I’ve just arrived back from a week in Washington D.C. I received an e mail a few weeks back inviting me to attend the Athgo Third Annual Global Forum at the World Bank Headquarters. The Forum, Miracles of Development: Good Governance and Capacity Building partnered with The World Bank and Speaker’s Bureau, including presentations from acclaimed individuals, such as Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, United States House of Representatives; H.E. Urs Ziswiler, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States of America; Caroline Schwab, Program Officer, Coordination Sector for External Relations, WIPO; and many more inspirational speakers.

I actually interned at the Forum, and was a member of the media team. It was such a wonderful experience, and it was quite testing balancing my two passions: media and world affairs. Willie Mitchell, who was the media team coordinator was the most interesting of characters. I must say that I learned more than I imagined from him. One of my tasks was to interview the speakers… what a fantastic opportunity.

It was phenomenal to meet with students and young professionals from all corners of the globe. I developed lifelong friendships with people from China, Uganda, Korea, Greece, and many other interesting countries. Who would ever imagine that two-hundred unique individuals from all places of the world could come together for a common cause of making a difference in their world. This forum gave students a platform from which to present ideas and visions, to receive feedback which suggests the success of these proposals in different countries. Ultimately, the forum is a launching pad, from which young people can enjoy the networking benefits, the knowledge and experience of world leaders, and ultimately follow their dream and succeed.

The worst thing about the Forum was that it had to come to an end.

Aniela, Carlos, Armen (Founder of Athgo), myself, Roberta, and Isha.

Myself and Elle – The Media Team interns