It is my honour in this first issue to introduce four of my fellows from the Washington Scholars Fellowship Program. All of them have extraordinary international academic background and their working performances during the Fellowship were highly recognized. To the students who wish to pursue a career in public affairs or international relations, Washington D.C. is a prestigious city to work and live. The experience my fellows earned during their fellowship are invaluable to their future career, and the connections they built in the city will be their lifetime assets.

Having a working experience in D.C. is not only important for personal career development, I believe, it also provides great opportunities to improve the mutual understanding and mutual respects between the U.S. and foreign nations. All of the graduates from the Washington Scholars Fellowship Program will have bright future in their careers. Many of them will work in government, thinks tanks, NGOs, no matter it is in the U.S. or foreign countries. When they become the decision makers for some critical international issues, they would remember what their foreign or American fellows told them about the differences in politics, cultural values, and religious ideas between the U.S. and other countries. We have seen so many tragedies in the history of international politics that were due to the lack of mutual understanding and mutual respect. When my fellows move back to their home countries, what they bring with them is not only the joy and sweat during their fellowship, but also the promising future that can link the U.S. and their countries more closely.

I sincerely admire Admiral Carey's visionary plan of introducing international scholars into the Program. I am looking forward to seeing more international faces in the Program, and hoping that our little effort could bring people around the world more closely, for the interest of the U.S. and the rest of the world. Best wishes,

Sisu Pan  

Washington Scholars Class '11 

I am pursuing my B.A. in international relations at University of Toronto, and graduated from the Washington Scholars Class of Fall 2009 under the Rear Admiral James. J Carey Chair for Research and Communications. During the fellowship, I worked as a government procurement research analyst in Command Strategies, LLC. The Washington Scholars Program provided me an opportunity to reaffirm the shared history and traditional bonds inherent in Canadian-American relations. I will be applying to graduate school in the new year. After the completion of my master's degree, I will pursue a career in international relations field.  

Distinguished International Scholar: Ruben Vina

I finished my college study at University of Toronto, and graduated from the Washington Scholars Program just last December. My experience in the program helped me greatly in landing me in my current role as the head of marketing at the publishing company pdoink. I am currently quite busy heading up the marketing for our International Launch. The experiences had in DC have certainly steered my career path in a positive direction.

Distinguished International Scholar: Troy Carter  

I graduated from Washington Scholars in the summer of 2010. Now I'm in Egypt where I'm finishing my undergrad degree at The American University in Cairo. My Washington Scholars experience helped me get motivated about public service.

Distinguished International Scholar: Will de Gruchy

I graduated from both Washington Scholars and Oxford University in 2009. I subsequently undertook a large international Asset Manager's graduate scheme, but am currently seeking to join the UK's armed forces as a pilot. I found the networking and political insight I gained through Washington scholars invaluable, and remain in touch with my friends, mentors and bosses from the programme. Washington Scholars provided an especially good lead in to the intense workload and pace of working in finance in London. I expect the benefits of the programme to extend late in to my life, especially if I later seek a position in government or the US.

About the Editor

Sisu Pan graduated from Washington Scholars Program Spring of 2011. He is currently studying at George Washington University in M.A. of international affairs with the specialization in international science and technology policies. He is planning to pursue a career in the related field that can help to improve the relation between China and the U.S.