Eager to learn about the world, Michael Isikoff left the U.S. for the first time to study abroad in Durham, England. Traveling extensively throughout Europe – including seeing first-hand the contrasts between East and West Germany – put the Cold War into context for the budding journalist, who would later receive critical acclaim for his coverage of breaking stories from the Monica Lewinsky scandal to the war on terror. Today, after spending his career with The Washington Post, Newsweek, and NBC News, Michael is Chief Investigative Correspondent for Yahoo News. Learn how study abroad deepened his interest in international relations and politics and how it has influenced his career as a journalist ever since.

IES Abroad: As a student at Washington University, what led you to study abroad in Durham?

Michael Isikoff: First and foremost, I was looking for an adventure and excitement and to learn about the world. I had never been to Europe, and study abroad seemed like a great opportunity. I was a history major at Washington University in St. Louis, and what really intrigued me about IES Abroad was the ability to use the opportunity as a springboard to travel throughout Europe. I wanted to take full advantage of that. In Durham, I lived in Castle College and ate my meals in the college, which was built by Normans who came over with William the Conqueror in the eleventh century, just opposite one of the truly magnificent cathedrals in the British Isles. I was steeped in British history, and the opportunity to see the world – to see Europe from both East and West – is something I cherish.

IES Abroad: What are some of your greatest memories from your time in Durham?

MI: I loved it. First of all, it was a great group in 1972-73. We bonded right away, and many of us have stayed friends throughout the decades since. There were even a few marriages that resulted from that group. Our leader, Professor Scooner, was a somewhat eccentric guy and an economic historian with all kinds of insights. He took us all around the U.K, and the most exciting part for me was traveling in Europe. We went literally everywhere in Western Europe for about a week each trip. It became the springboard for further travel, and I had some incredible adventures on those trips. After the first trip in December, I and a whole bunch of others hitchhiked in Germany. We all ended up with the same family in Germany and celebrated Christmas with them. They were the warmest family. We were sitting around the Christmas tree and went to Christmas services. It was one of those experiences that sticks with you. 

From there, a couple of buddies and I went to Berlin. We went to the Berlin Wall, hitchhiking through East Germany and through Checkpoint Charlie. We were in hardline, communist-controlled Germany. The contrast between East and West Berlin could not have been starker. The East Germans, still under communist control, had not rebuilt. We walked past the bombed out Reichstag near the Berlin Wall, and talking with the East Germans was just unbelievable for a kid who had grown up in the Cold War era. Someone pointed out where Hitler’s bunker had been. We went over there, and an East German tank rolled up with machine gun wielding soldiers barking at us to get away. For me, intellectually, that was the highlight of the trip and maybe my whole time there. I had never experienced anything like that.

IES Abroad: What inspired you to become a journalist? Did your experience in Durham influence your career path or type of journalism you wanted to pursue?

MI: The Brits are great writers. I probably knew that I wanted to be a journalist when I was in Durham, but I hadn’t made a definitive decision about career choice. I was editor of my school paper at Washington University during my sophomore year and was always a political junkie, so I knew that I was interested in journalism. For me, it was the speakers who would come, hanging out at the Shakespeare Pub where we’d gather, and just the whole experience of being there. It was a big growth year for me, becoming cosmopolitan with all of the travel. One of the countries that I hadn’t visited with the program was Spain. After the term ended, a British buddy and I went to Spain. We went to Pamplona and ran with the bulls. I came pretty close to being gored. I was determined to run with the bulls, having been steeped in Hemmingway. After the run, I made it to a small side street, which is on the way to the big stadium. I leapt up onto a railing to let the bulls pass and then jumped down when I thought the last bull had passed. My jumping down had distracted a bull, and we were eye to eye, me and the bull, and I could see my life flashing before my eyes. Mercifully, a Spaniard nearby had a rolled up newspaper and whacked the bull, and he ran off. My life was saved by a newspaper, and this inspired me to become a newspaper person.

IES Abroad: Were there lessons learned in Durham that helped you in the early days of your career?

MI: Studying abroad was certainly a formative experience for me. It incited my interest in the world, world travel, international relations, and politics, all of which factored into my career choice as a journalist and all I have done since.

IES Abroad: You are now the Chief Investigative Correspondent for Yahoo News after a career at NBC News, The Washington Post, and Newsweek. What motivated your move to a digital media outlet?

MI: The media has changed so rapidly and so much. The distinctions among the outlets have become less and less. We are all multi-platformed actors these days. I write. I go on TV. I do videos. I go deep into stories. At Yahoo, I do all of the above. More and more, at other news outlets, people are doing the same thing. Everybody writes for online. The world has changed. Yahoo is a great platform. Having come from network TV, I still enjoy doing news videos.

IES Abroad: Looking back at the stories you have broken and reported on over the course of your career, what are you most proud of?

MI: I’ve written a couple of books that have been best-sellers, so I’m very proud of the books I’ve written – Uncovering Clinton: A Reporter's Story, about my experiences during the Clinton era, and Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War, about the Bush Administration’s decision to go to war in Iraq. The thing that I am most proud of this past year is a documentary I did that has gotten a lot of attention, Uniquely Nasty: The U.S. Government’s War on Gays. It is an historical documentary about the persecution of gays by the federal government. It has some really fascinating material, documents that have not been seen before, and I was able to use my investigative talents.

Obviously, I have broken a lot of stories from the Monica Lewinsky story to stories on the war on terror, stories on the use of torture and “enhanced interrogation techniques.” I don’t know that I would pick any one of these as the most rewarding. You know, I’m an old newspaper guy. The thrill of the scoop is what always got my adrenalin going. I remember my first real newspaper job was with the Washington Star, the afternoon paper. I was a young reporter covering Prince George County, one of the suburbs here [in the D.C. area], and I had the scoop on a sleazy land deal that the county executive from Prince George County was involved in. It was my first big story at the Washington Star. It didn’t count, though, unless the Washington Post then chased the story. That would be when it was ratified as a totally worthy scoop. I was sitting at a dive bar with a group of buddies, and the early morning edition of the Washington Post was slapped onto the bar. I grabbed it, and there on the front page, they were chasing my scoop. It was my most thrilling moment in journalism.

IES Abroad: How important is cross cultural competency in today’s world?

MI: It is one world. We are all connected. In a bizarre way, look at ISIS, which on one hand has this ideology and practices out of the Middle Ages, the most barbaric imaginable. Yet, how do they communicate? On Twitter and social media. How do they recruit? Using the most up-to-date encryption to avoid detection, the most up-to-date technology. People all of the world are using the same technology. It is a reminder that no matter the geographical or ideological barriers, we are all interconnected. It shatters all paradigms of only twenty years ago. When I do a story for Yahoo, the first thing I do is Tweet it. Within seconds, I get a ping that someone has read my story and is retweeting it. People are commenting on it. It is not anything that I could have imagined when I first started.

IES Abroad: What is one thing you learned while abroad that remains a constant in your life today?

MI: Talking and listening to others to get their perspectives is important to understand the world.

IES Abroad: What advice do you have for the students who are considering studying abroad today?

MI: Do it. Get out there. Travel. See the world. My advice is to take advantage of what is likely to be a rare opportunity, one that will stick with you for many, many years. It was a great year.

Always up for an adventure, when Kit Neacy had the opportunity to study in Vienna, she jumped on it. Recalling the “old world charm” that was so different from southern California where she grew up, Kit took advantage of every chance she had to travel throughout Europe. But every weekend she was in Vienna she spent at the Spanish Riding School, mesmerized by the artistic and historic style of riding so different from what she was accustomed to. Going on to become a periodontist while giving in to her passion for polo, Kit continued to travel the world in pursuit of adventures that incorporated her life’s work and her passion for horse riding. Having been to every continent, and well over one hundred countries, Kit learned to always say “yes” to a new opportunity to explore. An avid traveler, she only takes a carry-on with her anywhere in the world she goes, a lesson in traveling light that she learned during her semester in Vienna.

