Brenden Varma, deputy director of UN information center, speaks to students apart of the Collegiate Council on World Affairs and the United Nations Association of Ohio State about his story, the UN and career opportunities on April 12 at Ohio State University Derby Hall room 080. Credit: Joe Carpenter | Lantern Reporter

United Nations Diplomat Brenden Varma said his first visit to the Buckeye state Wednesday and Thursday “seemed super exotic” as an unfamiliar territory. 

Varma, deputy director of the UN information center in Washington, D.C., spent the last 20 years working in multiple roles within the organization and on many global humanitarian missions to Somalia, Iraq and Jerusalem. Varma said he sought to come to Ohio State after visiting Oberlin College and Cleveland because of its impact and to rebuild its relationship with the UN by speaking to student organizations. 

“When I started to learn how big OSU was –– not is it only the biggest public university in Ohio but one of the biggest in the whole country –– that was something really important for me to see, and I really want to engage with students here,” Varma said. 

Varma said Ohio State is part of the United Nations Academic Impact Initiative, “an initiative that engages institutions of higher education with the United Nations in supporting and contributing to the realization of the Organization’s purposes and principles, including the promotion and protection of human rights, access to education, sustainability and conflict resolution,” according to the UN website. The initiative was created in 2010. 

Varma said UNAI and Ohio State have been out of touch in recent years and is looking forward to hopefully reestablishing the connection with his trip. He said the rekindled relationship would help Ohio State participate in “forums for universities to talk to each other” and will allow universities to better communicate with their colleagues internationally.

“I’m going to try and see if there’s a champion here at OSU who can, kind of, help renew those links with this specific UN initiative, just to make sure OSU can be part of this global network of universities that the UN helps facilitate,” Varma said. 

Varma said he gave presentations to the student organizations Collegiate Council on World Affairs and the United Nations Association Chapter at Ohio State. 

Max Vore, president of CCWA and a fourth-year in public policy analysis and economics, said organizations like CCWA and UNA allow students to “bring the global to the local.” 

Varma said he hopes to further this effort of localization of big issues with his visit because the UN “covers the whole world.”

“Ohio’s part of the world –– it’s an important state, so that’s why we want to engage more,” Varma said.  

Members of these organizations said they were honored and excited to learn more about the UN and more opportunities. 

“I could not believe the email when Brenden sent it, and how would someone with this caliber want to speak to our little club, so it’s a huge honor that we’re getting recognized for the hard work,” Abriana Malfatti, vice president of UNA OSU and a third-year in political science and criminology and criminal justice, said. 

Varma spoke specifically about his journey to the UN, some of the work and positions at the UN he was involved with and some of the different career and internship opportunities and how to navigate them with the audience of around 20-30 students. 

This meeting also signifies the work and effort put in by both organizations to gain recognition and grow among the Ohio State community, Binta Nyassi, president of UNA and a fourth-year in public health, said. 

“It’s definitely a great honor to be able to welcome Brenden Varma to OSU and our chapter, just to be able to see all the works and efforts that we’ve done and been able to achieve within the community,” Nyassi said.