International Student House of Washington, DC (ISH-DC) resident scholars from Argentina, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Turkey, and the United States joined a distinguished group of senior staff members working in the United States Congress the evening of Thursday, February 20 for a lively and informative dinner conversation.
Yvette Badu-Nimako, Senior Counsel on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform; Moira Lenehan Razzuri, Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Jack Reed (D-RI); and Emilio Mendez, Senior Legislative Assistant to Representative Lou Correa (D-CA) participated in the discussion organized by Scott Fleming, ISH-DC Board member and recently retired Associate Vice President for Federal Relations at Georgetown University. Scott invited the group of senior staff members to the House to share about their work on the Hill, as well as their career paths and the unique opportunities associated with their roles.
ISH-DC resident Anastasia Austin welcomed the group, and Scott introduced the panel of Hill staff that he has known for several years before the engaging discussion began. Residents were quite interested to learn about the most impactful moments in each of their careers and many around the table asked about how to work together in bipartisan relationships and how they used their role to help make a difference in the lives of Members of Congress’ constituents.
The evening was a great success as both our guests and residents enjoyed each other’s company, and our residents also had the opportunity to share about their exciting endeavors.
We are grateful to our Board member Scott Fleming for coordinating the evening, and to our guests for taking the time to join us for the excellent discussion.
The group was welcomed by ISH Board President, Eric Melby, and Interim Executive Director, Larry Dunham, who outlined the history of 1825 R Street NW and how it became the International Student House in 1946. Following a tour of the historic building, they were introduced to ISH residents from Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Turkey and the United States, who are studying at Georgetown University, George Washington University, and American University. They were joined by two local alumni originally from China and Serbia, currently working at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, and by ISH Board member Dr. Sherry Mueller, Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at the School of International Service, American University.
Ms. Casagrande shared her personal experiences studying abroad and the impact it had on her life. She went on to explain the many exchange opportunities now available to foreign students through the U.S. State Department. While discussing one such program, EducationUSA, our resident scholars were interested to learn that one of them had attended an EducationUSA program in Indonesia. Our residents and alumni also shared their experiences studying in Washington, DC and the impact that living at International Student House has had on them.
The afternoon was filled with engaging conversation, reaffirming the importance of inter-cultural exchange. Ms. Casagrande pointed out, at the State Department, “We are in the business of friendship building”, which very much coincides with the mission of the International Student House.
We appreciate DAS Casagrande and her team visiting ISH to learn about our community and meet our exceptional resident scholars, who will soon be leaders around the world. We look forward to continuing the dialogue with her and her colleagues at the State Department.
