Our Alumni
Where
Diplomacy Skills
Can Take You
WIDA has more than 350 alumni from 60 countries. From students and recent graduates to senior executives, they apply practical diplomacy skills in foreign ministries, international organizations, business, nonprofits and many other fields.
Nick Faust
UNITED STATES
"Sitting down with the ambassadors was tremendous, because you get a window into the depth and breadth of their careers. The time spent here builds practice. You can look online or read a book, but to actually do it and be critiqued by people who had that experience is invaluable. You'll get that nowhere else in the world.”
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
“This was one of the best summer experiences I've ever had. We were able to hear from current and former ambassadors. Their talks and testimony were so engaging and enlightening about diplomacy, which is a field not necessarily easy to learn about. There isn't an ambassador down the street you can go talk to.”
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 Ph.D.
UNITED STATES & NIGERIA
“I feel better equipped as I proceed along my career path. In the process of trying to resolve the issue at hand, based on the topic, and applying those fundamentals of diplomatic practice, you experience the different challenges a diplomat would run into. WIDA is an experiential immersion. It will give you tools and skills that you wouldn’t get anywhere else.”
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 Ph.D.
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
UNITED STATES & CÔTE D'IVOIRE
"This was the best decision I made this year. 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."
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.”
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.”
Fabian Ruiz
UNITED STATES & MEXICO
“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.”
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.”
Summer Diplomatic Academy
8–30 July 2026
One-Year Certificate in International Diplomacy
28 September 2026 — 7 May 2027
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