Spotlight on Markus Hueren '05 
Markus Hueren, from Moenchengladbach, Germany, spent his ASSIST year at Kents Hill School in Maine. Now back in Germany, Markus has many successful and special experiences to reflect upon and much to teach his German classmates about his year in America.
Markus's time at Kents Hill reflects the positive impact of an international exchange experience. Being an election year in the U.S., he worked as a volunteer for a presidential campaign, later writing an article about this for a German magazine. He was involved in several community projects, helping at a food bank and a local nursing home. He joined the ski race team and served as a dormitory Proctor.
A young man with many different interests, Markus had an opportunity to tackle one of his passions head on during his time at Kents Hill School. As a member of the Junge Union (Young Union), the youth organization of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Markus has always pursued an interest in politics. He was thrilled to learn, then, that Kents Hill School had nominated him to participate in the Global Young Leaders Conference, held in Washington, D.C., and New York City this past June. Markus was among 400 outstanding scholars from across the globe to attend the conference.
At the start of the conference in Washington, all of the participants were divided into groups representing various countries. Markus, along with 19 other students, represented the United States. Through their interaction with key leaders and newsmakers who made presentations on various political, financial, cultural and diplomatic issues, the student groups spent their time preparing for the Global Summit, the final event of the conference.
The Global Summit, held at the United Nations in New York City, gave Markus and his group the opportunity to apply what they learned over the week. Debates and diplomatic negotiations took place on issues such as foreign aid, global warming, terrorism and human rights. For Markus and his group, all of these issues had to be presented from the viewpoint of the United States and its interests. This was an impressive feat for a group of students representing different nationalities.
"After our successful Global Summit, we had a tour of the United Nations, which was really interesting. We had a farewell dinner cruise on the Hudson River, which was an amazing conclusion to the conference," Markus said.
When the conference ended, Markus returned to Germany for the summer. Still motivated by his interest in politics, he worked as an intern with the state parliament of North-Rhine Westphalia during his summer break. Markus' instinct to immerse himself in Kents Hill School and make notable contributions are in the truest spirit of ASSIST.
Working for the European Union in Brussels - The Capital of Europe
By Katerina Cermakova
The 1995-96 school year was a turning point in my life. I was sixteen. It was the first time I was crossing the Atlantic to spend an unforgettable year at Hebron Academy in Maine. It was the first time I was on my own for an extended period of time without my parents' protective hand. Thinking back, this year gave me a new sense of direction in my life and in my thoughts about my future career.
t was the first time I rethought my dreams of being a doctor. I believe that the major shift in my career plans came when I participated in Hebron's diplomatic competition, Model United Nations, held in Washington D.C. Back then, I was representing the West African country of Senegal in UNICEF. After this diplomatic experience, the international environment of Hebron and my extensive travels later on, I realized that instead of medicine, international relations would be a better fit for me.
Two years later, back in the Czech Republic, I chose to major in Political Science and European Studies at the Palacky University in Olomouc. My college years were to be crucial transitional years for my country, which was, at that time, negotiating and re-negotiating its entry into the European Union. Majoring in European Studies, I was closely following what was going on and, together with my classmates, wondering, if we would finally become part of the European Union (EU).
In 2000, I took part in a European Union scholarship which brought me to Leuven Katholieke Universiteit, a prestigious Belgian University just about 30km away from Brussels, the "Capital of Europe" . I managed to get into one of the European Master's program classes, which dealt with the political problems of the EU, although I was only a second year student. One of the University excursions took me for the first time to the European Union headquarters. I would never think that one day I would be part of this European officials' world.
I should have finished my studies in the Czech Republic by 2003, but, instead I chose to, once again, cross the Atlantic to take part in a Master's Program at the Miami University of Ohio. I was selected by my home University to attend this program and during my studies, I also worked as a Teacher's Assistant (TA). Being a TA was alot of fun. It reminded me of all of the American college movies that I had seen, the only difference being that this was my reality. I managed to get my Political Science Master's in one year, instead of the usual two, although there were times that I hardly got any sleep. During my time at Miami University, I, once again, met people from all over the world. The USA just felt like the right place for me to be and so I planned to come back right after I finish my last year of studies in the Czech Republic.
During my last year of studies, I came back to the US for a couple of weeks in spring to do an internship with the University of California at San Diego Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation.. I was back again in the summer of 2004 to help with the organization of the IGCC's summer seminars on Public Policy and Nuclear Threats and Public Policy and Biological & Chemical Threats. As a part of my US experience, I also did some research and public policy analysis for a Los Angeles based environmental group called Children's Health Environmental Coalition. I was looking into the possibility of finding a real job and getting some more professional experience in the USA. By then it was my second home. I was also considering to get a US law degrees.