IES Abroad: As a student at University of Southern California, what led you to study abroad in Vienna?

Kit Neacy: A number of my friends were international relations majors. I did a lot of things with that group, and there was chatter on campus about studying abroad. I knew others who had done the year in Vienna. Since I had already finished my pre-requisites for dental hygiene, I figured I ought to go. There was a group of at least 25 students from USC. We got on the Maasdam and took it across the ocean for ten days. It was the probably the smallest ship there could have been for that kind of voyage. It was about as far from the types of luxury yachts that make that type of journey today. It was full of students who ran wild for ten days. I remember we hit three days of gales. That in itself was a great adventure. Then, landing in France before making our way across Europe to Vienna – that was another adventure.

IES Abroad: What are some of your favorite memories from your time in Vienna?

KN: The biggest impact for me coming from Southern California was being in Vienna and experiencing its old world charm – the wonderful things to see, all the music to hear, and all the great food. It was a whole new world. Then, there was living at 2 Rembrandtstrasse with a family in the former Soviet corridor. That area still had not recovered from Soviet occupation. I also remember standing in line all night to get tickets to hear Birgitt Nielsen sing Wagner, and then falling asleep during the second act.

When it got to be spring time, a friend and I would go out horseback riding in the Prater. And every Sunday I was in Vienna, I went to see the Spanish Riding School and got stehplätze (standing room only) tickets, of course. That was one of the biggest highlights. It was a whole different riding experience for me to see. It was not the world I had grown up in. I had grown up with horses and started riding around six years old, but this was different. The sheer beauty and the artistry was mesmerizing. And that wonderful old riding hall. I couldn’t get enough of it. A lot of weekends, we would take off for other parts of Europe, but when I was there in Vienna, I was always at the Riding School.

IES Abroad: What were the most formative experiences or classes you took while studying abroad?

KN: The art history class that I took had the biggest impact on me. Every week, our professor would bring us to the Kunsthistorisches (Art History) Museum, and we would have lectures there right in front of the amazing art. It blew me away.

I also remember taking a class from Dr. Ernst Florian Winter. He invited the entire class out to his schloss (château) for the entire weekend. He would lecture while we were there, and we stayed at his home in the countryside for the weekend. He was married to Johanna von Trapp, one of the daughters of the famous Baron Georg Ludwig von Trapp, the family after which The Sound of Music was made. It was just a marvelous country weekend.

It was also the time when they were filming The Sound of Music in and around Salzburg. One Friday night, we hitchhiked over to Salzburg because I had friends from school there. Needless to say, it was where and when I got hooked on The Sound of Music. It is my favorite movie!

IES Abroad: You have had a remarkable career as a periodontist. How did you become interested in this field?

KN: I started off at USC when I was an undergrad. I was a biology major. All these smart girls were going into dental hygiene, so that is what I decided to do. After graduating, I worked for a couple of years and then I decided to return to dental school. I figured I was just as smart as the dentists I was working for, so why not? There were 120 students in our class but only four women. Now, the dental school classes are at least half women. After I graduated from dental school, I worked as a general dentist for a few years before I went to UCLA and specialized in periodontics. I finally quit school when I was in my thirties. I think I made the right choice! I practiced for 30 years. I taught part-time and dabbled in dental politics. Now, I am in another phase of my career working as a consultant for several insurance companies. I meet people from all different cultures, and I get to see how they practice dentistry.

IES Abroad: Were there lessons learned in Vienna that have remained vital throughout your life?

KN: When someone gives you the idea to do something, and you get an opportunity to do it, you say “yes!” This independence I learned in Vienna was important. You can get things done. You don’t have to ponder on things too long, just do it. After I graduated, I wanted to go to the Far East, and my parents said, “No.” They said I had a job to do – “go out and work!” Well, I didn’t like that answer, so I went down to the local bank and asked for and got a loan for $1,200 because I wanted to go to the Far East. I went and had a wonderful experience. That was in 1966. I’m pretty sure the banks don’t do that nowadays! We went to Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur. It was eye opening. I still have that in me – that sense of adventure. I’ve probably been to well over one hundred countries. (I’ve never actually counted, but I should someday!) I have been on every continent. I went to Antarctica a few years ago. I am a good traveler and a good travel companion, no stress. I learned to bring just one carry-on bag with me anywhere I go in the world. I learned that, to travel light, in Vienna.

IES Abroad: You’ve gone on several service tours performing dentistry in underserved regions throughout the world. What are some international dentistry adventures that standout?

KN: I’ve done dentistry in Guatemala and other places. Guatemala was my first venture. I go to Guatemala with an organization called Faith in Practice to provide healthcare every year. This group provides one-third of the public health for the entire country. I started going over ten years ago, and it has become part of my routine. We go out way out into the countryside where people don’t have access to care. All we can really do is pull teeth, and there are more people than we can ever see. It is a whole team of maybe 30 of us including physicians, dentists, and translators. It’s an adventure. One year, we were stopped by protesters with machetes, but in the end, one of the protesters recognized a team member and let our bus go through.

I’ve also done a few tours with the U.S. Navy (USNS). There was one on the USNS Comfort in Nicaragua. One of my high school friends lived in Chinandega, and that’s where we went and did our dentistry. I got to fly from Chinandega to Managua in a Black Hawk with the doors open. That’s better than a roller coaster ride! I did Timor Leste and got helicoptered up into mountains and dropped for a week at a school, and we did our dentistry. I’ve also gone to Rwanda to teach dentistry.

IES Abroad: In addition to your work as a periodontist, you are an avid horsewoman and competitive polo player. Tell us about these interests and your recent horseback safari to Botswana.

KN: I have been playing polo for over 30 years. I could hit a tennis ball and I could ride a horse and I liked to compete, so I said I could do this [play polo]. It got to be more than a hobby. It is a passion. It’s basically a nomadic tribe of people, people from all over the world. I might be the oldest woman in the country playing (maybe not the world, though), and I have played some of the best women in the business – Sunny Hale, Caroline Anier, Kate Weber. Kate is also an IES Abroad Vienna, Fall 1984 alumna. I keep my horses at her ranch. She is a fabulous horsewoman!

My recent trip to Botswana was one of life’s great experiences. I went to Okavango Delta in Botswana for this safari where there are lots of animals. I was there for a week, staying in tents, though really we were “glamping” (glamorous camping). I rode 40 hours that week on horseback, going on both morning and evening rides, and there were two standout experiences. One afternoon, we were riding and came across a family of lions and the babies scattered off, and our guide’s horse reared and fell over backwards on him. He was able to hold onto the reigns and grab his rifle. The mama lion started to charge us, and our guide, Bongwe, shouted, “Don’t move!” We froze. Mama came close, within 100 yards, then decided we weren’t interesting and left. Then the next afternoon, we were out riding and all of the sudden a bull elephant charged us. At that point, Bongwe yelled, “’Run!” and we ran like hell as far and as fast as we could. Bongwe, he was an amazing rider and guide who knew everything about the animals. So, what I learned: when an elephant charges you, run like hell; when a lion attacks, don’t move.

IES Abroad: What advice do you have for students who are considering studying or interning abroad?

KN: You have to just go for it. If the opportunity is there, it’s an adventure. Go, do, see – and only take a carry on. Several years ago, a patient of mine was getting married in Kerala, and I was invited to the wedding. Of course, I said yes and went to India for four of the most amazing days. When Notre Dame played Navy in football in Dublin, of course, I went and wore my USC cap. Always say “yes” to a new experience!

