Student Participates in
Atlantic Council Discussion Group

Anita Sundarajan '08 was recently selected to participate as a member of a discussion group of the Atlantic Council of the United States, spearheaded by NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
Founded in 1961, the Atlantic Council is a nonprofit public policy center dedicated to promoting constructive U.S. leadership in international affairs. One of the oldest programs at the Council, the Office of Education enhances awareness among young, prospective leaders of the importance of international engagement and gives them the tools to make a difference when their time to serve comes.
"It was a great honor to be selected to represent CMC on the East Coast at the Council event," said Sundarajan, currently studying in the Washington Program. "As the youngest selected from the Washington Program, it meant a lot to me. Most of the other participants were graduate students.
"Meeting the secretary-general also was an honor," she says, "and I'm hopeful I will have the opportunity to meet other distinguished leaders in the future."
Last month, two dozen students from 18 colleges and universities across the U.S. joined Jaap de Hoop Scheffer for an informal conversation about a range of security issues. Students in the audience at American University came from Burma, Germany, the Netherlands, and Ukraine, as well as the United States. Three schoolsTexas A&M University, the University of Michigan and others from The Claremont Collegesjoined the discussion through a video conference.
According to Carmen Iezzi, education and outreach coordinator for the Atlantic Council, about 20 students from The Claremont Colleges were connected via video to the conference.
To be considered, Sundarajan submitted a resume and cover letter explaining what she hoped to gain from the event. Iezzi says Sundarajan and her colleagues were selected from about 50 applicants from a wide range of schools.
Sundarajan, an international relations major, is currently an intern at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and has an abiding interest in NATO's role in post-conflict peacekeeping. Her participation in CMC's Washington Program ends this semester.
"As a spring participant in the Washington Program, Anita is making the most of her internship at USAID, and has met the former president of Poland, NATO's Secretary General, and many other important figures in the nation's capital," says Elizabeth Spalding, director of the CMC Washington Program.
Sundarajan says her interests are both in global and domestic politics. "My ultimate goal is to be a leader in some capacity, perhaps an ambassador or secretary of state. I just want to create change in the future, regardless of my title."