The Claremont International Relations Society (CIRS) will hold its First International Careers Conference, a daylong event, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 30, and featuring workshops, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, various guest speakers, and a keynote address by Ethos Water founder and Starbucks vice president Peter Thum '90.
Thum conceived Ethos in 2001, following a consulting project in South Africa where he witnessed abject poverty and the lack of clean water firsthand. Unlike the AIDS epidemic, people of the developed world knew comparatively little about water issues and didn't feel emotionally connected to the problem. Thum saw an opportunity to create a brand in the bottled water market that could empower people to address this problem and generate awareness. Later, through sales, Ethos financed programs for children and communities that lacked clean water.
Other conference speakers all CMC alumni include, Darrell Smith '74, vice president of community development and marketing for the Africa Channel; Jeff Daar '79, chairman of the Los Angeles County Bar Association International Law Section; Wolfgang Heim '80, vice president of marketing at Joico, and former Proctor and Gamble marketing director, Europe; Bernie Burrola '98, program officer for the State Department, and a former Peace Corps volunteer; and Emily Bartholomew '05, California Western School of Law student and associate editor, California Western International Law Journal.
Among the topics for discussion in workshops or panels are: international nonprofit and media, international law and business, international internships, foreign service, planning your four years of college, and life after graduation.
"I am humbled at how a few students with an idea were able to secure such a strong response from CMC alumni," says CIRS President Shamil Hargovan '10, who will deliver the conference's closing remarks. "We already have more than 100 confirmed attendees, with more expected as walk-ins."
CIRS, a CMC club open to all majors, recognizes the increasingly interdependent nature of the economic and political institutions of all nations in the modern world and acknowledges the vital importance of diplomatic international relations in the global body politic. CIRS members are committed to the goal of promoting the study, interest, and exercise of international relations at CMC and across The Claremont Colleges.
The conference, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the Founder's Room at Bauer North and ends at 3:45 pm. at the Bauer Forum, is open to all Claremont College members.
To register, and for more information about the conference, go to the CIRS Web site: www.icc.ascmc.org.