On Thursday, November 21, former ambassador to Australia and Piedmont resident Jeff Bleich spoke to students about his experience in foreign service and the importance of serving others.

“In order to solve [the world’s problems] we’re going to have to have people from countries like ours, that are willing to serve, willing to help, willing to try to help the fellow people in our community, in our country, and around our world,” Bleich said.

Bleich spoke about his friend Chris Stevens, a PHS graduate who was killed in Benghazi while serving as the ambassador to Libya. Bleich honored Stevens for his willingness to serve people around the world.

“We’ve had eight ambassadors killed in the line of duty,” Bleich said. “Why do you do something like that? You do it because everyday, you wake up feeling like what you’re doing matters. And that’s how Chris felt everyday.”

Bleich’s passion for service began when he was in high school. His favorite causes included volunteering at food banks and with Habitat for Humanity.

“I always felt so much better after that than anything else I did and that made me feel like I was making a difference. As you get older, that impulse stays the same but the opportunities become different,” Bleich said.

As Bleich’s life progressed, his background as a lawyer, relationship with President Barack Obama, and experience working in Australia opened an opportunity for him to become ambassador to Australia.

“I’d never thought I’d be ambassador, it never occurred to me until the president asked me,” Bleich said.

One of Bleich’s proudest moments as ambassador was when he helped land the Mars Curiosity Rover using satellite dishes in Australia.

“We were in the room with mission control seeing the whole thing happen and [had] that moment where we’re all just in awe at what human beings can do together and what countries that believe in the same thing can do together,” Bleich said.

Bleich believes that students can collaborate to help the two and a half billion people who live in poverty transition into the middle class and have the sort of opportunities that people in Piedmont experience.

“You have a unique capability to help the world reach its potential. To make a more stable world. To make a world in which you are proud to live in and pass it on to your kids,” Bleich said.

In fact, Bleich said that the serving spirit of Piedmont, such as its strong Eagle Scout tradition, first encouraged his family to move here.

“What I liked about Piedmont was the sense of community. The fact that people come out for the Fourth of July parade. That they vote in huge amounts to fund the schools. That they invest in each other. It’s a real community focus,” Bleich said.

Bleich said that he would encourage students who are curious about a career in foreign service to pursue it. He said that while elements of the career, including the exam, mastery of language, and moving every three years, are challenging, it is fulfilling.

“The happiest people I have ever known are foreign service officers. They said they had that sense of purpose everyday, they had that sense of pride everyday. So it’s hard but it the hardest job you’ll ever love,” Bleich said.