AUK Graduate Interns Meet U.S. Ambassador

On the 19th of July, 2017, AUK graduate interns Aryka Rice and Adrienne Bocci met with the U.S. Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, Lawrence Silverman. As participants in AUK's Summer Student Affairs Internship Program, Aryka and Adrienne used the opportunity to learn more about higher education administration in Kuwait and partnerships between U.S. and Kuwaiti institutions. The interns also discussed their experiences at AUK-including their dual placements in different Student Affairs and Student Services departments on campus. During their 8-week experience, which concluded on July 20th, 2017, Aryka worked in the Registrar's Office and the Office of Student Life; while Adrienne worked in the Counseling Center and with Learning Support Services.

Regarding the conversation with the Ambassador, Adrienne said, "It was such a unique and valuable experience to meet with him. He shared a number of insights about the strong relationship between Kuwait and the United States, and in particular how their status as allies has translated into some wonderful international opportunities for college and university students. The Ambassador encouraged us to consider how we might be able to further expand upon this opportunity even after the internship has ended. He was also very interested to hear what we had learned from our time at AUK, which provided a chance for me to further reflect on the skills I have developed and the knowledge I have gained as a result of the internship. Meeting him was an honor and a privilege, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do so. It was an incredible way to complete my experience here."

Reflecting on her visit to the Embassy, Aryka said, "This experience was truly amazing. Being able to walk through the Embassy, taking in history, was absolutely breathtaking. The Ambassador was easy-going and seemed to be very interested in our internship experience, how we interacted with the AUK community, what we learned about Kuwait, and how we can help to create partnerships with our home institutions in Kuwait. As a result of this afternoon chat with the Ambassador, I will continue to find ways to tell people about Kuwait in hopes of encouraging them to visit the Gulf Region and continue to travel the world learning about other people, places, and cultures. This experience was definitely the grand finale of a wonderful summer abroad experience."