When Louise Cord embarked on her semester in Paris, she didn’t anticipate that her host mother – a nun who ran an NGO out of her home helping orphanages in Vietnam – would change the course of her life. But seeing the inner-workings of the office and meeting people committed to the postwar relief effort sparked an interest in development that turned into a career dedicated to poverty alleviation. After securing an internship with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with the help of IES Abroad, Louise went on to earn a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Since joining The World Bank in 1991, Louise has worked in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern and Central Europe in a variety of positions in the poverty reduction and sustainable development departments. Today, Louise is based in Dakar and serves as the Bank’s Country Director for Senegal, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Mauritania. Read on to learn how her study abroad experience helped launch her career in international development.

IES Abroad: Why did you choose to study in Paris?

Louise Cord: I always loved France. When I was ten, I studied in Nice with my family. My parents were professors and had taken a sabbatical year. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and very much enjoyed the year I spent in Nice and attending 6^th grade in a French school. Almost ten years later, I wasn’t loving college and I was looking for another experience and opted to try Paris. 

IES Abroad: What are some of your greatest memories from your time in Paris?

LC: I loved living in the 7^th arrondissement near metro Duroc. I could walk everywhere and was in the heart of Paris. We were not worried about security in those days and would stay out late at night walking the streets of Paris, the banks of the Seine and exploring cafes. I made great friends and have wonderful memories of hopping on a train at the last minute to travel to the October Fest in Munich or take the hovercraft for a budget weekend in London. We would often study at the museum library in the Centre Pompidou where I would look out the window and see Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre and be inspired by the view. Perhaps most importantly, what I appreciated was the chance to experience life outside the classroom, outside the college library and outside small town USA. While I worked relatively hard that year in Paris – I also took time to explore the city, travel, meet people and play more – which ultimately helped me figure out much more who I was than all the time spent studying back at home.

IES Abroad: You have devoted yourself to improving the lives of poor people in Latin America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Africa. How did you become interested in poverty alleviation?

LC: I owe a tremendous amount to IES Abroad because that experience really changed my direction. I started out as pre-law and worked in a law library for our county judge in Indiana, Pennsylvania. I looked at all of the books and thought, “Really, I don’t want to study law.” The next summer, I took an economics class and discovered that I loved economics. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with economics. I knew that I didn’t want to go into business and make widgets. I had no idea where I was going. Going to France was a fantastic turning point in my life. 

I was assigned to live with a nun. I had wanted to be independent as I already spoke French and initially was worried that this would be a restrictive environment. However, Soeur Francoise changed by life. This was 1979, and she was working on orphanages mainly in Vietnam dealing with the aftermath of the war. She was running an NGO and raising money for these orphanages and engaging in the post-war international aid effort to help the country recover. The room that I had was part of her living room. It was partitioned with a plastic wall, and on the other side was her office. People were going in and out of the house, including many Vietnamese and public officials. She introduced me to many people who worked on Vietnam, on development and on humanitarian aid. I ate with her twice a week and the dinner conversations with her and her guests got me very motivated about development and Vietnam. This was particularly interesting to me because my sister was dating a Vietnamese guy at the time and was about to marry him, so I also felt that I had a personal stake in Vietnam. I had always known I wanted to do something that would contribute to making the world a better place, and that year I started to understand how I could shape my career to contribute to that goal.  

IES Abroad: Were there any other experiences abroad that impacted your career path?

LC: IES Abroad got me a fantastic internship at the OECD. One of the IES Abroad professors was able to place two students as interns with the OECD each year. At the end of the internship, I stayed on for the summer in a paid position. I worked with the Development Assistance Committee at the OECD. It was an incredible experience learning about aid and aid issues. I remember I wrote a paper about technical assistance and the challenges of building national capacity through aid – an issue that remains core to my work today. One of my bosses was from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and I became interested in Fletcher and ultimately went to graduate school there. I remained in contact with Soeur Francoise for many years until she passed away. She came to the US for my wedding! I married a French man who was raised Catholic, and Soeur Francoise was the Catholic representative.

IES Abroad: You joined The World Bank in 1991 and have worked in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern and Central Europe. How did you prepare for each post and what are some of your most memorable experiences?

LC: The World Bank has been an incredible and rewarding place to work. I have had the opportunity to work with the Mexican government as they prepared for NAFTA and sought to remove agricultural subsidies and find instruments that they could help the farmers adapt to the new trading environment, to work with countries in Africa to support them to develop their own national poverty reduction strategies, to be one of the first international aid practitioners to go into Albania and work on agricultural development, etc. As a manager for the poverty team in Latin America for many years, we helped countries use data on household welfare to better craft fiscal policy and social investments to benefit the poor – it was an exciting and optimistic period of relatively strong growth in Latin America, coupled with falling poverty and inequality in the early 2010s and there was a lot to learn from the poverty programs of the countries. I learned Spanish early on during my career at the Bank taking an intensive course. However, the most important learning for me has come around management and leadership skills mainly developing an ability to empower teams to innovate and achieve results. 

IES Abroad: Tell us about your current role as Country Director for Senegal, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Mauritania. What are some of the most important projects are you working on?

LC: The five countries that I cover are incredibly diverse. Senegal has a long tradition of democracy and relatively strong institutions, but has struggled to achieve strong economic growth, with limited natural resources and low productivity in agriculture. The government has set its sights on achieving the high growth rates similar to the Ivory Coast. The challenge we face is understanding the political economy to be an effective partner to help the Government adopt the structural reforms in energy, agriculture, land, and transport that will help it achieve these higher rates. The Gambia and Guinea Bissau are both fragile states, with very weak institutions. Here the challenge is find how we can improve the living conditions of the poor – the majority of the population – and create the conditions for more inclusive growth, in the face of a political instability and a weak public sector. In Cape Verde, we are accompanying a small island economy address its high debt issues and explore a new development paradigm with a larger role for the private sector to help the country restore the higher growth rates and poverty gains of the decade before the 2009 global financial crisis. 

IES Abroad: Were there other ways study abroad also impacted your outlook?

LC: My experiences as a student in France with IES Abroad put a very human face on development. I learned a great deal about what was going on in Vietnam. It gave me a real concept about the challenges and made it very real. At that time, people didn’t travel as much as they do now. My experiences gave me a real appreciation for the challenges and the importance of tolerance. It was very important to me!  

IES Abroad: Having an international perspective obviously is critical in your role at the World Bank. What advantages do you see in study abroad for people who want to maximize their potential?

LC: Learning the language is critical. Knowing the culture is critical. You need to build the human connection. My experience as a student in France helped me develop that flexibility and create the ability to understand and respect other cultures and engage earnestly with people who have a different background – which is essential to my work today. We can’t help catalyze the policy changes I talked about above, unless we listen and seek to understand the issues from the countries’ perspective. I work in the public sector, but I would think this skill is equally as critical in the private sector. Also, it is so critical today to have an international perspective. It is a real plus as an individual and as a professional to have this in your toolkit in today’s world.

IES Abroad: What advice to you have students today regarding studying abroad or otherwise developing cross cultural competencies?

LC: Study abroad! It is such an incredible experience to get to know other cultures, to travel when you are young and on a budget, and to know and appreciate another country and people. Take risks – don’t only spend time with you fellow students – make an effort to integrate and to try understand the culture, the political situation and the socio-economic challenges facing the country and region where you are studying.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense and others have called him the most influential, important and “anonymous” Native American lawyer in America. Les Lo Baugh assisted in developing the first drafts of many environmental bills including the Endangered Species Act, Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Federal Noise Abatement Act, and the Offshore Drilling Act. While working as a staffer in the U.S. Senate, he also worked on the National Environmental Policy Act and supported the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other legislation. Decades ahead of the now imminent dangers of global warming, Les has spent his decades-long legal career focused on environmental and energy matters with several major firms and served as general counsel and chief environmental officer for two Fortune 500 companies where he developed their corporate environmental policies.