At that very moment, I did not know that my career would take me back to Europe. I celebrated the Czech Republic's entry into the EU on May 1, 2004 from the US.. Around that time I filled the application for an in-service training to be a stagiaire (intern) with the European Commission. I was aware of the fact that I was one of a couple of thousand of young people from all the Member States, and the world, in the running for this highly competitive training program.
At the end of October, I, once again crossed the Atlantic. This time, however, it was in the opposite direction back towards Europe. On November 1, 2004, I joined the 500, or so, trainees that were offered a contract for five month period! It was a crucial time for the European Union and the European Commission. On the same day I joined the service, the new President of the European Commission, under the Portuguese Commission, President Jose Manuel Barrosso, was sworn in. It was just a couple of days later that the newly renovated Commission building, Berlaymont, was open for European officials and the group of stagiaires. We received a similar badge, to those of the officials, which gave us the right to enter into any of the EU institutions.
I was assigned to a geographical unit dealing with the countries of Central Africa and the Great Lakes Region. I had the opportunity to work directly with one of the geographical desk officers. My work covered two Central African countries, namely Chad and Central African Republic (CAR). My duties included keeping an up-to-date file on the progress in the two countries, writing the weekly newsletter for the unit, and acting as liaison for my office with the EU delegations and Member States. I also assisted other colleagues with their respective countries on an ad-hoc basis. Given my interest in security and conflict resolution, Central Africa, which is characterized by state fragility and civil wars of enormous dimension, with states like Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and CAR, it was a first hand experience on the problems of countries emerging from long-term and bloody conflicts. Moreover, I was also assigned to closely follow the progress in the Kimberley Process for the region. The Kimberly Process is a framework to stop diamond trafficking and the so-called blood diamonds that were recognized to fuel many of Africa's civil wars.
On my own initiative, I regularly attended the Inter-Service Task Force on Peace Facility for Africa. Thanks to my supervisor, who tried to involve me in all aspects of his work, I was also present at number of significant bilateral and multilateral diplomatic negotiations with the African counterparts, as well as the EU Member States. Among other highlights of my work experience at the European Commission was the February 2005 visit of President George W. Bush. It was the first time the US President paid a visit to the EU headquarters and I was directly involved in the Commission's internal preparations for this visit. I was put in charge of drafting a document focusing on US External Relations and the Interests in the Central African region. This paper came to be used as a basis for negotiation.
Overall, my work in the Commission was a valuable experience allowing me to take part in the life and work of European officials. I have seen the integrated Europe and the growing European identity in practice. Each of my colleagues was of a different nationality. The meetings regularly switched from one language to another, with French and English being the dominant two. I have seen the war-like security preparations before major summits and important visits. I have seen demonstrations with people of different sectors trying to influence the direction of European policies. I have experienced the interaction of the different levels of government, the regional, national and supranational, so unique to Europe. I have made a decision to stay in Brussels and, eventually, with a little bit of luck, make it back to the European Commission as a European official ready to contribute to the European integration cause as well as to the EU's increasing role on the world scene. Life in Brussels has shown me how competitive an environment it can be, so I might have a long professional journey ahead of me, but I strongly believe that this is the right place for me to be for the moment.
Shortly after I finished my work at the Commission, I started to work for an International Transatlantic Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) - the EastWest Institute. I work as a Project Assistant in the Global Security Program of the Brussels. I am involved in the launching of a Consortium on Security and Technology. The Consortium involves interaction with the EU institutions and closely following the EU and national policy developments in the security area. I continue to build up my professional experience in the field of global security gathering stepping stones to lead me to the job of my dreams at the European Union or other significant international organization. I believe I am on the right track.
Tom Oliver '88 Performs at Café Del Mar in Spain
For those of you who remember Tom Kirfel '88, you will be interested to read of his continued success as the musician, Tom Oliver. From Germany, Tom spent his ASSIST year at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut. His career has evolved from providing musical production for television stars and then embarking on a solo music career.
Tom has performed all over the world playing for such stars as Madonna, soccer legend Ronaldo, tennis champion Boris Becker and Princess Stephanie of Monaco among others. His music combines many styles from pop to soul and R&B influenced tunes. He has been writing songs since he was a teenager. In addition to playing piano and singing, Tom also plays keyboards and cornet.
Recently, Tom was 1 of 4 artists worldwide selected by Café del Mar in Ibiza, Spain, to play live at the festival's "25th Anniversary" celebration, held on August 20. The Café Del Mar is an exquisite venue for music located on the Mediterranean Ocean. Tom performed before a crowd of 2000 people, playing a selection of his own songs for over one hour. Tom played piano and sang, accompanied by the saxophone player from his band.
A German television station (SAT1) was on location in Spain to film the concert. A DVD of the festival will be released later this year by Café del Mar. To learn more about Tom Oliver and his music, visit his website at www.tom-oliver.com.
