Exploring the Rich Tapestry of History

Behrouz Amirbadvy, Yitian Chen, Jessika Viveros and Jerusha Rainy Kannula

We had the pleasure of going to D.C. for Spring Break 2024 with a group of 12 MPP and one MURP student. It was a full week of activities that included meeting with over a dozen representatives from all aspects of global affairs. We were able to call the Open Gov Hub our home for the week as a base from which we conducted many of our meetings and from there we had the pleasure of venturing out to the Old Executive Office at the White House, the State Department and of course the Alumni reception.

Although our schedule was packed with meetings, each speaker was incredibly fascinating by enlightening us with their own ventures into international and global affairs works and by sharing their own unique and often winding path into the sectors. As far as Monday’s sessions went, our group particularly liked talking to Dmitry Dement, who was stationed in Kiev, Ukraine, at the time. As he was a recent MPP graduate, his relative experience was the most relevant to our current roles as students. He talked about his goal of working in Eastern Europe and how that came to doing the challenging yet rewarding work in Ukraine. Aside from learning Martin Hall’s fervent following of Manchester United, he highlighted his best practices in succeeding in the world of D.C. and how he made a success of his time at the World Bank. He was especially poignant in talking about recognizing your strengths and skills and making yourself available to your colleagues in building relationships.

The highlight of our trip took place during the wet and gloomy Wednesday that enabled us to have a meeting and tour of the Old Executive Office in the White House that was scheduled and led by the generous Dylan Pressman, who we learned was in the first graduating class of Luskin in 1998. It was incredibly inspiring and fascinating touring the old Secretary of War offices in the building and experiencing the history of where some of the country’s greatest leaders sat and made policy.

By engaging with diverse stakeholders, we deepened our understanding of both the U.S. government and nonprofit organizations. Beyond the conferences, we immersed ourselves in the rich tapestry of history by exploring a variety of museums throughout Washington, D.C. Here, among the captivating exhibits, we shared stories, celebrated our unique backgrounds and cultures, and engaged in meaningful conversations with our cohort. Together, we considered our future career paths and aspirations, united by a common desire to make a difference in the world of public affairs. As the cherry blossoms bloomed, we envisioned a future in which our collective efforts would create positive change and leave an indelible mark on society.

We are so grateful to the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and especially to Lecturer Steve Commins and Director of Alumni Engagement Karina Mascorro for allowing us to go on this trip! We strongly believe that this journey will be unforgettable for all of us.