Landen Romei

ILP makes it easy to find students with similar interests and initiate action and awareness surrounding a global issue that appeals to me.  Through ILP, I become a part of an intricate network of students and faculty and together, we were able to run events on campus to educate the rest of the WashU community about issues such as the Chechnyan struggle, the genocide in the Sudan, and the civil war in Liberia among others.  The best part is that the network doesn’t end with the end of freshman year as many other focus classes do.  I have become part of a much larger body of people who are dedicated to international social, political, and economic change, like I am.

Personally, the program’s highlight was the required second semester course – International Development.  I have never worked as hard or felt as satisfied with the results as I did in that class.  After producing a proposal for three important development issues, we were assessed by leaders in the field – an ambassador, a New York Times journalist, and an extremely knowledgeable professor.  We were treated like professionals therefore we acted like professionals.  Many of us are inspired toward a career in international development thanks to that class and ILP.