A United States diplomat who travels the world, Alicia Arendt still holds dear Mastic Beach and the surrounding communities where she spent her first 10 years of school, from kindergarten through ninth grade.
Arendt attended Moriches Elementary School, Nathaniel Woodhull Elementary School in Shirley, and William Paca Middle School and William Floyd High School, both in Mastic Beach, although she did not graduate. degree from the latter institution.
Her fondest memories as a student are her field trips to the nursery, planetarium, and Old Bethpage. When she enrolled at Temple University, Alicia truly found her passion while studying abroad.
“As I grew older, my curiosity and ambition exploded into working as hard as I could to enable me to study abroad in Nicaragua, Mexico twice, and Italy,” Arendt said. “These experiences catapulted a burning desire for more travel and an international career. I’m 35 now and have visited 57 countries, 35 states and still counting.”
Much of Arendt’s family still resides on Long Island and one of her goals is to inspire the current generation of William Floyd students.
“I was lucky enough to be able to go to school, grow up in the most populous and diverse suburb in the country, choose an array of activities and eventually have the opportunity to go to school. college, which led me to the career and lifestyle of my dreams,” Arendt said.
The United States Department of State is the principal foreign affairs agency of the United States and represents America in more than 270 diplomatic locations around the world. Their primary functions are to protect and assist U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad, to promote U.S. business abroad, to coordinate and support international activities, to educate the public on international relations, and advise officials.
Arendt has faced many challenges in her career. Among those she cites is being the deputy director of a 25-member congressional delegation to various parts of Peru, including the Peruvian rainforest, to inspect the impact of plant programming. United States Agency for International Development anti-coca in an anti-drug effort.
She also played a key role in planning multinational conferences and official US Independence Day receptions that brought together thousands of attendees. At these events, Arendt met with former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State John Kerry, and various other US and foreign leaders.
“This career has challenged me beyond limits and provides a constant opportunity to do something new and continually learn,” Arendt said.
As Alicia continues her work as an American diplomat in Bucharest, Romania, she enjoys returning home to visit family and return to her Long Island roots for a bit.
“During this pandemic, it’s been very difficult to travel abroad,” she said, “so I’ve missed my family and can’t wait to get back.”