Read on to see how Les’s experience studying abroad in Vienna grounded him in a life philosophy that has guided his life and career for the past 50 years.

IES Abroad: Did anything happen in Vienna that shaped the way you think in a profound way?

Les Lo Baugh:  I came to Vienna to study under Professor Edward Mowatt and complete my Santa Clara University senior thesis on the work of Austrian-British philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein. Professor Mowatt challenged us to be responsible for our own value systems and made us internalize and wrestle with our choices. I took this to heart in my family life and my work. I believe you become what you do, my actions are my legacy, and I have chosen them carefully. I have been fortunate to be able to play what some people describe as an important role and have a significant impact on matters of the environment in this country and abroad.  

IES Abroad: How did you change the most during your time in Vienna?

LLB:  My father was a special assignment, military serviceman. Before college, my family moved around the world in several countries almost every year, and I had already attended 17 different schools by 8^th grade and 20 before college. I was brought up to be self-reliant and was somewhat of a loner. Vienna allowed me to reach out and make lasting friends and develop socially. In Vienna I became close friends with my roommates and enjoyed the unsheltered environment of Vienna where I was free to explore everything the city had to offer. Vienna also impacted my faith through my studies and life there. Before Vienna, I was a devout conservative Christian believer. I emerged as an agnostic, and eventually, I became compelled by Catholic mysticism.

IES Abroad: Early on in your career, you worked in government and came up with the idea of giving federal protection to all endangered species through federal legislation that was later signed into law. What drew you to this cause, and were there lessons learned in Vienna that helped you advocate more effectively?

LLB: The near extinction of the Bald Eagle and other birds of prey…Early in law school at Georgetown, I happened to be in a lobby waiting room and reading a “coffee table book” about these magnificent creatures. Someone walked up behind me and asked why I was so upset, and I told him. He replied by telling me that when you believe strongly that something needs to change, you have an ethical responsibility to work for that change. He happened to be a U.S. Senator, and our continued discussions led to an offer to work for him as his Legislative Aide and with the offices of four other Senators. One job responsibility was to draft any environmental legislation I thought made sense and give it to the Senator for his review. Ultimately, this led to a number of environmental laws in the late 60s and early 70s. In 2010, the U.S. EPA asked me to speak to its headquarters staff in D.C. on 40 Years of Environmental Progress: (1) why there was so much legislative progress on environmental matters back then when it seems little or nothing can be done now; and (2) how Native American culture and ideas have influenced the environmental movement. The 1960s and early 1970s was a highly contentious time in U.S. history; anti-Vietnam demonstrations; riots; march on Washington over the cost of foods; Cuban Missile Crisis and the risks of nuclear war; the murder of John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy & King; etc. But concerns for the environment and safeguarding our only planet for our descendants was not a divisive, partisan political issue at that time. The Endangered Species Act was perhaps the most challenging from a process sense, but ultimately, it was passed almost unanimously by both the House and Senate.

IES Abroad: An expert in regulation and compliance relating to energy and environmental issues, you have served as the Chief Environmental Officer and general counsel for several Fortune 500 companies. Is there a specific role or project that has been particularly important to advancing sustainability on a national or global scale? 

LLB: During the period I mentioned above, the backbone of environmental legislation was enacted: NEPA; Clean Air; Off Shore Drilling; Water; Noise Abatement; EPA; etc. It was my privilege to be able to play a small role as a staffer to help others bring environmental stewardship into our legal system.

IES Abroad: What are some of your professional accomplishments you are most proud of?

LLB: Professional accomplishments would include the environmental legislation mentioned above, as well as restructuring several companies, almost 100 M&A transactions, various regulatory victories that made a difference, helping Boards of Directors and senior corporate management to fulfill their duties, the merger that created Sempra Energy, the restructuring of Niagara Mohawk Power and its acquisition by National Grid and mentoring some remarkable younger people. But my greatest accomplishment has been my wife and our family.

IES Abroad: What words of wisdom do you have for students considering studying abroad, particularly those from diverse backgrounds?

LLB: It is helpful to approach different cultures and people without the belief that the way you and those close to you know the best way to live, learn, act, and believe. Embrace the wonderful diversity the world provides and learn from that. It will enrich you as a person, release your creativity, and help ground you as an individual. None of us has all the answers, but everyone has some.

After spending a summer in France in high school, Mary Ann Peters knew she had to return. Immersing herself in France as a junior at Santa Clara University, Mary Ann developed a sense of adventure as well as cross-cultural communication skills that impacted her decision to join the U.S. State Department. Today, following 30 years as a career diplomat, including serving as U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh from 2000-2003, Mary Ann is still making a difference. As CEO of The Carter Center, Mary Ann oversees health and peace initiatives in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and South Asia. Read on to see how study abroad impacted Mary Ann’s career path and why she believes study abroad is more important than ever.

IES Abroad: As a student at Santa Clara University, what led you to study abroad in Paris?

Ambassador Mary Ann Peters: One of the nice things about Santa Clara was that such a large percentage of every class studied abroad – about 17% or 18%, as I recall. So, it was something that everybody thought about. In high school, I had the opportunity – made possible by a wonderful nun who taught me French, and then got me a partial scholarship – to study one summer in France. I was in the Loire Valley for three weeks and in Brittany for three weeks. It was heaven, and I was sold! Then Santa Clara University made it so easy for me to go back.

IES Abroad: What one-on-one conversations, either with your Paris homestay family, IES professors, or with other French nationals in 1970-71 have left the biggest impression on you?

MAP: I remember one dinner with our family in the 16^th arrondissement. My roommate and I lived with a couple, M and Mme de Cenival. Monsieur de Cenival had roots in Normandy and his wife was studying to be a dentist. They had a dog – a real “chien mechant” who never seemed to remember that I lived there! During one dinner, either Laura or I used the word degueulasse – disgusting or revolting. Monsieur gave us a lecture about the fact that that word should not be used in polite conversation. We learned that the word for revolting was itself revolting! I also remember a conversation with a German student at the Institut d’Études Politiques, or “Sciences Po,” where I took courses. He spoke no English and at that time I spoke no German. The only way we could converse was in French. So, over coffee, he told me what it was like to travel around Europe as a German in the aftermath of WWII. He was regularly insulted and not welcomed anywhere. As an American, we were welcomed almost everywhere. This was a shock to me and gave me such insight into what it must have been like to walk in his shoes.

IES Abroad: You spent more than 30 years as a career diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, including serving as U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh from 2000-2003. How did study abroad influence your career path?

MAP: For those of us at Santa Clara who decided to study abroad, the decision to go and the experience itself gave us unbelievable confidence. We were the ones who took the step into the unfamiliar. Simply by getting on the plane you differentiated yourself and made yourself the confident person you wanted to become. There was a great sense of adventure that colored that entire year. Immersion in another culture gave me a taste for what they now call cross-cultural communication. It gave me a taste for the daily excitement of noticing differences—big and small—as you walked down the street, ordered a meal, conversed with people, or visited their homes. The art and culture I learned were eye-opening, and I began to understand how influential art can be. And then there was the language, the sheer joy of being able to speak to people in their native language and read their literature without a filter. It is a huge privilege to be able to do that.

IES Abroad: How did you decide to take the U.S. State Department test?

MAP: After my year in Paris, I chose a graduate school program that allowed me to study a year in Italy through the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. I returned to Washington for the second year of the program, where it was more or less expected that SAIS students would take the Foreign Service exam—and most of us did. I was one of the lucky ones who passed and that would seal my fate.

IES Abroad: IES Abroad’s newest marketing tag line is “Save the World | Study Abroad.” At this volatile time in history and with today’s complexity of international relations, in what ways can U.S. college students studying abroad improve our diplomatic relationships? 

