The afternoon of Wednesday, April 8, International Student House of Washington, DC (ISH-DC) welcomed His Excellency Ashok Mirpuri, Ambassador of Singapore to the United States, to join us for our first virtual program, an off-the-record conversation on Singapore-United States relations, geopolitics, and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region. Ambassador Mirpuri also spoke about Singapore’s efforts to manage COVID-19 and how the country is working with international partners, including the United States, to limit the global spread of the virus.
While we very much look forward to the day when we can once again gather in our Great Hall as we had originally intended, we were grateful for Ambassador Mirpuri’s willingness to participate in our Ambassadorial Dialogue Series as we adapted to an online platform. The discussion was exceptionally well received with a number of resident scholars, Board members, and friends of the House participating in the dialogue. We were also pleased to have members of the Association of Women in International Trade (WIIT) join the program.
An unexpected benefit of holding the conversation virtually was the ability to welcome ISH-DC alumni from around the world. Former resident scholars joined us from Argentina, Austria, England, France, Germany, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland. Our alumni where able to join the conversation from afar and asked a number of questions during the discussion.
Thank you to the Embassy of Singapore and Ambassador Mirpuri for such an excellent opportunity, and to all our guests for joining us for what we plan to be the first of many such programs before we can once again convene together in our historic house in Dupont.
