Manhattanville College senior Kendra White has been chosen to attend the International Cultural Diplomacy Conference on "Cultural Diplomacy and the UN" in New York City and Washington, D.C. February 21-24.

A double major in International Studies and History, White was chosen by the International Studies Program as the Manhattanville representative at the conference. The INS program is sponsoring White, providing the cost of conference travel and attendance. She had to apply for acceptance to the ICD conference on her own.

"Attending the ICD Conference will provide me with the opportunity to discover new initiatives in the field of Cultural Diplomacy and International Relations," White said. "This would be especially beneficial to me for my future involvement in international affairs."

In her application White emphasized her interest in how cultural factors play into international political issues and global culture, indicating that the conference will further her development in this area of study.

The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy's event brings together government and diplomatic officials, civil society practitioners, students and scholars, and other interested stakeholders from across the world for a program of lectures, workshops, panel and group discussions and social and cultural activities featuring leading figures from the fields of politics, the arts, academia, media, and business.

The "Conference on The United Nations and Cultural Diplomacy" is one of a three–part series of International Conferences held by the ICD on the issue of 'International Institutions and Global Governance: The Role of Cultural Diplomacy'. The aim of the conference this year is to reflect on the role of institutions such as the United Nations within the international system, on global governance as a whole in terms of key international issues and on how Cultural Diplomacy takes place.

"I believe that my different classes in political science, history and international studies, as well as my involvement in different clubs, such as the Coalition on Violence against women and the Student Activist Coalition have prepared me for this conference," White said. "The strong support of several of my professors has also helped my preparation."

Making it possible for qualified students to attend major international conferences is one of the initiatives the International Studies Program is working on to help attract and support strong students with an INS major.