Perry Stamp

“Studying at Richmond gave me the opportunity to get an international perspective on international relations. Richmond excels at bringing together people from various backgrounds, forcing them to confront preconceived ideas about each other and about the world in which we live. In my first year at Richmond, I had ten different professors from seven different countries and classmates from dozens more. Coming from a small town in the mid-western U.S., this experience alone was profound. Never before in my life had I been surrounded by such diversity. Another advantage of Richmond is the access that students have to their professors. They develop meaningful connections with the students and offer one-on-one mentorship. I can’t stress enough how helpful it was to be able to show up at office hours and talk through complicated issues or to get advice about internships and careers. It made all the difference.

Today, I am a Foreign Service Officer (diplomat) with the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C, posted to our consulate in São Paulo, Brazil. My job is to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives while building strong and meaningful business, cultural, and personal relationships between the United States and Brazil.”

Perry graduated from Richmond University in 2008 with a BA Degree in International Relations.

Dounia Saadi Drissi

“My year at Richmond was very exciting in both the learning and the social aspects. The small class size made it easier to make connections, switching from classmates to good friends. I had the opportunity to take very interesting courses, held by some of the best faculty members. My Richmond experience has granted me the chance to develop skills and competencies such as multitasking, teamwork and rigour. At the same time, it has encouraged me to grab each and every opportunity, to do more and be more, a mind-set that is incredibly valuable in both the workplace and elsewhere, and I am so grateful for that.”

Dounia graduated from Richmond University in 2016 with an MBA. She is currently a Consultant Wealth and Asset Management at Ernst and Young in Paris.

Ryan Baldry

Ryan Baldry graduated from Richmond University in December 2014 with a BA Degree in International Relations. In the months before graduation, Ryan was already working part time for the Conservative Party in Westminster. Upon graduation, Ryan worked full time on the General Election campaign in May 2015 which resulted in a Conservative win. Since May, Ryan has been Parliamentary Assistant to David Mackintosh MP (CON, Northampton South) where some of his duties are research, speech writing, press, correspondence and administration. Ryan has also been able to establish a cross-party Parliamentary group for Ending Homeless which brings together Members of Parliament, Peers in the House of Lords and key charities in the sector in order to bring about an end to homelessness. Recently, Ryan has also travelled to Israel and Palestine as part of a cross-party UK Parliamentary delegation to see for himself the situation that is unfolding there.

Ryan Baldry graduated from Richmond University in December 2014 with a BA Degree in International Relations. He is Parliamentary Assistant and Office Manager at House of Commons, London.

Tessy Antony de Luxembourg

Tessy Antony de Luxembourg graduated with a BA in International Relations from Richmond University in 2014. She is currently the Global Advocate for Young Women and Adolescent Girls for UNAIDS (Geneva), an Associate Fellow in the Global Health Department at Chatham House (London), a Trauma Therapist at Groupe de Support Psychologique (Luxembourg), as well as one of the co-founders and executive members at Professors without Borders – a social enterprise that aims to bring quality education all around the world. Among other activities, Tessy also participates with many other charitable organisations and frequently presents at various international conferences and summits all around the world. In the past, Tessy was an officer in the Luxembourg Army – having participated in the peacekeeping mission in ex-Yugoslavia – and the Luxembourg Representative at the NATO Allied Command Transformation Conference. She has also worked at the Embassy of Luxembourg in Geneva and London.

She is now the newly appointed Director of VICE Media Impact for the whole EMEA regions.

Rami Suleiman

Rami graduated from Richmond University in 2008 receiving a BA in Business Administration with a major in Marketing. Rami worked for Richmond within the Middle East recruitment and Admissions team between 2009 and 2010 and now works as the Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator at Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi.

Rami was interested in coming to Richmond because of its diverse culture and his own desire to live and study in London. He chose to study a major in marketing as he enjoys the creative processes involved in the development of new ideas. “For me, Richmond is characterised by the friendly atmosphere of campus life and the diversity of its student body. Most importantly, I feel that a key advantage to Richmond’s education and culture is the one-to-one relationships that students develop with their professors.”

