Despite Storm, Students Flock to D.C. for 2007 Career Trip

German Ambassador Klaus SchariothFletcher students planning to attend the D.C. Career Trip, scheduled to begin on Valentine's Day, faced piles of snow and ice that snarled car and airline traffic alike. Despite the Valentine's Day storm, which was classified as a "major" or a Category 3 storm by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center, dozens of Fletcher students arrived from Medford to the nation's capital for the Fletcher School's annual D.C. Career Trip which took place on February 14-16.

This year's trip was highlighted by reception hosted by the Hon. Klaus Scharioth (F'74), German Ambassador to the United States at the Ambassador's residence on Foxhall Road. In appreciation of Ambassador Scharioth's contributions to the Fletcher community, Dean Stephen Bosworth presented the Ambassador a crystal globe.

Panels were hosted by Fletcher alumni at numerous institutions, including the World Bank, the Brookings Institution as well as Federal Government and Congressional offices. The panels held included: Democratization and Civil Society; Development Consulting; International Trade and Commerce; Policy Research and Analysis; Humanitarian Assistance, Human Rights and Refugee Issues; Energy and Environment; International Development Education; Security and Intelligence; and Conflict Resolution.

The career trip also included site visits to the Interamerican Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Many Washington area alumni and alumnae participated in the panels and provided students opportunities for personal meetings to discuss career paths and prospects. The participants in the Democratization and Civil Society panel included: Sasha Gupman, F'02, Senior Program Officer for Eurasia, Freedom House; Anne Cody, F'04, Program Officer for Russia, Belarus, and Crossborder Programs, National Endowment for Democracy; Raissa Tatad-Hazell, F’01, Senior Program Manager for Asia, National Democratic Institute and Shannon Burke, F'05, IREX.

The Fletcher Alumni Association of Washington D.C. hosted a reception on Friday the 16th at Cafe Citron in Dupont Circle which was well attended by students and alumni alike.