Department of State deputy director speaks at OSU Global briefing series
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Media Contact: Page Mindedahl | Communications Specialist | 405-744-9782 | page.mindedahl@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University welcomed Dan Langenkemp, deputy director and spokesperson for the Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, to speak at its Global Briefing Series on Tuesday in the Wes Watkins Center for International Trade Development.
Langenkamp discussed U.S. policy in Ukraine as part of the series, which brings prominent speakers to campus to enable a campuswide understanding of important global trends.
Langenkamp previously served as a legislative fellow with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. From 2020-22, he was the spokesperson and press attaché for the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. He has also served the U.S. in various positions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Uganda, Vietnam and Côte d’Ivoire.
Originally from Tulsa, Langenkemp spent much of his childhood traveling to Mexico with his father and brother. From a young age, he knew he had a passion for helping people worldwide, leading him to serve in the Peace Corps.
A majority of his presentation Tuesday discussed how students could get involved with international diplomacy and different routes they could take toward working in foreign policy. Langenkemp said anyone from any background can become a global leader, explaining to students why investing in other nations worldwide is important for the U.S.
“That is why I'm here. I really want you to understand what it means to do this work,” Langenkemp said. “You don't have to have a special background. You don't have to have any kind of different education. We had people who didn't have college degrees in my class. We had lawyers, teachers, farmworkers join. We want people from all different backgrounds because, without these backgrounds, you don't fully represent the United States.”
Jenks High School’s International Scholars Program attended the briefing. It’s a class that offers a two-year experience for students to learn about global consciousness and awareness among a younger generation. For the past three years, the class has come to OSU during the spring semester for their “OSU Day,” where they can sit in on undergraduate classes and attend the Global Briefing Series.
“It’s very unique. There are learning programs, different speakers and different opportunities here at OSU. We really encourage our students to engage in academic conversation and attend different speaker events like this one,” said Kody Engle, program coordinator for the Jenks International Scholars.
Many students asked Langenkemp questions after his presentation, most of them regarding how they could get their start in foreign policy. One Jenks student remarked how important events like the Briefing Series were to learning about possibilities for his future.
“It gives me the opportunity to be able to learn about jobs that I don't typically learn through school and something that I'm interested in is global studies,” junior Jacob Garrett said. “Jobs where I can go around the world, and I don't hear about it a lot. So this is interesting.”