Students learn about international careers
Embassies, organizations and politicians opened their doors for KU students to learn more about what they can accomplish
GAP students spend a week networking with politicians in Washington D.C. Organizations could provide future employment for KU students.
By Nathan Gill
Tuesday, March 27th, 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 swingin’, pretty swank,” Ladd, Effingham senior, said. “Probably swingers only.”
Ladd was one of 10 University of Kansas students who traveled to Washington, 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.
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 University 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.
Irungu, who accompanied the GAP students along with Carlin, said her favorite stops were the Washington and Lincoln monuments and the U.S. Capital building.
“To get to the corridors of power, I thought it was wonderful,” Irungu said.
Ladd said he most enjoyed dining with Ambassador 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 did pay $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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