Note from the Program Director: On Thursday morning, July 23, our students had the opportunity to visit The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation to meet with the organization’s President and CEO, Frank Jannuzi. The Mansfield Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to promote understanding and cooperation between the United States and Asian nations, including Japan. It runs the prestigious Mansfield Fellowship Program, and organizes many different exchanges, policy discussions, research projects, and publications. Frank Jannuzi informed and entertained our students with stories about the too-little-known Mike Mansfield and his wife Maureen, and about the work of the Mansfield Foundation. He inspired students when he talked about his own career trajectory, including time in the US Senate and US Department of State, and gave us a lot of time to ask questions afterwards. The visit provided excellent insights into the US-Japan and Asia relationships – and how nations work to promote peace and avoid conflict. The discussion was lively and covered a lot of topics and concerns. Here are our some of our students’ reflections afterwards.

Morgan:
Mike Mansfield became the US Ambassador to Japan, and is the longest serving Ambassador plus the longest serving Senate Majority Leader. He helped to pass so many important laws pertaining to the civil rights and the Voting Rights Act while he was in the Senate. He was basically a bridge between East Asia and America, and yet was incredibly humble. His tombstone looks like any other army man’s tomb, nothing extravagant or special. I can’t believe he isn’t talked about at all.

Jaylen:
I thought the visit was nice but I do wish there was even more time for questions. The part that stuck out most to me is the part where Frank was talking about Mike Mansfield and the fact that he was so humble about all the things he had done and how he has really no recognition. A life lesson I took away from Frank’s presentation is to stay humble and don’t let life get the best of you. And I did really like the view.

Demetris:
The part of Frank’s presentation that had the biggest impact on me was how grateful he was and how persistent he was, and I want to keep going and work hard just like he did, because I want to learn more about the world like he did. I felt really surprised that he had many interactions with Senator Biden, which all were funny, but really I liked how more motivated I was and interesting it was. I love how Frank got hired in the Senate, and he told the story of Biden saying, “If someone is too proud to admit that they’re wrong or don’t know, and if I go up and say the BS you said, then I look stupid, and you need to find a new job.” So saying “I don’t know” is the best answer to give if you don’t know at all. So stay humble and don’t pretend you know everything, because YOU! DON’T! AT ALL!  

Madisen:
Frank’s talking about Mansfield’s life interested me because he grew up with little money and ran away from home. Mansfield even joined the military at 13 and dealt with government and international affairs over many decades. Despite his impactful life, he died with no fortune of money, which shows how Mansfield wanted to serve the common good, rather than get rich and earn a fortune. Life lesson: “Don’t pretend you know stuff, because then you’re going to give me a BS answer and I’ll tell that BS answer to other people.”

Pippa:
I thought it was really cool to meet Frank because he had some really important roles in the government and worked with really important people. I thought the Mansfield Foundation was so interesting, especially when Frank said that at the very tables we were sitting at, they had just had a nuclear energy discussion with international groups. I think I would be interested in future internship opportunities there. The part that had the biggest impact on me personally was his response to my question about the intersection between sustainable energy and international affairs. It was impactful for me because I’m really interested in learning about that and hearing that the US and Japan are doing a lot of collaboration based on nuclear energy was really cool to hear about. The main lesson I take away is that you should choose a career relating to your interest, but your exact job doesn’t have to be set in stone. Frank had worked in a lot of settings and gained valuable experiences before going to Mansfield, so having variation in the work you do can actually be a good thing.

Christian:
My feelings about the visit were positive and I felt like I gained a lot of knowledge – from Japan to China and how nations are moved to action through Fear. Frank speaking about his time in the State Department along with Joe Biden impacted me. The way he humanized and spoke truly about his time made the stories amazing. An important lesson I will take away is people can never be fully understood. Nations are the same, and with enough pressure can be forced into doing things they normally wouldn’t do.