Sanjay Raya

“The quality of teaching at Richmond was exceptional. I acquired practical tools that equipped me to further my studies via a post-graduate degree. As a Master’s student at the London School of Economics it has prepared me to engage with my work and has equipped me with the skills to cope with the fast paced environment of the LSE. The teaching style at Richmond was very interactive. Lecturers were very engaging, approachable and helpful and small classroom sizes made it easy to engage with peers and professors. The course elements gave me the ability to create and start various initiatives due to the unique make-up of the University. My Richmond experience allowed me to explore my interests and I was able to determine where my passion and strengths lie, which completely changed my perspective and career path.”

Sanjay Raya graduated from Richmond University in 2011. During his time at Richmond, he was very involved both socially and academically. Sanjay co-founded the Richmond International Action Network, a charitable organisation assisting local economic growth in developing nations and became a Resident Advisor, supporting the welfare of students living on campus. Sanjay achieved a Summa Cum Laude US honours and First Class BA (Hons) UK degree. After Richmond, Sanjay completed postgraduate studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science whilst simultaneously completing a work placement with the Chief Shadow Secretary to the Treasury in Parliament. He is now working at the National Audit Office scrutinising the UK government’s public spending on behalf of Parliament.

Aleksandra Kordecka

“The three years I spent at Richmond were not only invaluable but laid a strong foundation for both my personal development and professional career. From an academic standpoint, the quality of teaching and range of courses on offer as well as the diverse inputs from its international students, all contribute to making Richmond superior to many of the top European universities. My own experience of Richmond was enriched with the discovery of many cultures and people from backgrounds so different from my own, as well as helping me to develop a confidence in expressing my own opinions”.

Alexsandra graduated from Richmond University with a BA (Hons) in International Relations in 2002. She later obtained an MSc European Politics and Governance from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2004. Aleksandra currently works as Assistant to the Director-General at the European Commission in Bruxelles, and previously as an International Relations Officer at Directorate General Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Bobby Chinn

Bobby Chinn graduated from Richmond University in 1986 with a BA in Business Administration and Economics. He started out working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. He quickly realized that his ambitions were to lead him elsewhere. He is a popular culinary figure throughout Asia, both for his two highly-regarded restaurants in Vietnam in Hanoi and Saigon, and for the award-winning TV series World Café. Half Egyptian, half Chinese, born in New Zealand, educated mostly in England and California. He lives most of the year in Vietnam and travels throughout Asia, cooking food that has been described by the Asian Wall Street Journal as ‘The best Californian cuisine outside of California’. In 2013, Bobby founded a new Vietnamese restaurant, The House of Ho, in Soho, London. Since 2016 he has been a Top Chef Judge MBC.

J. Marina Muhlfriedel (née Joanne M. Russo)

Marina is a Senior Copywriter & Producer, based in Los Angeles, USA. She was at Richmond in 1972 as part of the Study Abroad programme. She developed a strong career as content and copywriter, that toot her to become a Creative Director at Big Imagination Group, a full-service brand strategy, creative and digital marketing agency located in Los Angeles Arts District and she was recently appointed as Content Strategy Manager within the group.

Richmond College – Study Abroad Programme 1972

Cierra Saylor

Cierra graduated from Richmond University in 2016 with a degree in International Relations and a minor in Psychology. She was actively involved with Richmond University student affairs and maintained a Saylor has was also awarded the Thomas Pickering Scholarship to study and MA in Diplomacy at George Washington University in Washington DC. She is a 2017-2018 Graduate Ambassador at the Center for Student Engagement, Division of Student Affairs, GWU.

Richmond University – BA in International Relations (2016)

Watch her graduation speech on YouTube.

Jade Bouhmouch

Jade Bouhmouch graduated from Richmond University with a BA in International Relations in 2012. He took off his career as consultant, specializing in sourcing and evaluating private investments in the MENA region. He moved to San Francisco to join Merrill Lynch in their investment advisory division. He was promoted in 2014 to Senior Analyst within the Private Banking and Investment Group and managed a portfolio of a long/short equity strategy, being also a member of his team’s Investment Committee. As Associate at GCSM (Global Sustainable Capital Management) he develops financial and operating models for equity transactions.

Jade is a charter member of the Beta Psi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and is a CFA Level 3 candidate. He also holds an MBA from INSEAD.

Tom Huckabee

Tom Huckabee is a writer and producer who has spent his career in Hollywood. He was in Richmond in 1973 as part of the Study Abroad Programme.