MAP: I love that slogan! I couldn’t feel more strongly about this. Study abroad is an eye-opening experience on both an individual and cultural level. On the individual level, you gain the confidence from losing the fear of the strange. Fear of the strange, the “other,” is plaguing our world right now. Anything students can do to prepare themselves to act not out of fear, but rather from confidence, vision, and strength can indeed help save the world. Study abroad is one of the best things students can do to allow themselves to live an empowered life, rather than one filled with fear of the unknown.

IES Abroad: Having perceived the world from so many vistas, in what fields would you most like to see U.S. college graduates apply their skills?

MAP: I would like to see more students going into economics. Although it is not a hard science like physics, there are some basic mechanisms that govern how economies function that are opaque to people who haven’t taken the time to learn them. I would like to see many more young people educated in economics working to help solve the problems of poverty in the developing world. And I think as voters we all need to understand economics. Our current affluent standard of living is based on trade, but not many people realize that. There is so much ignorance around trade. I worry that people who are against free trade because they believe that trade costs jobs will create a wave of anti-trade sentiment that could result in another depression. Of course trade is an economic, not a moral, imperative. Trade creates wealth, but it is up to our society to make sure that wealth benefits all of us.

Another area where I would like to see more students studying is foreign languages. Computers may be able to tell you how to say “I want a beer” in Japanese, but computers cannot create in you the understanding that learning and communicating in a foreign language gives you. Being abroad, whether it be around the dinner table with your host family or in the classroom, makes you bring your A-game as a communicator. When you speak a foreign language, you are working hard at getting people to understand what you mean, so therefore, you look for analogies and the comparisons. This becomes a habit in your communication skills, and it really does boost your game.

IES Abroad: In your newest leadership role as CEO of The Carter Center, where do you see you and your team having the biggest impact internationally?

MAP: I am so happy to see that students have such a wide range of study abroad options today. When I was a student, study abroad in Africa, for instance, was not an option. But Africa is where The Carter Center has its biggest impact. We work in both the peace and health fields; in the peace field on conflict resolution, human rights and democracy and in the health field on neglected tropical diseases and mental health, especially in post-conflict areas. The Carter Center also has programs in Latin America, the Middle East and South Asia, but we are most engaged in Africa. For instance, in Liberia, President Jimmy Carter played an important role in the post-civil war peace process and the election that brought Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to power and since then we have we have several projects to try to cement the fragile democracy there, and to bring much needed mental health services to people who have suffered both civil war and the Ebola outbreak. 

One thing we do is work with traditional or customary tribal leaders to mediate disputes and bring some justice to people with grievances from the civil war. When Ebola broke out in Liberia, The Carter Center was able to play a vital role using our network of local leaders to mobilize and communicate to their tribal members the best practices for keeping Ebola from spreading. We are also working in Mali, Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan on the last phase of Guinea worm disease eradication. This effort is spearheaded by the Carter Center’s recently retired Vice President for Health, Dr. Donald Hopkins, IES Abroad Vienna 1957-58. Both our health and peace programs work at the community level and empower local people. Those networks of trust were invaluable during the Ebola outbreak.

IES Abroad: Why do you feel study abroad continues to be as important for college students today as it was when you studied abroad?

MAP: Study abroad is even more important today that it was back in the 1970s. The wave of globalization which has transformed our world had not begun in the 70s. Globalization is not something you do or don’t believe in. It is a fact – just like the economy. It is not a moral fact. People have to put the ethics into the reality. Students need to understand more about that reality, how other people live, and what the options are for living in a globalized world and making it sustainable. We do some things here in the U.S. very well, but we don’t do everything as well as it can be done. I’d like to see students go abroad, learn, and bring back the best of everything. Whether it is a way of saving water in your household or a way of moving away from using wood fires in Africa. These are the kinds of things that will energize students who study abroad.

IES Abroad: What advice do you have for students interested in studying or interning abroad today? 

MAP: Stay as long as you possibly can. Talk to your college about this. Maybe they can make an exception. De-enroll, re-enroll. Do whatever you have to do to get out there and study abroad for as long as possible.

Sam Miller got more than he bargained for when he embarked upon his semester-long study abroad in Beijing. Little did he know, his experience would plant the seed for a start-up, and jeans would become his life. Like many Americans, he loved wearing jeans, but they never fit quite right. At least, not until the idea for a made-to-measure, custom-fit jeans business sparked while in China. After interning in a sports equipment company and intensively studying Mandarin, Sam returned to the U.S., pitched the concept to his business partner, Leona, who he met on a subsequent study abroad semester in Shanghai, and together, they put the wheels in motion. After four years of product development and $47,000 raised through Kickstarter, Red Malt Denim is open for business. Read on to learn how Sam leveraged his experience in Beijing to launch his career as an entrepreneur.

IES Abroad: Why did you decide to study abroad and what drew you to Beijing?

Sam Miller: I chose to study abroad in China because I had never visited a country that far away from the U.S. – much less live there. I wanted the study abroad experience to be something that would open my eyes to other concepts of daily life. Up until that point, my only exposure to Chinese culture was through local Chinese restaurants and my Mandarin language class. The city of Beijing naturally drew me because of its rich historical and cultural heritage. It was a place that I would be able to constantly practice Mandarin Chinese, as there were relatively few English-speaking people living there. 

IES Abroad: What are some of the most influential memories from your time in Beijing?

SM: I’ll never forget my first taxi ride in Beijing at midnight. As we drove from the airport to the dormitory, I could see thousands of people roaming around small shops with giant neon Chinese letters across the tops. In hindsight, I realized that I had subconsciously built a picture of what I expected China would be like. That concept was shattered my first night in China. I was there to learn and experience something new, and I don’t think I could have picked a better country to start with. 

IES Abroad: You recently launched a start-up, Red Malt Denim, which was inspired by your study abroad in Beijing. Tell us more about how the idea came about and your journey from idea to launch.

SM: In China’s larger cities, it’s common to find clothing shops that will make you made-to-measure clothing. Back in the U.S., I had never heard of this before, beyond tailoring a suit. At the time, I thought this was a very intriguing idea, as I was in-between sizes and jeans never quite fit the way I’d liked them to. When I came back to the U.S., I relocated to Chicago and pitched the concept of a U.S.-based, made-to-measure jeans company to my friend, Leona. She was on board with the idea, and we started sketching out the groundwork for our company. We did not initially plan to manufacture ourselves; however, after several meetings with potential suppliers, we quickly decided that we wanted to keep production in-house. We spent the next four years building the technology and production systems that currently enable us to make our products.

IES Abroad: What are some of the biggest challenges you face in the business?

SM: One of our main challenges within this industry is that our target customer base expects to buy tailored suits and dress shirts, but not necessarily jeans. When you think about common clothing complaints, jeans are one of the more frequent garments that people have issues with. The industry is moving forward with a more customized wardrobe, but it’s still a fairly new idea to most. Another challenge has been finding qualified seamstresses that live in Chicago. Jeans are a very complicated garment to manufacture and require a high degree of skill. The sewn apparel labor market is mostly based in Los Angeles or New York. Regardless, we’re very proud to be making our products in Chicago – the city has become part of our identity.

IES Abroad: What is your vision for Red Malt?

SM: Our goal is to be a leader in casual, made-to-measure clothing. We use propriety technology to design and create the best fit for each individual customer. Our philosophy is that we want our customers to be 100% happy with their jeans and want to wear them all the time. We actively ask for feedback from our customers and offer a very robust “fit” guarantee.

IES Abroad: Were there lessons learned or skills acquired in Beijing that are valuable in your work today?

SM: Yes. In Beijing, I had the opportunity to intern at a U.S. sports equipment company, which manufactured all of their products in China. I learned about the complexity and challenges involved with importing and exporting goods across international borders. This knowledge played a large role in how we developed our e-commerce checkout system for Red Malt. We built it so that international customers can prepay taxes and duties during checkout. This allows the customer to know the fully delivered costs up front and also avoid an extra trip out to their local post office.  

