Some of the people whose name appears on the list have worked unremittingly and voluntarily in the field of education, language teaching, organizing cultural events, and dedicating themselves to to this work of maintaining their cultural heritage and handing it on to the next generation,  for as long as 30 years.

My connection to Slovenia was a tenuous one (only my estranged father is Slovenian) and it existed in my mind in post-card form as that beautiful yet strange eastern-European country where some of my cousins lived. Through Slovenian class I was introduced to many exciting and new concepts that give flavour and uniqueness to a culture, from poems and proverbs (pregovori) to contemporary short stories by Andrej Blatnik

I was delighted to find the students highly responsive, motivated to learn Slovenian and about Slovenian culture. They were keen to know about Slovenia today, as a people and about its context in the world. I incorporated authentic sources of journals, radio, newspapers, television, videotapes. The cyber world of the Web opened the window on; the country, daily news, virtual guides of cities, and new literature.