On Tuesday, September 3rd, LMU’s Global Policy Institute, in conjunction with the International Relations Program, Department of Political Science, Department of Sociology, Department of Asian and Asian American Studies, and Department of History had the pleasure of hosting former Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes. Rhodes opened up into his personal experience in the White House, and how American policy was influenced and created over the eight years of the Obama presidency. Two students, Tia Carr ‘21 and Yolanda Nosakhare ‘21, moderated the hour long discussion. The floor was opened up to the audience afterwards for questions, and students had the chance to purchase Rhodes’ new memoir, The World as It Is, and have it signed.
From Tia Carr, regarding the event:
The evening was a unique opportunity for me to seek answers to tough questions we [as young people and students] face daily. Even with extensive access to information online, it can be extremely difficult to navigate the political landscape and easy to feel as though your actions are ineffectual. Being able to sit down with someone who made it to a position of creating immense change, despite having an apolitical background, was incredibly inspiring. Additionally, Rhodes’ candor regarding the shortcomings of the administration along with the accomplishments was a refreshing change. I also really valued his insight into what the future of American foreign policy will look like, and how we may go about evolving to a rapidly changing political world and mending relationships after the Trump administration.
From Yolanda Nosakhare:
I was ecstatic when asked if I would like to host Ben Rhodes. Tia and I prepared very closely for the event, making sure we read and re-read the pages of “The World As It Is” from cover to cover. I spent a lot of time analyzing his text, doing background research for more context, and trying to feel every key moment as he described it in his text. I hope the students in attendance took away a greater understanding of Mr. Rhodes’ journey from creative writing in college, to becoming a key shadow in American history. He comes from humble beginnings, and worked his way up to the top. I hope the students were able to feel a connection with him in the short time we were together, because I know I did. I absolutely loved how candid his responses were! We made sure our questions were intentional, and his responses matched that intentionality.