IES Abroad: What advice do you have for students today thinking about studying abroad?  

SM: Go for as long as you can. You may not get another opportunity to live life in another country. A study abroad program is a great way to experience another culture with minimal commitments. Plus, it’s one extra thing that will distinguish you from other candidates when pursuing a career after college.   

Born and raised in the Philippines, Aurelio “Gigi” Montinola III studied abroad thanks to his father who heard about the opportunity and enrolled him in IES Abroad’s programs in Paris and Nantes. While in France, Gigi expanded his worldview through exposure to people from around the world and became self-reliant through independent travel throughout Europe. These skills were instrumental as Gigi embarked on a career in international banking. In 2013, after 31 years at the Bank of the Philippine Islands, including serving the last eight as President and CEO, Gigi retired to pursue his passions for education and the environment. Today, Gigi is Chairman of Far Eastern University in the Philippines and Chair of the Board of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – Philippines. Read on to find out how his study abroad experience impacted his career and why he supports study abroad scholarships.

IES Abroad: As a student in the Philippines, how did you hear about IES Abroad and what motivated you to study in France?

Aurelio “Gigi” Montinola III: My father heard about IES’s Junior Year Abroad Programs from a friend, contacted IES Abroad, and then enrolled me in the Paris summer course of 1970, the Nantes fall course of 1970, and then the Spring course of 1971. My parents liked France, and this is why I was sent to Paris and Nantes in 1970-71; however, my brother Antonio was sent to Vienna the following year.

IES Abroad: What are some of your favorite memories from your time in Nantes and Paris?

GM: In Nantes, it was learning in a cinematography class in French (I didn’t know a thing about cinema) and perpetually falling down the Olympic Women’s Downhill course in Austria (I didn’t know how to ski) during Christmas vacation.

In Paris, it was riding one block in a taxi so we could properly arrive at Maxim’s for our only expensive meal of the semester and travelling around Eastern Europe in a Volkswagen Camper Van with five other classmates. I remember visiting a Romanian gymnast family one evening, and then the following day at the Romanian Yugoslav border, being asked together with my American friend Brian Wynne to shave our beards before crossing - coincidence or secret police? We didn’t want to find out.

IES Abroad: After studying abroad, you went on to attend Harvard Business School and then launched your career in banking. What inspired you to work in the banking industry?

GM: It was an accidental start – Citibank was the first institution to accept me as an International Staff Intern in 1977. I liked the international nature of the job, then discovered that I both liked and was good at banking, and so I stayed in banking for around 35 years.

IES Abroad: Were there lessons learned in Nantes and Paris that helped you in the early days of your career?

GM: Definitely. I was both an introvert and new to the international scene. In both Nantes and Paris, I learned to relate and deal with students from different countries and to travel around Europe with no one to help me except myself. This broadened my perspective of the world and taught me how to deal with people from different nationalities—two skills that were vital in the early days of my career.

IES Abroad: You have lived and worked abroad and traveled extensively. As you look back on your expansive career in banking, what are you most proud of?

GM: Making banking easier for our customers, working through people, and greatly expanding remittance services for the millions of overseas Filipino workers. Also, winning Best Bank Awards, heading the Bankers Association of the Philippines during the global financial crisis, and being awarded a Management Man of the Year award in 2012 were other memorable souvenirs. Receiving a Legion d’Honneur, Chevalier rank and travelling together with the Philippine President on several business trips were nice bonuses.

IES Abroad: Forty-five years after studying and living abroad in France, you remain an avid traveler and you are committed to your family’s vision for higher education opportunities in the Philippines. Please tell us about your pursuits of these interests today.

GM: Travel energizes me, and therefore I have been to so many places either alone or with family, and I have met so many international friends everywhere. Today, I have moved from banking to education, and now am chairman of a 40,000 student university. I am enjoying the gratifying role of asking the right questions while helping educate students of modest means to improve their status in life.

I tell people that in your 30s, you Decide - location, career, and spouse. In your 40s, you Commit to the choices you have made (or start over again). In your 50s, you Excel, and in your 60s, you do Something Else. Aside from education, I am Chairman of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines (an environmental foundation), Maitre of the Commanderie de Bordeaux Manila, and Chairman of the National Golf Association of the Philippines, so I am also enjoying doing other things.

IES Abroad: We are grateful to you for your generous support of the IES Abroad Scholarship Fund. What motivates you to direct your philanthropy to support study abroad for today’s students?

GM: IES Abroad changed my life by helping me develop an international perspective. If I can do the same for someone else, then I will be happy to have helped.

IES Abroad: What is one thing you learned while abroad that remains a constant in your life today?

GM: Life is experience, so stay curious and do as many different things in your life (while you can).

IES Abroad: What advice do you have for a student today who is considering studying or interning abroad?

GM: In your teens, you study. In your 20s, you should explore – first job, possible study or internship abroad, maybe live in a different country. It will change your perspective for the better, and teach you about situations and people that you can use much later in your life. Best of all, you will probably enjoy doing something different in another country. Technology is great, but human contact with all sorts of different people particularly at a young age will energize you. Finally, the world is yours, so help take care of the world—particularly with climate change.

Growing up in the Jim Crow South, studying abroad as a Merrill Scholar in Vienna was life-changing for Maxine Hayes. It was the first time she felt free of segregation and truly accepted as a person of color. After a year in Vienna, during which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated, she returned to Spelman College to complete a fifth year and face a new world of opportunities available to African Americans. Taking full advantage, Maxine earned a medical degree from SUNY School of Medicine in Buffalo and a Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University. From 1988 to 2013, Maxine served in various positions in the Washington State Department of Public Health, most recently as State Health Officer – the state’s top doctor for 16 years. In our interview, Maxine shares how study abroad impacted her approach to medicine and was pivotal in changing the course of her life.

IES Abroad: A science student at Spelman College, you studied abroad as a Merrill Scholar in Vienna from 1967-68. What led you to choose Vienna?

Dr. Maxine Hayes: The one thing about Vienna for me as a science major was the German language. I wanted to learn German, which was a pretty brave thing since I didn’t know German! I went to Vienna prior to the start of the academic year to take a very intense introduction to the language. I was assigned to live with a family who didn’t speak any English, which helped me immensely. The conversational German that I learned from the family, in particular, really gave me a jump start. So many of the classes I wanted to take were in German.

IES Abroad: What challenges did you face? In what ways did you grow?

MH: The biggest challenge for me aside from learning the language was the climate. This was the first time I had exposure to winter, coming from the South. It was a big issue! It was a positive for me, though, and I enjoyed it. I never did learn how to ski while I was there; I was afraid of falling! I do remember wonderful sleigh rides and seeing Salzburg and so many beautiful places in the mountains. It was absolutely beautiful. Academically, I did very well. I had to keep up my GPA. Studying in Vienna gave me the opportunity, for the first time in my academic career, to not take any science classes. I used the opportunity to devote myself to the arts, culture, history, and international relations. That experience continues to profoundly impact a lot of my behavior, thinking, and choices today. 

IES Abroad: After studying abroad, you went on to attend the State University of New York School of Medicine in Buffalo and later earned a Master's of Public Health at Harvard University. What inspired you to go to medical school and pursue a career in public health?

