Our Alumni Share Their Experiences
WIDA has more than 300 alumni across the United States and in over 50 other countries on five continents. They include students, recent graduates, mid-career professionals and senior executives. Some of them work or pursue careers in diplomacy, while others apply the diplomacy skills they learn to their work in other fields.
Nick Faust
UNITED STATES
Pamela Jahier
UNITED STATES & MAURITIUS
“I applied to WIDA after doing extensive research and quickly determined that it was everything I was looking for. It offered the program that was going to give me the best insight into a career in diplomacy. And it topped all my expectations. I really felt immersed in everything foreign affairs. It changed my perception of things.”
Inga Chandilya
ESTONIA
“It’s been an amazing experience. It’s a very international group of people. The huge benefit from this course is that you are really learning from experts — very experienced ex-ambassadors. It’s very practical. Almost every session you’ll have a practical case study and exercise. That’s what’s different from some of the European schools.”
Elizabeth Mellor
UNITED STATES
Lite Seruvakula
FIJI
“After thorough research, I found the summer course for international diplomacy with WIDA. The facilitators were very engaging and helped me to understand what I was looking for. In health diplomacy, for instance, the ambassador shared his experience of how he got resources from the U.S. to Africa, and what you have to think about in this kind of negotiations.”
Ikenna Ezealah
UNITED STATES & NIGERIA
Charlie Keohan
UNITED STATES
“As someone interested in a career in diplomacy, this program was a great experience for me. I was able to learn about practical elements of diplomatic work, including cross-cultural communication and diplomatic writing, as well as the inner workings of embassies around the world through real-life exercises.”
Rachel Boveja
UNITED STATES
“As a mid-career professional, this academy gave me the opportunity of a discourse with others from a variety of backgrounds and ages who were also interested in diplomacy. I benefited from instruction in diplomatic communication, public speaking and diplomatic negotiation. I look forward to using these skills throughout my career.”
Consuela Lahoury
CÔTE D'IVOIRE & UNITED STATES
“This was the best decision I made in 2019. I didn’t know it was that intensive, and I’d get such comprehensive knowledge of all the subjects I was interested in. It went beyond my expectations. The instructors were extremely knowledgeable, at a very high level.”
Tanner Dixon
UNITED STATES
“I highly recommend WIDA to anyone interested in the Foreign Service, politics or the private sector. Even though my experience was remote due to Covid-19, the real-life applications of the material we learned helped me to obtain an internship.”
Walter Sterling
UNITED STATES
“I took the 2020 summer program, completely online, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in diplomacy. There was a huge diversity of instructors, and everyone who spoke had direct Foreign Service experience.”
Krystal Correal-Tippie
UNITED STATES
“If you are interested in a WIDA course, then take it and let nothing stop you. You will be pushed outside your comfort zone. You will meet unforgettable classmates and officials from around the world, and your perspectives will grow.”
Sara Andresen
UNITED STATES
“I wanted to explore more deeply the diplomacy venue of international relations. In some ways, it was what I expected, but I got a much clearer and deeper view of that. In other ways, it has given me insights into aspects of diplomacy that I wouldn’t necessarily have expected.”
Tony Baker
UNITED STATES
“You’d be hard-pressed, even in a town like Washington, D.C., to have had so much interaction with the level of diplomats we got to meet in this program: Bill Burns, Thomas Pickering, several ambassadors in very important posts throughout the world.”
Fabian Ruiz
MEXICO & UNITED STATES
“I think this is a very high-quality program. The fact that we were taught by ambassadors, people who have practiced in this field, was very encouraging. No matter what career path you take, diplomacy is a skill you will need.”
Keisha Gilkes
GUYANA
“It’s an amazing program for people starting out in the Foreign Service. But I also think it can be a refresher for people who have been in diplomacy for a long time, who now may need to learn new methods of communication and thinking.”
Selam Petersson
SWEDEN
“Going behind the scenes of what it means to be a diplomat and learning from such experienced diplomats was invaluable. You won’t get that until after 20 or 30 years of actually being a diplomat. This training will give you such details, which I don’t think you can gain anywhere else.”
Myriam Puryicky
UNITED STATES
“I’m very glad that I’ve taken and benefited a lot from this program. If you really want to pursue diplomacy, this is a very good place to start. The program exceeded my expectations, and I definitely can say in a very confident manner that I’ve learned a lot here.”
Maksim Greinoman
ESTONIA
“I wanted to learn something that’s not in the books, and for that you need experienced diplomats. The American approach is more down-to-earth than the European approach. It was interesting to see how they influence people in difficult circumstances.”
Latifa AlDarmaki
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
“I feel like I have more understanding not only about diplomacy, but also about different opportunities and fields, be it political, economic or public diplomacy. At this Academy, not only do you learn, but you also experience. I’m truly grateful.”