Former Ambassador Michael McFaul answered student questions candidly and at length, but ostracized some students. Staff photo by Lucy Heneghan.

By Davis Rich

      Former United States Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul spoke to the Upper School yesterday at assembly, bringing a unique perspective, presentation style, and tone with him.
      Unlike recent presentations from speakers like Hap Klopp or Alex Filippenko, which featured lengthy lectures with the aid of presentation tools, McFaul answered student questions for most of his 50-minute engagement. McFaul also spoke with much more candor than some recent assembly speakers, detailing specific interactions with President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Russian president Vladimir Putin as well as some of his blunders on Twitter.
      “He was casual and friendly, which made him fun to listen to,” sophomore Keeton Martin said.
      McFaul’s mere presence at Menlo was a break from many other recent speakers, several of which have been involved in the STEM fields or entrepreneurship. McFaul’s ability to speak about a different aspect of the professional world —the public spector— resonated with a different group of students.
      “[McFaul] had one of the most difficult jobs in the world and he spoke so honestly about it, which really resonated with me as someone who is interested in pursuing a career in diplomacy,” senior Elizabeth Power said. “It’s great that Menlo is having some speakers come who work outside of STEM fields.”
      Yet while encouraging students to change the world through government service, McFaul ostracized some students interested in engineering and going into work in the private sector.
      “He seemed a bit pretentious[….] I agreed with [sophomore] Laikh [Tewari] on how it was unfair for him to say tech entrepreneurs don’t make a big difference in the world and how only government officials make a difference, [you only make a difference] if you’re high up,” junior Zack Hurwitz said. “I would’ve liked to have heard more about his background and how he got to work in government, not just hear about the mansions he got to stay in and the changes he got to make.”
      McFaul also made a point of talking about what he was like in high school and how his aspirations changed. For some students, McFaul’s insight to his adolescent self was relatable and refreshing.
      “By sharing his story of starting out as a relatable high school student who didn’t know what he wanted and to realizing he wanted to make a difference in society through government and then becoming the US diplomat in Russia, he inspired me to find what inspires me and follow it,” sophomore Sarah Kornfeld said.