This article is written by Sean Schrader, a graduate student at USF working towards a master’s degree in business administration. Sean is a USF alum and is currently a USF Ambassador, as well as a member of the USF Alumni Association Board of Directors. He attended the most recent Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) Annual Briefing in Washington, D.C. He agreed to write about his experiences at OSAC while taking advantage of an opportunity that is available to most USF students but often overlooked. He's pictured above with OSAC Executive Director, Ellen Tanor.
As I approach the completion of my master’s degree in business administration at the University of South Florida this spring, I’ve been reflecting on the many unique experiences I’ve had to strengthen
my skill set through conferences, leadership roles, and professional development opportunities.
I’m often asked by my fellow students why I explore all opportunities to get involved,
even when they’re not explicitly related to my education focus, which is business
administration. Although it’s a fair question, I believe every experience adds value,
and in more cases than not, those experiences are ultimately very rewarding in many
ways. Plus, inevitably, they also seem to teach me something of value for my MBA.
This mindset sparked my interest in attending the 2023 Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) Annual Briefing, hosted at the State Department Headquarters in Washington, DC, in late November. Previously, while spending some time working in government, I had a basic familiarity with the State Department's role in advancing initiatives relevant to the United States on a global scale. However, while at the OSAC conference, I quickly learned how much more complex the inner workings of foreign policy really are.
This experience all came about thanks to a posting online from the USF Global National Security Institute (GNSI) encouraging interested students to apply to attend the OSAC briefing. Given my interest in government, combined with a passion for wanting to learn more about foreign policy, I thought this would serve as an exciting opportunity to make new connections and expand my worldview. With that in mind, I applied to attend the Briefing and, fortunately, a few weeks later, was notified that I would be representing USF at the conference alongside many other talented students from other parts of the country.
It's hard for me to believe, but in the last two years, I’ve been to DC on five separate occasions: each time attending a different conference. Although it’s become a familiar place, I always try to make time to experience a different part of the nation’s capital. Specifically, I enjoy visiting different monuments for moments of brief reflection, and on this visit, I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to visit the Lincoln Memorial. As we continue to live through significant challenges both domestically and globally, the excerpts from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address provide a resolute reminder that, although we’ve experienced challenging times before, we overcame those challenges by finding common ground among our many differences.
On my previous trips to DC, I’ve often passed by the State Department Headquarters but never had the chance to go inside. This time, I would finally get to go inside. A quick trip through security and to the check-in table to find my badge, and it was time to find a seat. Walking into an auditorium with hundreds of people and very few open seats proved to be an early morning challenge, but upon finding a seat, I enjoyed talking with several former State Department employees, specifically about how long it takes to master the maze that is DC’s Metro system. The morning sessions in the Dean Acheson Auditorium featured recognizable leaders in the foreign policy space, like the Executive Director of OSAC, Ellen Tanor, the Deputy Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell, NBC Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Andrea Mitchell, and the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, Oksana Markarova. The insights shared by these experts were illuminating in understanding the current landscape of global challenges.
The insights and work of those in the private sector, however, are just as valuable and, when combined, allow for strategic and comprehensive approaches to strong foreign policy.
During the first break of the morning, I had the chance to connect with some of my fellow students who were in attendance from all over the country, like Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, and DC. Although most of these students were studying in the degree field of foreign affairs, their motivation to attend the OSAC briefing was very similar to my own: simply to gain a better understanding of what’s currently happening in the world of foreign affairs and how they might get involved in those efforts. Our conversations were friendly and quick, sharing ideas on which sessions we thought would be the best to attend.
Personally, I was most excited to attend a session focused on contingency planning in the event of a crisis. Beyond the need to have a strong grasp on skills like adaptability in changing situations and communication when working together, an interesting focus of this discussion was on the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and the role that they're expected to play in shaping the dissemination of information. During the lunch break and afternoon sessions, while networking with different conference participants, I was encouraged by discovering the unique makeup of those in attendance: not just State Department employees but a blended mix of public and private sector individuals whose work is relevant to the foreign policy space.
That night and throughout the second day of the conference, while attending additional sessions and continuing to make new connections, I gained an even stronger appreciation for the need to incorporate different perspectives in the decision-making process. It’s an insight that I think will translate well to my MBA studies. When thinking about global affairs, it’s easy to assume that only government employees have jurisdiction or cause to be involved. The insights and work of those in the private sector, however, are just as valuable and, when combined, allow for strategic and comprehensive approaches to strong foreign policy.
Reflecting on the 2023 OSAC Annual Briefing, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to make new connections in the foreign policy space while learning more about current efforts and upcoming trends as they relate to global affairs in the year ahead. Again, something I think has value for MBA studies. Several years ago, I wouldn’t have even considered applying for this opportunity. I’ve learned, though, that these opportunities are a chance to gain relevant skills (or improve old ones) and foster new relationships. And those relationships may ultimately be the most valuable takeaway from these experiences. As you continue in your academic journey, I hope you will consider exploring opportunities that, even though they take you briefly outside your direct field of study, give you the chance to broaden your perspective and foster new relationships.