Global Ambassadors – John Edwin Mroz Global Leadership Institute

Global Ambassadors is a professional development program offering mentoring, extracurricular and international experiential learning designed for students interested in careers with international service organizations, including the civil service and Foreign Service. This program creates opportunities for interactions between the students and foreign service officers, civil servants, diplomats, and distinguished professionals in internationally-oriented organizations working on global challenges.

Throughout the year, students learn about foreign policy, foreign service, and its challenges and opportunities. They participate in advising, mentoring, and discussion sessions, interact with former and current foreign service officers. The program is directed by Dr. Max Kovalov, the Bennett Director of the Mroz Global Leadership Institute.

Application Process

Interested in joining the Global Ambassadors Program? Check out program requirements.

2021-2022 Global Ambassadors cohort

Check out the 2021-22 cohort of Global Ambassadors.

Brief Profiles of 2022-2023 Global Ambassadors

Joseph Drobina is a junior majoring in International Studies (Asia Concentration) and Political Science. He studies Mandarin and is interested in North Korea and Asian politics.

Brandon Eichelberg is a senior with double majors in English and Classics. He was a Latin tutor at the Center for Student Learning. Brandon wants to teach English abroad and plans to apply to PeaceCorps.

Dyllon Gunsolus is a senior majoring in International Studies (Europe Concentration) and Meteorology and a minor in Russian Studies. He served for five years in Marine Corps and is a professional cyclist. Dyllon wants to pursue a career at the State Department.

Dystinee Lyons is a senior with majors in Anthropology and History. She is interested in medical anthropology and plans to pursue a PhD in Anthropology.

Elizabeth Marchese is a senior majoring in International Studies (Asia Concentration) and Anthropology. Elizabeth studies Mandarin and she studied abroad in China. She was to become a PeaceCorps volunteer and join Foreign Service.

Gracie Pace is a senior majoring in International Studies (Global Studies Concentration) and a Spanish minor. In 2021 she interned at City of Knowledge Foundation in Panama City, Panama. In 2022, Gracie was a Refugee Resettlement and Placement Intern at Lutheran Services Carolinas. Gracie is interested in forced migration and wants to pursue a career in migration policy.

Adeline Ríos is a sophomore with a triple major in International Studies (Latin America Concentration), Political Science, and Spanish. In the Fall 2023, she will study abroad in San José, Costa Rica and São Paulo, Brazil. Adeline is a recipient of a prestigious nation-wide Boren Awards for International Study.

Claire Turner is a junior majoring in Political Science (Public Policy Concentration) and a Project Management minor. Claire is interested in congressional affairs and public policy and she wants to pursue a career in global public health policy.

Rhiannon Wilkinson is a sophomore, pursuing majors in International Studies (Europe Concentration) and German Studies. She plans to study abroad in Germany in the Fall 2023. She is interested in a national security career and wants to join Foreign Service.

High impact interactions with guest speakers

Barbara Barrett, 25th Secretary of the Air Force and former US Ambassador to Finland. Informal discussion about diplomacy, US role in the world, and career opportunities in the private and public sector with Global Ambassadors, International Scholars, Schottland Scholars, and Martin Scholars, March 13, 2023.
Jacques Pitteloud, Ambassador of Switzerland to the US, public talk on transatlantic relationships and an informal discussion with students, February 16, 2023.
Andy Sisk, Foreign Service Officer, Diplomat in Residence – Mid-Atlantic, discussion about foreign service careers and opportunities at the State Department with Global Ambassadors, February 8, 2023.
Farwa Aamer, guest talk and informal interaction with Global Ambassadors and International Scholars about water security and about careers with NGOs, February 7, 2023.
MaryAnn Robinson, State Department Contractor. informal interaction with Global Ambassadors about careers at the State Department, February 1, 2023.
Jonathan Fanton, special adviser to the World Refugee & Migration Council and former president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Informal discussion about careers in non-profits, January 30-31, 2023
Emily Whalen, historian of US foreign policy and Middle East. Informal discussion with Global Ambassadors about the history of the EastWest Institute, January 18, 2023.
James Creighton, former EWI Board Member and State Representative in the New Hampshire House of Representatives Informal discussion with Global Ambassadors and International Scholars about security, leadership, and peacebuilding in the Middle East, November 24, 2022.
Jose Miguel Aleman, Panama’s Foreign Minister (1999-2003). Remote discussion about Panama’s foreign policy and international relations with Global Ambassadors, October 26, 2022.
Ambassador Dennis Ross, Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Informal discussion with Global Ambassadors and INTL 350 students (Democracy and Democratization) about Middle Eastern foreign policy and challenges of democratization in the MENA region, October 12, 2022.
Caroline Croft, political officer at the State Department. A series of mentoring sessions, small-group discussions about careers in foreign service, and seminar on the power of protocol, September 26-29, 2022.
Jamie Pow, lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast. Informal interaction with Introduction to Europe (INEU101) students about Northern Ireland.
Karen Linahan Mroz, informal discussion with Global Ambassadors about EWI, non-profits and women organizations in the Middle East, September 7, 2022.

2023 Field Trip to Washington DC

On March 6-10, 2023 Global Ambassadors along with Mroz Institute Director Dr. Max Kovalov and Mroz Institute Steering Committee member Dr. Beatriz Maldonado spent a week in Washington, D.C. During the spring break field trip, the students visited embassies, international organizations, think-tanks, namely the following organizations:

The Germany Embassy. We met with Defense Navy attaché Admiral Ristau for a conversation about German foreign policy and the work of the embassy.
Delegation of the European Union to the US. We met with Deniz Houston, digital policy analyst for a conversation about the EU and foreign policy environment skills.
National Endowment for Democracy. We met with Anne Tsai-Bennett, NED President’s Chief of Staff and colleagues for discussions about NED’s grant programs and careers with think-tanks in DC.
Stimson Center. We met with Bryan Finlay, President and CEO of Stimson Center and his colleagues about Stimson’s programs and professional development
National Guard Bureau and the Pentagon. We met with General Slaten for a discussion about the National Guard State Partnership Program and General Hokanson, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau.
The White House