Creating Opportunity 101

Friday October 2^nd, 2009 was a day that I will never forget.  I remember waking up still tired from studying the night before.  It is 6 am, I don’t have class on Fridays, what am I doing up so early?  These thoughts raced through my mind as I was hit the snooze button on my Blackberry.  It didn’t take long however for me to remember that today was the big day.  Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy had acquired day passes to the Governor’s Global Climate Summit in Century City and offered them to a few interested students.  Leadership from around the world would be at this event to discuss all things related to the environment and policy.  This was my chance to seize the day and watch history unfold right before my eyes.  In an instant, the feeling of grogginess that usually accompanies my early mornings suddenly vanished.

I arrived at the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel slightly after 8:30am.  The woman who checked my ID and handed me my badge was slightly disorganized, she ran out of lanyards and schedules.   I had absolutely no idea where to go.  As I wandered around I came across an old friend of mine who by coincidence happened to be working on the official film crew for the event.  My friend Rick and I exchanged hellos then he mentioned that he had been at the summit all week filming various dignitaries for the event.  It was at this point that he mentioned the possibility of interviewing Tony Blair and Governor Schwarzenegger later today.  Rick asked if I would be interested in watching the interview from up close. YES, absolutely.  We made arrangements to meet once he got the official green light to interview Tony Blair.  I decided to find my way to the first discussion of the morning.

The first discussion was about how sub-national and federal governments can partner together to achieve common goals pertaining to the environment.  The panelists included the Governors of New York, Oregon, and Washington and Governors from Brazil, Nigeria, and Indonesia.  I decided to head over to the Agriculture breakout session immediately after and it was here where my day really took a change.  I can’t explain it, but I felt something in the air from the moment I entered the conference room.  I took my seat and made friends with another student, Molly from UCLA.  We discussed our experiences in our respective programs and what we hoped to gain from the summit.  It was at this moment that an usher from the Hyatt, Jimmy, introduced himself. Jimmy noticed that I did not have a lanyard to properly display my pass for the event.  Jimmy explained that with the high levels of security I would be subject to questioning by authorities all day unless I displayed my ticket.  He decided that he would make it his priority to find a lanyard for me.  At this point, the panel discussion began.

This was one the most interesting discussions I have ever witnessed.  Ann Veneman of UNICEF moderated a discussion that included Mark Cackler a representative from The World Bank, Nikolaus Berlakovich the Austrian Minister of Agriculture, John Hickman Director of Renewable Energy from John Deere, and the President Diouf of the Fatick Region of Senegal.  The discourse was thought provoking and heart breaking.  The people of Senegal are suffering.  Many children there are hungry.  The rural farmers there have no choice but to water their crops with contaminated water.  President Diouf pleaded for help.  I have never witnessed such humility, this man traveled across the globe to ask the people of a developed nation for help.  I was touched, I lived in Juarez, Mexico for a short period as a child and grew up in Pacoima, California yet I have never encountered the levels of poverty described by President Diouf.  At this moment I felt a real sense of purpose, I must do everything in my power to make my corner of the world a better place.  I must do all that I can to ensure that I have a positive impact as many people as possible while I have the chance.

I received a text message from my friend Rick that he would be interviewing Tony Blair immediately after the lunch time panel discussion.  I was excited.  It was at this moment that I realized that I may not be able to see the lunch panel because of the pass I held.  Tickets for the lunch cost about $200 and I debated the opportunity cost of spending $200.  Suddenly Jimmy the usher approached me. He had been looking for me because he found a lanyard.  I was surprised that he bothered to find me.  I thanked him and we chatted.  He asked if I would be attending the lunch panel as it was surely something that shouldn’t be missed.  I mentioned that I needed to purchase my ticket to the lunch and he told me that there might be a few empty seats.  Jimmy checked and sure enough there where two seats near the middle of the room.  I was shocked.  Jimmy saved me $200 and put me in a position to witness history.  Jimmy escorted me to my seat and I immediately asked if he would be kind enough to let Molly in as well.  He did. I introduced myself to the others at my table.  The lunch panel consisted of a speech by actor Rob Lowe, a lecture on climate control by Thomas Friedman, and concluded with a casual conversation between Tony Blair, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Governor Schwarzenegger, and Ann Thompson of NBC.  Thomas Friedman talked about the key issues in his new book, why we need to develop new sources of energy, and how being the first country with clean reusable energy technology would positively impact the United States.  The discussion between Dr. Pachauri, Governor Schwarzenegger, and Tony Blair centered on what we must do as global citizens to reduce pollution worldwide.

Rick texted me that I needed to walk to the media tent immediately if I wanted to see Tony Blair up close.  I met the film crew and was escorted past all of the police officers, past private security, past secret service types, and strolled casually into the media tent.  Tony Blair arrived moments later.  I was standing nearly 6 feet away from one of the most influential people in the world.  I watched as Tony Blair gave interviews to various international news stations, he posed for pictures, and shook hands with various people in attendance.  I decided to head back down to the main convention area immediately after watching Tony Blair give his interviews and it was here that I had the chance to meet Dr. Pachauri.  I jumped on this once in a lifetime opportunity and introduced myself to Dr. Pachauri.  Surprisingly Dr. Pachauri was approachable.  This was huge considering he shares a Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore.  We spoke about his comments during the lunch panel and posed for a picture.  Afterward I walked back to the main convention hall and found a seat.

Governor Schwarzenegger would be signing an international climate treaty later that afternoon with many of the dignitaries in attendance.  The convention hall was nearly empty.  I scanned the room for familiar faces and saw President Diouf sitting by himself on the opposite end of the room.  I decided to go over and introduce myself.  President Diouf was a good man.  Although there was a language barrier, we managed to have a lengthy conversation about his country and the problems they face.  We posed for a picture and then President Diouf offered his business card and mentioned that I should email him if I have any questions about Senegal.  The treaty signing was about to begin, the hall began to fill in with audience members.  I needed to find a seat, I excused myself from the President and he in turn offered that I sit with him in the front area near the stage.  My heart raced.  We sat in the front section of the ballroom with leaders from Indonesia and  a few other nations.  The signing was about to begin, President Diouf excused himself so that he could approach the stage and take his seat before signing.

Sitting in traffic on my drive I kept asking myself what the significance of today meant in relation to my personal and academic goals.  I thought about Pepperdine’s Mission Statement of purpose, service, and leadership.  Today was more than just a Friday. Today may have been the first day of the rest of my life.

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