Crystal Waitekus

B.S., double major in International Relations and Business Management, 2003

Deputy Press Secretary

Senator Mark Pryor (AR)

Washington, D.C.

Crystal Waitekus is, in a word, phenomenal. Just try to picture yourself doing what she did after graduating from Guilford College. She knew that she wanted to learn Spanish, as part of her goal of working in international relations. So she researched and found a school in Guatemala. She applied, was accepted, made her plans, packed her bags and flew down there. Took a taxi to the school and found — it was closed. Permanently. She knew no one in Guatemala; she was alone and had no contingency plans. So what did she do?

Naturally, she asked the taxi driver if he knew of any other schools. He said he did, and he took her to La Union Spanish School of Antigua. She got out of the taxi, enrolled, found a host family to live with … and learned Spanish by being immersed in a Spanish-speaking country.

Then she conquered Washington, D.C., in the same confident, I’ll-do-this manner. She went to D.C. and methodically targeted every member of the Foreign Relations Committee from both the House and the Senate. She also sent her resume to all 535 D.C. Congressional offices, and followed up with phone calls, saying she’d like to have an interview to learn about their work on Capitol Hill. As a result, she went to more than 40 informational interviews, learning the people and how things work and making herself known.

Not surprisingly, she landed a job. She was 23 years old. Also not surprisingly, she learned from that job and moved to another, then another. First, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (CA) hired Crystal as a Staff Assistant. Then she became a Press Aide for Congressman Brad Miller (NC), and now she is Deputy Press Secretary for Senator Mark Pryor (AR). Very impressive indeed.

“The last informational interview I went to,” she says, “was, unexpectedly, the most helpful. The Chief of Staff said, ‘I always like to help Guilford College graduates.’ He’s been a friend and mentor ever since.”

Over lunch in a sophisticated restaurant in the shadow of the nation’s Capitol, Crystal is every bit as poised, focused and sharp as you would expect. This is a young woman who, after all, not only studied in Guatemala and conquered D.C., but also spent a summer in Tomsk, Russia, assisting a team of doctors, nurses and specialists as they provided reconstructive facial surgery and medical care for children and young adults. She also served an internship with the Office of Strategic and Missile Affairs in the Department of State, and another internship with the Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Center in Burundi. It’s no wonder that she feels at home wherever she is.

“The Republic of Burundi is a small country in the Great Lakes region of Africa,” she says, “and one of the biggest challenges was learning to communicate in Kirundi with the Tutsi and the Hutu, two conflicting tribes. I made a promise to myself never to step on foreign soil again without first learning the language!”

That’s one reason she went to Guatemala, and why she’s still studying Spanish now, in D.C. The language will be one more tool that will allow her to grasp good opportunities when they arise. “Guilford College gave me a strong ‘I can do this’ attitude. Of course, my parents have always been very supportive of my taking on challenges, and are my role models.”

Here’s what she means: Her father was a carpenter for 20 years, and at the age of 43 he entered medical school. He’s now a practicing physician. So she knows through example that one can change directions successfully if one chooses to. Guilford College took her one step further. “The professors at Guilford are very supportive and encouraging,” she says. “It’s a small community, and they all really take the time to get to know you and support you. They gave me the confidence to believe that I can do anything I set my mind to doing.”

Academically? “The professors are so passionate about their work it is contagious. Their standards are high, and through them I realized the interconnectedness of the world. Honestly, a light bulb clicked on for me at Guilford — I became very intellectually curious. It’s an amazing place.”

Crystal also credits Guilford with expanding her knowledge of her own faith. Raised as a Quaker, she says: “Guilford College is the place where I really learned the historical tenets of my own faith.”

She has this advice: “Students might be attracted to Guilford College because of the diversity of experiences it offers. But, even more important is its supportive environment that allows you to experiment, to explore, to try things you’d never have imagined trying. It lets you grow.”