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"So... the other week, I met one of the princes of Saudi Arabia... no big deal.   I sat next to him in a one-hour long conference, during which, around 20 students and faculty members (including myself) were supposed to grill him on issues in his country, as well as global issues. It was just before he was scheduled to give a talk on energy policy to a large group of people in the Baker Institute Presentation Center. It was so nerve-wracking, that I didn&amp;#039;t even know what to say to him! Basically, I complimented him on his pink Brooks Brothers tie, while other people asked questions of value. I had NO idea what to say, and quite honestly, I&amp;#039;m usually very articulate when it comes to crazy situations like that.  How did I get myself in this situation? Well, one of the really cool things about Rice University is that it has its own non-partisan think tank: the Baker Institute of Public Policy. The institute brings in TONS of speakers and important people from around the world, and it also holds conferences on how to improve global, national and local issues. Fellows, faculty and associates at Baker then try to find ways to implement the policies. Since the Baker Institute is right on campus, there are so many opportunities for undergraduates to take advantage of \u2014 internships, seminars, events (like this one!), and all the while, you get to bump shoulders with tons of important, influential, famous people. Other guests of the past have included Colin Powell, Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton.  A few days before Prince Turki bin Faisal came, an email went out from the Baker Institute Student Forum about how there were only a few spots for students at the conference. I ended up being one of the students! To be honest, I didn&amp;#039;t know much about Saudi Arabian politics and concerns, but after listening to my peers grill Prince Turki on issues, I learned quite a bit. Beyond energy policies, Prince Turki works with improving the state of education in Saudi Arabia \u2014 for example, he has helped sponsor both universities for women and co-ed schools in order to advance women&amp;#039;s rights.   Although I know that the politics went way beyond what the prince and his ambassador portrayed in the conference, the experience was not only fun, and, quite frankly, crazy to me (I sat next to someone important, WHAT?!), but it also perked my interests in getting more involved at the Baker Institute and *perhaps* in policy studies at Rice. Who knows? Maybe that could be one of my potential majors here. What incredible opportunities have you been given because of your education? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/life/school/advice/a13005/prince-of-saudi-arabia-conference/>