Former Obama Senior Advisor Ben Rhodes Featured in New Partnership with World Affairs Council of Orange County

Insider stories about major foreign policy negotiations captivated the audience of over 300 Soka students, faculty, staff, and community members who had the opportunity to hear former Obama speechwriter and senior foreign policy advisor Ben Rhodes on October 22, 2019. This marked the first partnership event between Soka’s International Studies Concentration and the World Affairs Council of Orange County. Soka’s Performing Arts Center provided a beautiful backdrop for the moderated conversation between Rhodes and Ferdinando Guerra, a member of the program committee from the World Affairs Council. Rhodes argued that a crucial element of U.S. foreign policy and patriotism should include an openness to our global interconnectedness.

Class of 2020 students Haley Saffarinia, Aidan Gross, and Swann Jin provided inspiring introductions and helped moderate the audience discussion for both events. Rhodes stayed well after the event to sign autographs of his recently released New York Times bestselling memoir, The World As It Is.