Elena Pripisnova and Tatevik Avagyan, both graduate students in business administration, met Gov. Kathleen Sebelius while visiting the Statehouse in Topeka on Feb. 4.

Pripisnova, native of Russia, and Avagyan, native of Armenia, are both attending K-State through the Edmund S. Muskie Fellowship program, which is a scholarship that funds 140 students from the former Soviet states seeking higher education in the United States.

The Muskie Fellowship is named after former Secretary of State Edmund Muskie, who served during the Jimmy Carter administration from 1977-1981.

The fellowship, created in 1992, is coordinated through the Department of State and seeks to foster economic and democratic growth in Eurasia.

Pripisnova and Avagyan's visit to the capital was organized by Alex Kotoyantz, who received his masters degree in geology at K-State in 1956 and is currently a lobbyist in Topeka.

Both Pripisnova and Avagyan worked with their local governments before coming to K-State.

In Armenia, Avagyan had an internship with the Minister of Finance. In Russia, Pripisnova worked for her local government for five years.

"The purpose of the fellowship is to learn about government and take this knowledge back to our local governments," Pripisnova said.

She said visiting the capital was great firsthand experience to learn about the U.S. political system.

"This was a great opportunity to watch the American democratic process," Pripisnova said. "We got to watch them discussing budget cuts."

Pripisnova said she noticed that "a lot of women were involved in the [U.S.] Congress - this is not so in the Russian Duma [the legislative body]."

She also said she noticed that discussion was more open and free flowing than in Russia.

Avagyan said in Armenia, it is very difficult to talk to government officials, unlike in the U.S.

"Maybe it is cultural," she said. "Armenian officials don't feel a need to talk to the people."

In addition to meeting Sebelius, Pripisnova and Avagyan were introduced to the senate and sat in the VIP section of the chamber, Kotoyantz said.

"It was a very thrilling experience," Pripisnova said.

These kinds of experiences highlight an even greater goal of the Muskie Fellowship, which is the process of building relations between people of the U.S. and former Soviet states.

Kotoyantz has been working with K-State's agricultural department and the National Guard on developing a program to further Armenian relations.

Kansas military bases train Armenian soldiers, Avagyan said, but she said she believes more could be done on an individual level.

"K-State has about 1,100 students from different countries," Kotoyantz said. "There needs to be more mingling. Everyone needs to take advantage of this cultural exchange."