Edgard D. Kagan is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and currently the U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia. He has held many impressive titles, served across the globe, and received the Presidential Meritorious Award, but he got his start at New Trier High School.
On Friday Sept. 12, Kagan joined a 5th period Advanced Placement Government and Politics class. He reminisced on studying history at New Trier before graduating in 1985 and going on to receive a degree in this same discipline from Yale University.
It was at Yale that Kagan learned about the foreign service exam, an important step to becoming a United States diplomat. Kagan asked if any students in the class were interested in a career similar to his, and he consequently shared many details on how he got to where he is today.
“It made me realize how open the possibilities of a foreign policy career are,” senior Emma Neugebauer said. “It seems like such a different experience to me and I wonder what it would be like.”
During his 80 minutes in AP Gov, Kagan recounted his experiences working around the world, including places such as Hungary, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Israel, Australia, India, and of course, Malaysia. He often has to complete language training as a part of his responsibilities and thus speaks Hungarian, French, Mandarin Chinese, and some Spanish.
Kagan has been deeply involved in East Asian affairs, evidenced by his previous roles as Director of Korean Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. One specific related anecdote he shared during his presentation was working on the Korea Free Trade Agreement during his time on the Korea desk.
“I found it really fascinating to hear all the things he had done and the stories he shared with us,” senior Vivian Chen said. “I also thought it was really inspiring how he was able to have an actual impact on the world and the country’s affairs through his work.”
Naturally, Kagan’s job requires him to move quite often. This can be a challenge for him and his family, but at the same time, Kagan feels that his position allows him to see a new country from the top-down, and actually living there is like seeing it from the ground-up. He even cited the moment in “The Wizard of Oz” when the screen changes from black and white to technicolor when describing his experience.
Fittingly with the classroom setting, education came up in discussion. Kagan mentioned working with the American Embassy School in New Delhi as well as recently connecting a Malaysian student with the British government after his acceptance into the University of Oxford.
Some students asked how different presidential administrations impact foreign service members. Kagan, who has worked directly with the last six administrations, made a distinct point of saying that he had disagreed with each of those presidents in some way.
“The president and [their] administrations can feel really out of reach from us,” junior Alice Pan said. “Ambassador Kagan essentially made me feel closer and more connected to the U.S. government, almost as if he was bringing a piece of it right in front of me.”
Kagan also explained that, throughout his career, he has kept a personal rule that if he was ever asked to do something immoral or wrong he would resign from his position.
“It kind of shows that you can be connected to the government while still disagreeing with some views and maintaining your own integrity,” Pan said.
As a class, students had the unique opportunity of discussing current events with an important U.S. government official. They addressed protests in Nepal, US foreign aid cuts, and NATO in the context of the recent occurrence of a Russian drone over Poland. Kagan noted that right now is an interesting time to study government.
“When the break bell rang, I couldn’t believe [how] much time had passed already,” Neugebauer said.
Students reported finding the presentation valuable and engaging, and many connected with the fact that Kagan is a New Trier graduate himself.
“I think having these kinds of speakers really highlights all the different directions you can go after high school and college and emphasizes the importance of following your interests and passions,” Chen said.