Sri Lanka, Sept. 29 -- When Jehan Wijesinghe boarded his flight to Washington, D.C., he wasn't just traveling to the United States. He was stepping into a rare opportunity: the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), the U.S. State Department's flagship professional exchange. This year, he had the privilege of being the only delegate from Sri Lanka, joining peers from 18 countries including Italy, India, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bahrain, Brazil, Myanmar, Rwanda, Egypt, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique, Mauritius, Burundi, Uzbekistan, and Uganda.

The participants came from different continents, cultures, and economies, yet they were bound together by a shared mission: to learn how innovation and entrepreneurship can strengthen soci...