Moriches Native Speaks About Her Career As A U.S. Diplomat

A United States diplomat who travels around the world, Alicia Arendt still holds dear the Mastic Beach and neighboring communities where she spent her first 10 years in school, from kindergarten through ninth grade.

Arendt attended Moriches Elementary School, Nathaniel Woodhull Elementary School in Shirley, and William Paca Middle School and William Floyd High School, both in Mastic Beach, although she didn’t graduate from the latter institution.

Her fondest memories as a student are from her field trips to the plant nursery, planetarium and Old Bethpage. When she enrolled at Temple University, Alicia really found her passion while studying abroad.

“With age, my curiosity and ambition exploded into working as much as I could to be able to afford studying abroad in Nicaragua, Mexico twice, and Italy,” Arendt said. “These experiences catapulted a burning desire for more travel and an international career. I am 35 years old now and I have visited 57 countries, 35 states and still counting.”

Much of Arendt’s family still resides on Long Island and one of her goals is to inspire the current generation of William Floyd students.

“I was fortunate to be able to go to school, grow up in the country’s most populated and diverse suburb, choose an array of activities, and eventually have the opportunity to go to college which led me to the career and lifestyle of my dreams,” Arendt said.

The United States Department of State is the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency and represents America at more than 270 diplomatic locations around the world. Their main duties are to protect and assist U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad, promote American business overseas, coordinate and provide support for international activities, inform the public about international relations, and advise public officials.

Arendt has faced many challenges in her career. Among those she cites include being the deputy manager of a 25-member congressional delegation to various parts of Peru, including the Peruvian rainforest to inspect the impact of the United States Agency for International Development Anti-Coca plant programming in an effort to combat drugs.

She also has played key roles in planning multinational conferences and official U.S. Independence Day receptions that included thousands of participants. At these events, Arendt has met with former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State John Kerry, and various other U.S. and foreign leaders.

“This career has challenged me beyond limits and offers a constant opportunity to be doing something new and continuous learning,” Arendt said.

As Alicia continues her work as a U.S. diplomat in Bucharest, Romania, she enjoys traveling back home to visit her family and return to her roots on Long Island for a bit.

“During this pandemic it has been very difficult to travel internationally,” she said, “so I have missed my family and look forward to visiting again.”