Alumni

November 1, 2016 at 12:30 pm

Alum Visits 50 States, Sets Sights on the World

Michael Sliwinski signs 5-0 for the 50 states he's visited.

Michael Sliwinski signs 5-0 for the 50 states he’s visited.

Ohio University alum Michael Sliwinski is putting his History degree and Geography minor to work in D.C.

He works full-time at the U.S. Department of Justice as an office support assistant. Most weekends he works part-time at Mount Vernon, a museum where George Washington lived.

He also volunteers at the World Affairs Council and writes freelance articles for Law Street Media. His most recent article was on “Do Presidential Debates Really Matter?” about the history of debates in the United States.

“One of the first high-profile debates between politicians occurred back in 1858, but it wasn’t between presidential candidates. The famous Lincoln-Douglas debates shaped the Senate race in Illinois, but they were quite different from the modern style of debates we see today,” he writes. “These debates only came about because Lincoln had been following Douglas on the campaign trail and asking questions at a number of his stops, which eventually led the two to hold a series of formal debates. These debates were quite long and did not even feature moderators. Following that election, there were no high-profile debates for roughly 90 years, as candidates instead preferred to make individual speeches.”

Michael Sliwinski explores the cave cities in Mexico.

Michael Sliwinski explores the cave cities in Mexico.

50 States and Still Traveling

“I graduated from Ohio University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in History and a minor in Geography,” says Sliwinski. “I lived in Athens for another year to save up money then moved to Georgia for graduate school. I earned my Master’s in International Policy from the University of Georgia in 2014.” He now lives in the Washington, D.C., metro area.

“I have been to all fifty states, that is why I have the 5-0 sign in the picture. The other picture is when I was at the cave cities in new Mexico. This past year I also had the opportunity to travel to Japan. Ultimately I would like to work at the Department of State in an embassy.

“In my free time I enjoy playing basketball, I volunteer at the World Affairs Council and I travel.”

The World Affairs Councils of America represents and supports the largest national non-partisan network of local councils that are dedicated to educating, inspiring and engaging Americans in international affairs and the critical global issues of our times.

 

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