MH: The thing that changed everything for me while studying in Vienna, which I didn’t realize the full impact until I came home, was that Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were both assassinated during the time I was in Vienna. Because their lives were taken, there were policy changes that opened the possibility for me to go to medical school. My time in Vienna as a Merrill Scholar delayed my graduation from college by one year. That delay proved to be life-changing both in terms of my career and in terms of my opportunity. Prior to going overseas, I couldn’t imagine ever going to medical school. African Americans were not accepted into graduate school disciplines. It wasn’t until Affirmative Action and quotas set by the Federal Government that doors of opportunity were opened for me to step through. This was divine destiny for my whole life. I was very fortunate to be out of the country – it delayed my graduation. I had classmates who would have given anything to have gone to medical school. They graduated on time and went to work in labs, and I was lined up for that future, too. That year abroad made all the difference! I was pursued by medical schools! I chose Buffalo because it had Roswell Park Cancer Institute. It had always been one of my goals to do cancer research. I went on to get a public health degree from Harvard. When I went to Vienna, I had no idea that this was going to happen. It was a divine gift. This is one of the reasons why I chose public health – it is more service-oriented. I felt that I was given the opportunity for a reason and that was to give back.

IES Abroad: In what ways did you change the most during your time in Vienna? Did the experience shape the way you think in a profound way today?

MH: I’m certain that having studied abroad made me that much more of a ‘catch’ for the medical schools. So many minority students didn’t have opportunities to go abroad. That would have made my application stand out. My time in Vienna changed me a lot. The biggest change was brought about by the introduction to the arts. I became a tremendous lover of the arts: the symphony, opera, plays. When I came back to this country, even though I was a science major, and continuing today, wherever I am, I always enjoy the arts. It has become part of my DNA! Vienna changed my DNA!

Another thing that study abroad did was to widen my worldview. You have to remember that in 1967-68, having been brought up with Jim Crow laws in Mississippi, the furthest place I had gone was Atlanta. That is not very far! Because of Jim Crow laws, we couldn’t really stay in hotels or eat in restaurants. My worldview was pretty narrow! In Vienna, I saw the world very differently than I had in the South. To go to Europe and to see how other people lived in the world and to actually be so accepted as a person of color, I didn’t feel that segregation. I didn’t feel that I couldn’t go any place because of my color. In fact, the people in my neighborhood, the 9^th district, I’d hear people say “Schokolade fräulein.” I understand that they don’t do that anymore. It was always a curiosity and an acceptance that I hadn’t experienced in the States. It was freeing for me! The rest of the world was not like the world I had come from. People really considered the color of my skin to be very beautiful. It was different and exotic. I was treated very differently than how I was treated at home. This really improved my image of myself. In fact, being considered exotic in Vienna led to many invitations to the balls! I wasn’t prepared for this. I had no ball gowns. My IES Abroad classmates dressed me for the occasions. I had nothing, but I had the invitations! It was wonderful! Incredible!

IES Abroad: When you think back over your many years in public health, what are you most proud of?

MH: I’m very proud of the fact that I provided leadership on diversity, cultural awareness, and cultural sensitivity. Going into public health after having studying abroad in Vienna helped me in my approach to health, emotion, and disease prevention and in understanding cultural differences and cultural awareness related to wellness. Vienna taught me the importance of understanding cultures. In fact, when I retired, they named a public health award in my honor focusing on diversity: The Maxine Hayes Diversity Award. I spent a lot of time raising awareness among people in public health about the importance of understanding culture and its impact on health and wellness, and also on embracing diversity and its importance in working with diverse communities. 

Today, that has really proved to be essential because we have a global community. The global world has come to America, and we have the influence of the global community everywhere. Ethnic minorities are becoming an important part of more and more communities. This is central to addressing health equities, and it is an important issue for Medicare and Medicaid. This focus is a big step for the Federal Government in providing health services. Culture and respect for culture is now being considered. I’m so proud of this. I am happy that I have been able to do work related to preparedness, whether it is in responding to epidemics or natural disasters, as well as immunizations and tobacco. I was elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), now the National Academy of Medicine, in 2006 and am very proud of the work I have done with the IOM in the various policy committees related to children, early child development and the importance of early brain development and psycho-social, emotional, and physical health and wellbeing.

IES Abroad: What is one thing you learned abroad that remains a constant in your life today?

MH: I love the arts! That is a constant. I learned to love the arts. Being a physician, this improves my sensitivity to the fact that medicine is a science and an art. I think that sensitivity to the impact that the arts have, even with the science, makes a true difference to how we apply what we know to humanity. One thing that I’ve learned is that the arts contribute so much to everything, no matter what it is. 

It never hurts to have a well-developed worldview. No matter what we do career-wise, studying overseas is transformational. Today, we have so many complex global health issues, and we cannot solve any of these problems in isolation. It is now a global community. Of course, now we have the World Wide Web—it is so important to be connected. We have one world. The concept of one science that draws us together rather than divides us—it brings all of our thinking and resources to excel in this new information age that we find ourselves in. The problems are challenging and complex, but they don’t have to be isolated in their solutions because diverse opinions guide us in how they will be solved.

Another constant is the love of travel, which was instilled in me when I was a student in Vienna. I went to Israel, Scandinavia, and so many of the European countries while I was a student in Vienna. And now, in the last six months alone, I have traveled to three continents: Australia, Europe, and Africa.  

IES Abroad: Why is study abroad so important?

MH: We are all global citizens. Some of us are just more aware of it than others. The importance of programs like IES Abroad cannot be over emphasized today. There is something to be said about the arts and their way of influencing the political debate and humanities and policy. Experiences like study abroad help prepare us to solve global problems.

Travel was nothing new to Gemma Sole when she studied abroad. Though she had wanted to study in China, her triple major prevented her from fulfilling the course requirements she would need. So she ended up in London where she could get the academic credit needed and be closer to extended family. Interning while there, she learned valuable lessons in cultural differences in the work place. Upon graduation, and finding herself in a tough job market at the height of the global recession, she got a grant from the Kauffman Entrepreneurship Foundation to start her own consulting firm working with small businesses. She eventually found herself at Startup Institute where she met her business partner and co-founder, and together they launched Nineteenth Amendment, an on-demand fashion platform that connects up-and-coming designers with fashion-forward customers and bridges the gap between design and delivery. Earning a myriad of press mentions and honors since its launch in 2012, Nineteenth Amendment is well on its way to being an interrupter in the fashion industry.

IES Abroad: Why did you decide to study abroad in London? Had you traveled much growing up?

Gemma Sole: I traveled a lot growing up. I am a tri-citizen. My mum is from Australia and my father is from London, so I have U.K. (EU), U.S., and Australian citizenship. Studying abroad was an easy way for me to live, study, and work abroad while being closer to extended family.

IES Abroad: What are some of the most influential memories from your time in London?

GS: One of my sillier favorite moments from studying abroad was meeting Yoko Ono on the steps outside a market in South Kensington. Fangirling! On a more serious note, I had a great internship at a company called PSI and learned a lot about real world application of anthropological research and cultural differences in work environments.

IES Abroad: How did you become interested in being an entrepreneur?

GS: Good question. I don’t think I knew exactly what I was doing at the time. I was looking for i-banking and consulting jobs in the winter of 2008 and graduated in 2009, so it was a tough job market. Everyone froze hiring that quarter for the majority of those roles, but with the Kauffman Entrepreneurship Foundation Grant, I could learn, work, and help small businesses. So to me, it was a win-win and really taught me the value of sales skills and asking questions. A good entrepreneur should always ask questions and be the best listener.

IES Abroad: At Startup Institute you met Amanda Curtis and you two co-founded Nineteenth Amendment. Tell us more about how the idea came about and your role in the company today.

GS: I’ve always been passionate about creative industries and small businesses. I really think these are the organizations that make America what it is. Nineteenth Amendment came out of my co-founder’s experience at the time I met her – Amanda was an emerging designer, recently funded, but could not get picked up by buyers because she had no previous sales from past seasons. There is this huge issue where buyers want new fresh product they know people want, but they can’t take risks. Designers have fresh ideas but a hard time getting the cash flow to produce inventory and get it to customer’s eyeballs. Nineteenth Amendment is a marketplace and manufacturing service for independent, on-demand fashion, so it solves this chicken-or-egg problem by selling for pre-order. Customers get unique designs from local designers they love, designers don’t spend money on inventory they can’t get rid of, and retailers can de-risk young talent.

