What I like about Washington, DC?  American University.   There’s many reasons.  First and foremost, it’s my alma mater.  I have both my undergrad and grad degrees from AU — a BA in Communications and MBA in Marketing.  It’s also where my father pursued a doctorate while he was an officer in the US Army.

I enjoyed my time at AU … one of the things that stands out is the diversity of the student body.  So many different people from different cultures and different countries.  I remember my primary group during my MBA days consisted of one student from Saudi Arabia, one from the Dominican Republic and one from Jamaica.  I also had a good friend in b-school from Africa.  I know we each learned and grew a lot in talking about our respective cultures.

I also remember being a bit perplexed about being half-American and half-Japanese.  That’s when one of my classmates told me in the library that I should be lucky since I come from two distinct cultures.  That’s when the light bulb went off and I actually embraced and respecting my Japanese side as much as my American side.

I also loved the campus … set in a private setting in Northwest DC.   The Quad was a favorite hang-out spot.

I also made a number of friendships, including a couple that are lifelong friendships — Thom Butler and Billy Stone.

Another highlight is coming back to teach a class at my alma mater in the 90’s.  I co-taught an Internet Marketing course with John Tierney for the MBA program at Kogod Business School.  It was the first ever IT course taught in the DC area.   And, it was especially special since one of my favorite professors, Dr Mike Mazis, helped us with the course and used to sit in on the class (he asked more questions than the students)!

I also have enjoyed watching Coach Jeff Jones take the Eagles into the NCAA Tourney a couple of times over the past few years.

Yes, I teach and work at Georgetown University, which I love.  But, I’m also proud to be an AU Eagle.  It’s great to be part of two terrific universities.