By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C. — During my four-plus years as Press, Cultural Affairs and Information Manager at The Bahamas Embassy in Washington, D.C., Mikhail Bullard was one of the brilliant young Bahamian diplomats that I had the pleasure of working with.
It does not come as a surprise to me, therefore, that he has continued his educational pursuit and on Friday, May 17, 2019 graduated with a Master’s of Science degree in Finance from Georgetown University.
Mikhail and all of the other talented young Bahamian diplomats at the Embassy during tenure made my job very easy. Whenever I was required to write a press release on a meeting they attended, they would provide me with properly prepared information that required very little editing before I released it to the media. Indeed, on numerous occasions, all I actually did was attach a WASHINGTON, D.C. dateline before releasing it.
Mikhail was also responsible for “tutoring me” in the word-processing capabilities of the new computer system that was introduced to the Embassy when we upgraded our computers. We were all provided with the same instructions in meetings held by the professional team that installed the new system, but I am sure that there are many persons in my age group – indeed, most persons over 50 – who have had a difficult time understanding all the nuances of advanced technology that I initially found extremely difficult to comprehend. Mikhail, on the other hand, quickly learned the new word-processing system.
When we first met, he was a young man in his early twenties who had done exceptionally well during his undergraduate studies at a university in Canada, and he obviously had been brought up very well by his parents, which was always reflected in the respectful manner that he approached me when there was a matter he wanted to discuss or “teach me.”
I have told him on more than one occasion that I expect great things from him in both his professional and personal life. There’s no question that he is good “husband material” for some lucky Bahamian girl who may win his heart when he decides to “cross that bridge” in his life’s journey.
Mikhail and some fellow Georgetown students recently returned from a two-week stay in South Africa as part of a project with ABSA bank related to their Master’s Degree program.
Commenting on that trip on his Facebook page on Monday, Mikhail noted, “We are who we are because of others,” adding: “This tenet of Ubuntu philosophy has stayed with me from my recent South African trip for my finance programme’s capstone consultancy project. It has stayed with me because it rings so true when I consider my path to graduation and the personal and professional growth I’ve experienced in between. Over the past two years at Georgetown University, alongside picking up the hard technical skills of finance, I’ve met and learned from great people, both fellow students and faculty, and examined and refined my own philosophies on things like leadership and ethics.”
Continuing, he added: “I’ve also learned that there are many lanes to work towards public good and that one can aspire to both do good and do well. I’m grateful for the support from family, friends and colleagues over the past 2 years. Your support and motivation made the decision to start a degree while working, managing the extra hours of work each week and dealing with unexpected obstacles accomplishable. With my head pointed towards the sun and feet moving forward, I hope to use what I’ve learned and who I’ve become to ‘set the world on fire’, as St Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuit lineage of which Georgetown University is an heir, implores. Now, on to what’s next.”
