Middle Schoolers Visit German Consulate to Learn About Diplomacy
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Sierra Canyon School students at German Consulate with history teacher Dmitri Goudkov, far left. Joining them in the back row, from left, are Consul Michael Ott and Consul General Drautz.
(© Germany.info/Los Angeles)
Middle school students from Sierra Canyon School, a private school located in Chatsworth in the northern San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, took a field trip to Los Angeles on January 17 to visit the German Consulate General to learn about a career in diplomacy and gain insight into the life and work of a foreign diplomat.
The students were accompanied by their history teacher, Dmitri Goudkov, who hoped the visit would spark an interest in his pupils in diplomacy and Germany - two of his own passions - having himself studied Diplomacy at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and also worked as a Russian-German interpreter.
Consul General Wolfgang Drautz and Cultural Affairs Consul Michael Ott explained how they came to enter into the foreign service and told the students what life of a diplomat entailed. The students in turn asked questions and were most fascinated by the diplomats' new postings every three to four years and impact of the constant change on their lives. Consul General Drautz then encouraged the pupils, some who already spoke foreign languages including German, French, and Russian, that if they were interested in studying aboard, they should look into study and exchange programs at their future institutions of higher learning.
This is the third year that students from Sierra Canyon School, which embraces the motto of fostering a community of excellence, have had the opportunity to visit consulates in the Los Angeles area and learn about the art of diplomatic relations between countries and people.
