The Foreign Service Journal, May 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2022 65 AFSA NEWS AFSAWelcomes Pardee Graduate Students An impressive group of 27 American and international graduate students from Bos- ton University’s Pardee School of Global Studies visited AFSA with Ambassador (ret.) Mark Storella, Pardee professor of the practice of diplomacy, on March 8. This was AFSA’s first in-person public event at headquarters in more than two years. FSJ Editor Shawn Dorman opened the meeting with an introduction to AFSA, The Foreign Service Journal as a resource and the Foreign Service career. She was later joined by AFSA President Eric Rubin, who offered his take on the current situation in global affairs, and in particular on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A lively Q&A session followed the presentations. Amb. Storella—a friend of AFSA, Journal author and enthusiastic guide for students exploring future careers—later shared feed- back from the event: “AFSA’s AFSA President Eric Rubin and FSJ Editor Shawn Dorman meet with Pardee School graduate students at AFSA headquarters. ÁSGEIRSIGFÚSSON/AFSA presentation captivated the students. Shawn Dorman and Ambassador Rubin provided a candid view of the rewards and challenges of diplomatic life for professionals and for their families, and their comments on the current Ukraine crisis—based on their extensive experience in the region—wowed the group. “Several students came away from the session saying, ‘I want to do that.’ I was proud to have the chance to show these students howAmerican diplomats are working to rise to the current challenges,” Storella added. The group, which included students from China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethio- pia, France, Italy, Republic of Korea, Spain and Turkey, was in Washington, D.C., for the school’s annual trip to the capital to help master’s degree candidates explore opportunities for careers in international relations. n