Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Nathan Ladd spent his spring break in Washington, D.C., rubbing shoulders with political elites and lodging at a hotel with leopard print robes and faux-cheetah blankets.
“The Hotel Helix was pretty swinging, pretty swank,” Ladd, Effingham senior, said.
Ladd was one of 10 University of Kansas students who traveled to WashInington, D.C., with the Global Awareness Program last week. The students, all in the process of gaining GAP certification with the University, visited international embassies, institutes and organizations and met with people in international careers.
Jane Irungu, GAP director, said the purpose of the trip was to help students interested in international careers, such as diplomacy, international conflict mediation and foreign service, learn about international organizations and job opportunities.
“We wanted to expose them to these international organizations and people working in government so they could network with people who work on the ground,” Irungu said.
Irungu said the trip was the brainchild of Diana Carlin, dean of the graduate school and international programs, and Ambassador to Qatar Kenton Keith, a KU alumnus. Stops on the group’s itinerary included the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, the United States Institute of Peace and the Organization of American States.
pullquote
I thought it would be a great way to introduce myself to possible career opportunities. I was wanting to get an idea of what organizations were out there.
-Effingham senior Nathan Ladd
Irungu, who accompanied the GAP students along with Carlin, said her favorite stops were the Washington and Lincoln monuments and the U.S. Capitol building.
“To get to the corridors of power, I thought it was wonderful,” Irungu said.
Ladd said he most enjoyed dining with Keith at his home and that he did his fair share of networking. He also enjoyed meeting with like-minded people and learned that having real-world experience with international organizations would help further an international career.
“I thought it would be a great way to introduce myself to possible career opportunities,” Ladd said of the trip. “I was wanting to get an idea of what organizations were out there."
Irungu said that the University, through the Office of International Programs, paid for most of the trip, but that students paid $300 to participate.
“Three hundred dollars was nothing compared with what we got out of it,” Ladd said.
Kansan staff writer Nathan Gill can be contacted at ngill@kansan.com.
— Edited by Sharla Shivers
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