The former U.S. ambassador to the European Union encouraged graduates to be leaders in foreign policy at the Elliott School of International Affairs commencement ceremony Friday.
Student speaker Samhita Dulam, guest speaker and former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Kristen Silverberg and the Elliott School Dean Alyssa Ayres congratulated over 550 graduates as they prepare to enter the field of international affairs amid a time of increasing global tension. The speakers told students to leverage their education at the Elliott School to become future leaders who find solutions to complex geopolitical challenges.
Silverberg, who served as U.S. ambassador to the European Union under former President George W. Bush’s administration, said graduates are ready to carry forward the Elliott School’s “tradition of leadership.” She encouraged graduates to think about what kind of leaders they will become as they enter the field of politics and diplomacy.
“In my experience, the best jobs, the ones worth going after and keeping, are those that put you in the company of people you like and admire, men and women with a good spirit and a sense of purpose,” Silverberg said.
Silverberg shared stories about her time working under the Bush administration in a “polarized” political environment where people can get “carried away” with their political loyalties.
“But throughout my time in Washington, I’ve known many people I like and respect who hold opinions very different from my own,” Silverberg said. “Some differences matter, and you shouldn’t shy away from debate.”
Silverberg said her abilities to work with both Republicans and Democrats helped her secure the support she needed in the Senate to be confirmed as the ambassador to the European Union. She encouraged graduates entering the job force to reach across the political aisle and work with people who might disagree with them and find common ground.
“The truth is most of the time, politics is not where life is lived,” Silverberg said. “So the important lesson is this — don’t choose your friends by politics.”

Dean Ayres said graduates are entering the workforce during a period of “tumult and disruption” in foreign policy with intensified U.S. relations with China and President Donald Trump’s administration’s moves to reduce foreign aid assistance. She said these “major changes” reshaped the way the graduates in the field of international affairs and diplomacy will engage with the world.
“We have other moments in our history that parallel today with a desire to refocus attention away from the world and towards the homeland,” Ayres said. “And I know that may make some of you wonder about the relevance of our field of international affairs.”
Ayres said the Elliott School has “sustained” throughout “different emphases” on how to engage with the world, and graduates are equipped with the skills to navigate a changing world.
“I have absolutely no doubt that we will meet today and will certainly meet in the years to come,” Ayres said. “Your knowledge, expertise and skills to carry us forward to address the new international problems that we know will continually arise.”
Dulam asked graduates to lead “with knowledge” and continue to keep questioning and learning as they enter their career at embassies, think tanks and on Capitol Hill. She said the Elliott School prepares graduates to “embrace” complex global crises and find solutions to these challenges.
“The world beyond Foggy Bottom is calling for each of us,” Dulam said. “We step into uncertainty and shifting alliances and global crises. The weight of history is on our shoulders, and the responsibility for the future is in our hands, and yet, we are ready.”