Neil's Notebook - Opening doors of opportunity for Hawaii's students
June 12, 2008
Besama Alghussein “I actually love it a lot,” says Kahuku High School graduate and current Mount Holyoke College senior Besama Alghussein while describing her first days as a summer intern in Congressman Neil Abercrombie’s Washington, D.C. office. “I like working here because it makes me feel closer to home.”
Her D.C. experience also brings her closer to a city where decisions are made on issues that inspired her to major in international relations and economics. Alghussein says her class work and debate activities at Kahuku High School on Oahu and the 9/11 terror attacks affected her choice of majors. A turning point in her academic career occurred when she and her debate teammate in high school won the state championship. The topic—weapons of mass destruction—led her to build a case for tactical nuclear weapons agreements.
Wilson Unga As a student several years ago at Kahuku High School in Hawaii, Wilson Unga got his first taste of international relations while participating in a mock United Nations project. Today, he’s a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. who’s interning in Congressman Neil Abercrombie’s Capitol Hill office. He has degree in International Politics with a main certificate in Asian Studies and concentration in Security Studies. He joins fellow Kahuku graduate and summer intern Besama Alghussein, also majoring in international relations at Mount Holyoke College, in the Abercrombie office.
“The best part of going to school here is the faculty,” says Unga who found some of his most memorable classes were taught by leaders such former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Spain Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, and the former President of Poland, Alexsander Kwaniewski.When he’s not navigating the Halls of Congress, Wilson enjoys kayaking, surfing, reading, and taking in D.C.’s many museums. He’s found Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis to be an idyllic kayaking spot, but there’s nothing better than the surf back home for this native of Oahu's beautiful North Shore. _________________________________________________________
Below: Summer Interns Besama Alghussein (left) and fellow Kahuku High School graduate Wilson Unga are enjoying a reunion of sorts on the Hill.
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