My role is Chief Operations Officer. I help make all these beautiful things come to life. I manage designers, production, marketing, and our software product to make all the pieces fit together. It is a lot of hats, but at the end of the day, I love helping people do what they love and bring something wonderful to life.

IES Abroad: What are some of the biggest challenges you face in the business?

GS: Fundraising is hard as a young, first-time, female entrepreneur. Also, with the stock market and recent retail track record, this particular year has seen less investment in startups. But we have been very successful in doing a lot with a little, as every business should!

IES Abroad: What is your vision for Nineteenth Amendment?

GS: Our vision is to grow to be the largest on-demand fashion platform in the world creating beautiful, ethical fashion in the most sustainable way possible – by producing for demand! I invite you to check out www.nineteenthamendment.com, comment on the designs, find something you love, and let me know what you think! We can’t do it without YOU, the shopper!

IES Abroad: Where there lessons learned from your study abroad in London that have remained vital to your work as an entrepreneur?

GS: Understanding that adoption of new technologies and business models is just as much about cultural attitude and buy-in as it is about the business benefits, behavior, and technology. Good implementations and relationships only work if you have someone on your team that has a knowledge or appreciation of that.

IES Abroad: What advice do you have for students today thinking about studying abroad?

GS: Do it! Plan ahead and go somewhere you wouldn’t normally go. I actually wanted to go to China originally but found out only London would work in my curriculum because I was triple-majoring and needed the credits to apply. If you have flexibility (and aren’t a crazy workaholic like me), I would devote a semester to really immerse yourself somewhere outside your comfort zone.

Having never met a French person before landing in France, Jim Pooley took advantage of his year in Paris to learn lessons in intercultural exchange and humility. He would soon come to understand deep-seated cultural nuances, like the linguistic debate raging over the use fin de semaine versus weekend, and experience French politics first-hand. After spending years as an attorney in Silicon Valley, little did he know, his study abroad would come full circle 40 years later when he was appointed by President Obama to serve as a Deputy Director General to the World Intellectual Property Organization, an agency of the United Nations in Geneva. Now an intellectual property attorney back in Silicon Valley, Jim shares how his experience in Paris taught him to take risks and laid the foundation for his future success as an international diplomat.

IES Abroad: Why did you choose to study abroad in Paris with IES Abroad?

James Pooley: My mother had told me when I was in high school that it was her dream that I spend my junior year abroad. She actually died during my sophomore year. It wasn’t as though it was in her memory that I felt that I had to go; rather, she had planted the idea very strongly, and it sounded like it would be something good to do and a lot of fun. I was an International Affairs major and French was the language I had taken throughout school, so it made sense to go to Paris. I chose IES Abroad because, one, my college did not have a study abroad program, and, two, my fraternity brother who had gone the year before and had researched the available programs had chosen IES Abroad. I was following in his footsteps.

IES Abroad: What are some of your greatest memories from your time in Paris?

JP: Two big recollections were the nights that the Champs-Élysées filled with 100,000-200,000 people: first, with the resignation of Charles de Gaulle. That year he had demanded that the rules on elections to the Senate be changed, and to make the point of how much he wanted this to happen, he threatened to resign if the legislature refused to do it. They refused to do it, so he resigned. The night he resigned, the whole city celebrated. It was a big party! Of course, he had been the guy in charge during the students uprising the previous May. So, for all I know, everyone who was out there was a student. Then, after the election when Georges Pompidou won the presidency, it was the same thing – everyone was out there. 

IES Abroad: You were a student in Paris at the height of the Vietnam War for the U.S. How did this impact you?

JP: I remember a letter in the mail forwarded to me by my father. It was my draft notice from my draft board who had contacted my college to confirm that I was there. And, of course, they said, “No, he is not here this year.” That was the arrangement that I had with them—I’d go off and study abroad and then I’d come back and petition to have the credits accepted. So, the draft reclassified me as eligible cannon fodder and sent me the notice that I was now 1A. My father decided to put that into a new envelope, address it to me, and put a six cent stamp on it. It took over six weeks for it to get to me as a result. I remember that moment! It took a little while to get that cleared up. 

IES Abroad: Did the French ask your opinion as an American about the Vietnam War?

JP: No, the French more often would come up to me and give their opinions on Americans. I can just hear my French friends saying, “Well, of course, that is what the French do.” Many of them were worried about the suffocating advance of Western culture into their society, less so the younger ones than the older ones, perhaps. There were all these issues about protecting French culture and French language. There was a big fight over whether or not “weekend” would be accepted in the place of fin de semaine. I was amused when I got to Geneva five and a half years ago to discover that “weekend” had clearly won out. Nobody used fin de semaine!  

IES Abroad: In what ways did study abroad impact your career path?

JP: I was on one path to get back to Paris when I went to law school. I choose to go to a law school with a strong international law program, Columbia. My thought and assumption was that I would be heading back to Paris as an international lawyer, but I ended up going in a different direction – I began to work for a legal aid society, and I found out that I love litigation. I had visited California and discovered that this place is fabulous, and I blanketed the state with over 200 resumes. I got one offer from a little ten-person lawyer firm in Palo Alto. It was the summer of 1972. It would take until 2009 for me to come full circle and get back to this point, when my study abroad experience in Paris and my international perspective really paid off, though – when I was as offered an appointment to be in charge of several international treaties and run the international patent system as Deputy Director of the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.

Having had that original experience in Paris was a foundation for being able to come back 40 years later and run a department of 400 people from 60 different countries. I had had the experience early in life of appreciating what it meant to come from a different culture and speak a different language, and the kinds of things that you need to do and need to think about in order to have a relationship with someone from another country. I was expected to be an international diplomat and I did that.

IES Abroad: How important has an international perspective been for you in your role at the World Intellectual Property Organization and now as you help your clients with international patent issues? 

JP: Sometimes it was specifically helpful. I retained enough French to carry on a short, polite conversation, and that would help break the ice. It allowed me to have a certain amount of credibility when it came to handling a case or two that had international connections. But it wasn’t until I started handling major patent litigation that had to be coordinated with litigation happening in other countries that my experience in Paris really paid off. In 1988, when I took my little law firm and merged it with a big international firm, I was prepared and recognized the value in doing so. Studying abroad contributed to my ability to think more broadly, not just about international affairs and international business, but about new adventures in general. Taking risks has a different perspective to it in general when you have taken a big risk as a young person to go live in another place for a long period of time. 

IES Abroad: What is one thing you learned while studying abroad that remains a constant in your life today?

JP: The thing that comes to mind immediately is a sense of humility about one’s own position and perspective, and that humility drives a curiosity that has served me well. I don’t assume things, and I’m open. I took that and have carried that with me. Going to France was entirely new. I had never known a French person. I had never stepped foot in a country that spoke French. It was totally new! Of course, we were all from that generation in the 60s who were proud of ourselves and feeling very plucky and able to handle anything. So, getting a lesson in the significance of other cultures and the humility that comes with that is probably one of the most important lessons to carry forward.

IES Abroad: What advice do you have for students who are considering studying abroad?

JP: Apart from just do it? Absolutely do it! If you can, go for an entire year because there is a certain rhythm to spending the entire academic year that you miss out on if you are there for only a semester. Try to go to someplace that doesn’t speak your language. The main thing is, don’t overthink it. It is a great idea. Go for it! You will never be able to understand the depth of the adventure that is ahead of you and all the wonderful things you will get from it. Just pick the most interesting place to go and go!

James is also an author. His latest book, Secrets: Managing Information Assets in the Age of Cyberespionage, was published in June 2015. View his study abroad photos here: http://bit.ly/1MNB4oB