A video peek at SAIS DC

Earlier this week we introduced you to Chidiogo Akunyili, a Bologna Center student from Nigeria. Several readers commented on her strong qualifications, including her five languages and substantial work experience.

Today I'd like you to meet Rebekah Lipsky. Rebekah attended the Bologna Center last year and now is at SAIS DC, in her second year. We met up in Washington, where she showed me around the SAIS DC campus and the surrounding area of Dupont Circle.

Rebekah grew up in Seattle and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a degree in Communications Studies. She did public relations work in the entertainment industry in California before deciding to apply to SAIS -- and a host of other schools -- with a determination to make a career in international relations. You can read more about her here.

A couple of things to note. First, Rebekah made a radical change in direction when she came from California to SAIS. Not everyone has the willpower or the qualifications to do that, but it is by no means impossible. (A personal note: I taught high school after college, then decided SAIS would be a springboard for an international career. After SAIS, I worked in six different countries as a foreign correspondent. If I can do it, there is certainly hope for others, too.)

Second, Rebekah has not lost her poise in front of a camera despite having left California. Her tour was so flawless, and my video editing skills are so modest, that the video below is quite literally uncut. My apologies to Rebekah for not improving on the unedited version, but in fact I think it's a tribute to her professionalism and love of her studies at SAIS just as it is.

Some of you may remember that we offered a tour of SAIS Bologna in January. Now you have a chance to see SAIS DC, where almost all of the Bologna Center master's candidates spend their second year.

A big thanks to Rebekah for taking time out from her studies to show us around SAIS DC.



Nelson Graves