The student blog has recently experienced staff changes and, as a brand new team, we would like to introduce ourselves. Led by our fearless leader and senior staff writer, Yelena; Karen and I will be providing you with informative and captivating stories that will hopefully poke at your interests and keep you coming back for more.

Karen
Karen is a born and raised New Yorker, who is currently a freshman at Baruch College. With a burning passion for creativity, Karen loves discussing art, music, and other artistic fields. But, her artistic talents aside, Karen plans on majoring in finance, and minoring in management, with the goal of becoming an investment banker. Nonetheless, her imaginative mind is illustrated in her writing, through original ideas, descriptive pieces, and a genuine enthusiasm towards the subject matter.

Not only does Karen wish to write about art but her biggest dream is to open up a gallery presenting the work of talented teenagers across the globe. She hopes to share her passion with the world and inspire others to find the artist within themselves.

In addition, Karen dreams of one day backpacking through Europe and experiencing all the continent has to offer. While visiting museums, tasting different foods, and learning foreign customs, she hopes to expand her knowledge on various art and culture. Her love for traveling inspires her to write, so make sure you check out her blogs on foreign culture and customs.

Brian
I am currently a junior studying Computer Information Systems. My interest in technology spurs me to write articles on the newest gizmos and gadgets that big tech firms are developing, as well as popular growing apps and websites that you all might find fun and useful. My goal is to one day perform IT work for a mass media company, such as Disney or Warner Brothers, and design systems that make it easier for users to consume and enjoy media.

From a young age, I’d always been interested in the development of movies and how they were brought to life; the writing, direction, special effects, and acting have always fascinated me and sparked my interest in film. As a result, I enjoy writing reviews on movies I’ve recently seen and sharing my opinions with others.

Under the influence of many films, I have developed a wacky sense of humor that I like to incorporate into my writing. I try to keep my writing fun and cheerful, as well as informative and interesting. As I am also an avid sports fan, you can find me watching the New York-based sports teams, and debating trending sports news. Unfortunately, I can become angry and frustrated when my beloved New York Yankees lose a few games in a row.

Despite our different personalities, all of us here at the Weissman Center have one goal- providing you with the most interesting and informative content throughout the year.

In life, we are always confronted with the ultimatum of choosing. Yes or no, left or right, in or out. In the beginning of my college career, I was often asked the question “So, which are you more? Italian or Taiwanese?” I wasn’t sure how to respond because I did not know that I had to pick one ethnicity. Growing up with both my parents, I never realized that I was unique, that having a Taiwanese mother and an Italian father was different. I felt that many of the traditions and customs I practiced originated from both cultures; I was an equal mix of both.

With my mother, I went to family gatherings at restaurants and there I learned the importance of respect towards elders, table manners and of course, I was able to discover all the different delicious dishes. When I was young, I would accompany her as she went grocery shopping at Chinese supermarkets and I observed her bargaining skills. She also had me attend traditional Chinese dance classes and enrolled me in Chinese school in hopes of me perfecting the language.

My memories with my father, however, are quite different. I went to Italian restaurants with him where table manners didn’t matter; the food and company did. We visited the butcher to make his famous meatball recipe and he showed me how to socialize and told me to always be kind and friendly to people. Although I was not a religious person growing up, my father told me about his Roman Catholic educated and educated me about the beliefs. We would visit his relatives often, as that was an activity that he held dear, as did my mother. Although they both introduced me to different lifestyles, I was able to find a healthy balance of both.

It is important for people to know about the differences and the similarities between cultures. By doing so you learn how to adapt to people and lessen the chance of any miscommunication. This is useful when attending college because you are exposed to a diversity of students and will need to speak with them. In a business setting as well, you need to learn how to network properly as etiquettes vary among countries. As someone who grew up feeling as if they did not belong in any one community and felt pressured to choose a side, it was a relief learning that there was no need to choose at all.

Global go-getter Pietro Barone is nothing short of amazing!  Graduating from Baruch College in May with a BA in Political Science and a minor in English, he was a recipient of the Colin Powell Fellowship in International Diplomacy which offers students completing an unpaid internship at the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C., or overseas, a stipend to cover travel and living expenses.  The Fellowship is a joint program of the Weissman Center for International Business and the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences.  Pietro shares his current internship experience at the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C.  with the Weissman Center Blog.  While at the Department of State, he worked on President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative.  Pietro was also the recipient of the C.V. Starr Study Abroad Fellowship which enabled him to study abroad in Italy at the American University of Rome during the fall 2011 semester.  Pietro will be pursuing a Master’s degree in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science beginning in September 2013.

Q. How did the Colin Powell Fellowship assist you with your internship at the State Department?

A. The Colin Powell Fellowship assisted me with the entire application process and provided me with advice on what life at the Department of State would be like. Meeting with former Ambassadors Carl Spielvogel and Thomas Niles provided me with expert insight on the type of work I would be doing at the State Department.

Q. Can you tell us more about the “Young African Leadership Initiative” and how you are contributing to it?

A. The President’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) is going to be a signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders. This program provides African youth with the opportunity to obtain skills that could be utilized effectively back at home in Africa. I am working to identify eligible and outstanding candidates for the program, organizing meetings and consultations from interested applicants and updating the YALI website.

Q. As a student from Zimbabwe myself, I am curious to know how you think this initiative will affect the continent of Africa and young leaders like myself.

A. I think that the YALI program will help to launch many bright minds in Africa toward further success. The program will not only educate participants but connect them with one another. The goal is to help foster bright minds and bring them together to improve their communities. There have been many success stories from the YALI program and other similar programs. The potential in Africa has yet to be “tapped.”

Q. What other projects have you been working on during your internship?

A. I am working on a number of projects here at the Department. I am organizing the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Civil Society meeting that will be taking place in Ethiopia in early August. I am also working on a project of my own with another colleague. We are learning about “Impact Investing,” which is a rising form of investing. Impact Investing is a type of investment where social impact and financial return are important. It is similar to writing a grant for a project but expecting an eventual return. This type of investing will help to bring more money into Africa for growth. We are looking into how the Department of State could form public-private partnerships to begin Impact Investing.

Q. What kind of advice would you give students who are looking to explore opportunities with the State Department?

A. I would encourage everyone to apply for an internship at the Department of State. There are offices for all disciplines. You do not have to come from a political background. It is an extremely rewarding experience that could open many new opportunities for you.

Contributing writers: Albert Mathew and Romanowski Jules

If you are interested in learning more about the 2014 Colin Powell Fellowship application process, you should attend the upcoming orientation session which is scheduled for Thursday, September 19, 2013 from 12:45-1:45 pm.  Contact the Weisman Center at (646) 312-2074 for more information.