Bassel Bashour is a first-year Master of International Affairs student with a concentration in National Security and Diplomacy.
Introduce Yourself
My name is Bassel Bashour. I’m an MIA student, meaning Masters of International Affairs. I’m currently concentrating in Diplomacy and National Security. I have previous experience in education and politics and in foreign languages, and I’m really hoping to apply that previous experience to public service and serving my community.
Why did you choose the Bush School?
I really like to think back to what George HW Bush said about public service. He said that it’s a noble calling for men and women not only to serve their communities, but their state and their country. And I think that really attracted me because I’ve worked as a public school teacher before and I’ve served my community, but I really wanted to take things up a notch and serve my entire country and give back to it after it has given me so much. Also, looking at the Bush school, I noticed that it’s a very close knit community where everybody knows each other. Everybody’s very approachable and easy to talk to. And on top of that, we have a wide range of students with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. So I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to broaden my horizons.
What did you appreciate most about your first semester?
I think something that I really appreciated about my first semester was the fact that I got to serve in the Student Government Association, where I got to, you know, take on more leadership opportunities, organize events, collaborate with other students to plan bigger projects. Besides that, I also was able to work as a Bush Board Fellows and work with the United Way of Brazos Valley, which really gave me more in depth experience about the logistics behind a nonprofit organization. So I really appreciated that real world experience that I got just from my first semester.
What advice would you give a younger version of yourself applying to the Bush School?
I think if I was able to talk to my younger self, I would probably tell myself to not view the application as an information collecting process, but rather a way for me to tell my story. My story of public service and how is it how I was able to give back to my community? I would also advise myself to talk to current Bush school students and, you know, reach out to them, get their advice on the application because their school students are, you know, very open to talking to prospective students. I think I would also attend social events and networking events around the Bush school just so that I get a better idea of what the culture is and whether it’s a good fit for me or not.
