Submitted by Michael J. Del Moro, FrontLines Intern, USAID
The buzz about a fresh, youthful energy infiltrating the agency was at full pitch today when a group of student interns got the chance to meet Administrator Shah in an informal setting. For months, young-ins like me had experienced the abundance of energy and passion for success at USAID and have now found the source: a sharp, well-spoken leader with the ability to change the way people think about development.
Forty of my colleagues and I had the privilege of taking pictures with Dr. Shah and listening to his plea for us to accept that the big issues of world hunger, disease and lawlessness are not indefinite tragedies, but solvable problems.
The Administrator spoke off-the-cuff for about 10 minutes before fielding questions ranging from how he got to where he is to how he intends to improve Agency deficiencies like understaffing.
Interns walked away with a photo with a VIP and insight into USAID leadership. I hope the Administrator walked away excited about our enthusiasm. We are proud to be the next generation of development professionals.