September 2003

I understand that the San Diego district recently had the Rotary Foundation Seminar up at the Salk Institute. I still have great memories from that day, and I wanted to fill you and the Mission Valley East club in on what I have been doing since finishing my Ambassadorial Scholarship.

While still in Prague I made the decision to return to graduate school to earn a Masters degree in International Relations. I was accepted into the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton. In addition, I was awarded a graduate fellowship that provided full tuition and a stipend for living expenses. There is no doubt in my mind that the prestige of the Ambassadorial scholarship, and the (something) experience that I gained while living the Czech Republic significantly enhanced my competitiveness for graduate school (in addition to Princeton, I was accepted at Harvard and Johns Hopkins.)

At Princeton I focused my studies on national security and U.S. defense policy. This naturally led me to a stint at the Pentagon. Between May and August of last year, I worked as a speechwriter on Secretary Rumsfeld’s staff. While at the Pentagon I had a draft a number of speeches ranging from September 11th related memorials to congressional testimony. Working as speechwriter gave me both a great opportunity to see the inner workings of the Pentagon and a chance to work with the Secretary of Defense.

Last fall I had an opportunity to make my first trip to Africa. I worked as part of a policy team that was examining the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from Sierra Leone. Though rich in diamonds, Sierra Leone is one of the world's most impoverished countries. Conflict diamonds (also called blood diamonds) were smuggled out of the country to fund a brutal ten year civil war that has left the nation in tatters. The RUF rebel group that waged war against the elected government made international headlines with its brutal tactic of chopping off the arms of people they suspected of being loyal to the government. The conflict finally ended when British troops intervened to smash the rebel army. Although peace was declared in January 2002, it is very fragile and many local groups are afraid that if the UN were to withdrawal its troops, violence could return. That was the backdrop for our in-country assessment. As part of our research, my team of six traveled to Sierra Leone for a week, where we conducted field research and interviews. Despite the ravages of the civil war, there is a Rotary chapter in Freetown (the capital.) I was hoping to attend the meeting of the Freetown chapter, but the day of the meeting I was upcountry visiting Pakistani peacekeepers. Upon returning to the United States, my team produced a seventy five page report that we then briefed to the Africa Bureau of the State Department in Washington, DC, and the Peacekeeping Department of the United Nations in New York. As you can imagine, it was quite an experience!

Despite returning to the US, I have kept in touch with many of my friends in Prague. In April, my wife Jen and I went to the wedding of a friend of mine in Prague. The lead up to a traditional Czech wedding even involved a trip to the bride’s village and an elaborate ceremony where we had to "buy" the bride from the collective villagers.

In June I graduated from Princeton, and now I live in Washington. I am currently working for a defense analysis firm that conducts long term "deep thinking" studies for the Department of Defense. I enjoy my work tremendously; however, my wife and I remain hopeful that we can return to San Diego some time soon. Unfortunately, for the time being, most of the defense analyst jobs are in the Capitol area. Perhaps after I gain a few years of experience I can come back to San Diego and consult for the Navy.

As I write this, I realize how amazing and exciting the last two years have been. Rotary (particularly the folks at Mission Valley East) played a principal role in opening doors for me by selecting me as an Ambassadorial Scholar. I am extremely grateful for everything that Rotary has given me, and I look forward to giving back in return. Please pass my greetings along to the Mission Valley club. I hope I can pay a visit the next time I am in San Diego.

Best regards,