding common ground and continuing the conversation even when agreement seems difficult.

Our world works better when we find reasons to talk to one another instead of reasons not to.

Malta is also a reminder that influence isn’t determined by geography, population or how loudly we speak.

You don’t have to be the biggest or loudest voice in the room to make a difference. Sometimes leadership is having the courage to listen, the willingness to engage and the ability to bring people together.

It was a pleasure meeting Prime Minister Robert Abela at the Concordia Annual Summit and learning more about Malta’s unique place in the European and global community. 🇲🇹🇪🇺🇺🇸🇺🇳

#EuropeanUnion #Diplomacy by @speakerakash

With #Iran once again at the center of the world’s attention, I was grateful for the opportunity to meet Crown Prince @officialrezapahlavi during #UNGA81 week. 🇮🇷

I’m especially grateful to my friend @drparmisk and her brother, Dr. Nikan Khatibi, longtime advocates for the Iranian people, who helped make this important conversation at the Concordia Annual Summit possible, and to Concordia Co-Founder @mattswift for providing a platform for it.

Matthew’s conversation with the Crown Prince addressed this extraordinary moment for Iran, his vision for a transition to secular democracy, and what he believes the international community can do to support the Iranian people.

But for me, the most meaningful moment came afterward.

I showed this photograph to one of my former students from Iran. His eyes lit up. He immediately shared it with his entire family.

That reaction reminded me that behind every headline about Iran are real people and families — inside the country and throughout the Iranian diaspora — carrying hopes for their homeland and its future.

My own family has Cuban roots, so the longing for freedom from political repression resonates personally with me. Cuba and Iran are very different countries with very different histories, but the desire to live with dignity, speak freely, and have a voice in one’s own future transcends borders.

Iranians themselves hold different views about what their country’s political future should look like. But the human-rights abuses suffered by Iranians who have protested, dissented, or demanded fundamental freedoms deserve the world’s attention.

Freedom and human dignity are not Iranian, Cuban, American, Republican or Democratic values. They are human values.

Meeting Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was memorable. Seeing what that photograph meant to one Iranian family made the moment much more personal. by @speakerakash