Above: Senior Amanda Larkowski takes a break next to one of the many waterfall features in the Roosevelt Monument. Left: Amanda, Jackie and Meghan take a closer look at FDR’s famous scottie.
Following the Holocaust museum was an appointment at the Library of Congress for a working lunch with Ambassador John O’Keefe. Ambassador O’Keefe is the Executive Director of the Open World Leadership Institute, which provides opportunities for world leaders to travel to Washington, and from there, around the country. They are also able to meet with others engaged in similar leadership roles across the United States. Many successes in this highpowered exchange program were pointed out by the Ambassador, including the opportunity for one former soviet socialist republic to model the judiciary of their newly established nation on one of our own The Ambassador talked with the students about his long State department career, rising from a blue collar Baltimore background to serve in the former Yugoslavia, Norway, the Philippines, The Kyrgyz Republic, and Russia. He told a fascinating story about negotiating for an airbase in the Kyrgyz Republic (after 9/11) to supply our troops in Afghanistan, and held a conversation about the role of Putin in that decision. On their way out of the State Department lunchroom, Ambassador O’Keefe introduced them to Congresswoman Debbie WassermanSchultz, head of the Democratic National Committee, for a brief chat. The visit at the Library of Congress concluded after a thorough tour of the Library itself, including a close look at some of the original books once belonging to Thomas Jefferson. These very books lay at the heart of what some call the world’s finest library, a library that has an unusual connection to Medaille College. The School of Education won a grant from the Library several years ago to show educators in western New York how to use the impressive electronic assets available from the Library right in their own classrooms. A visit to Washington D.C. merits at least a look at some of the Smithsonian museums, and that’s exactly what students squeezed in time to do. Both the Air and Space museum, and the Natural History museum were visited lastly that night. “This was one of the most action packed, fun, yet very educational trips ever. It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said senior psychology major Amanda Larkowski. Finally, on the morning of the last day, a group started out early to visit Arlington Cemetery, to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The flight home was a peaceful one for these Medaille students, as they reflected on everything that had been seen and done in the past few days. It was a trip that will not soon be forgotten. Page 15