Sitting in his undergraduate dorm, cradling his American University acceptance letter in his hands, Calvin Hayes, SIS/MA ’13, thought back to his teenage vision board. As a high school sophomore, he had attended a college preparatory seminar in DC—and, serendipitously, landed in AU housing. While enraptured by his first trip to the capital, he also found AU to be an oasis. “There was a sense of intellectual curiosity,” he recalls, and a “commitment to diversity and social justice ... [that] resonated with me.” 

After one week on campus, Hayes returned home to Orlando, where he scribbled “American University” on a paper slip and tacked it to his bedroom wall. Not only would he go on to graduate from AU’s School of International Service, setting him on a path toward 10 years in the Foreign Service, but he would be welcomed back as an esteemed alumnus at the 2023 CBCF Ebony Eagles of Excellence awards reception. “As I navigate life,” he says, “I credit American University for giving me all of the skills necessary to be an effective diplomat.” 

Looking back on his vision board and AU “dream come true,” Hayes says, “it gives me chills.” It makes sense, then, that he encourages mentees to put their goals on paper and take active steps toward achieving them. 

As the oldest child who wanted the best for his family, Hayes understood early on “how important it was to … really, really appl[y] yourself.” He leapt at every scholarship opportunity. Such ambition led to his election as high school SGA president and his acceptance to the YMCA Achievers of Central Florida—the group who taught him the mantra: “What they see is what they will be.”

Blazing a bright future through higher education

Hayes credits his four years at Florida A&M University—one of the nation’s largest HBCUs—with helping “spark [his] curiosity about public service” and furthering his communications knowledge. Alongside serving as student government vice president at FAMU, he held internships in local and state government offices, penning press releases and supporting campaigns. 
 
Two fateful interactions, however—one with the State Department’s diplomatic resident and another with a former ambassador visiting his class—opened Hayes’ eyes to possibilities in international affairs. Soon enough, he landed a State Department internship in South Africa, an experience that solidified his diplomatic dreams. “I returned back to campus with a newfound energy to really be a global citizen,” he says. A move to DC was certainly in the cards. 
 
Hayes was then accepted to Howard University’s Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program, an immersion program he dubs “the door that opened all other doors.” He also landed a Rainbow Fellowship, earning full-ride tuition to an international affairs graduate program. Claiming his spot at AU was “a big full circle moment,” he says. 

On the making of a great diplomat

Today, Hayes works for the Department of State as a public diplomacy officer and acting spokesperson for the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan. Representing the States abroad is what he calls the “honor of a lifetime,” as he gets “to promote the very best of America … and focus on building mutual understanding” with people around the world. And, as an African American working in rooms of international influence, he values the opportunity “to speak to marginalized, underrepresented populations about [his] own story and about how the story of America is one of overcoming.” 
 
As he considers his decade of international service and travels everywhere from Latin America to Africa, Hayes “can truly say that [he’s] continuing to put into practice skills learned in [SIS] classrooms.” 
 
For Hayes, AU’s focus on experiential learning was transformative. Specifically, he references a course taught by the White House’s speechwriter. Later, when asked to prepare remarks for an ambassador in Bangladesh, Hayes could simply “pick up the pen where [he] left off in graduate school.” 
 
SIS also emphasized press release writing, polling-data collection and analysis, and podcast production. The latter prepared Hayes to build a show of his own: The HayesXChange.

Giving back through The HayesXChange

The idea behind Hayes’ podcast is to “provide opportunities for students from all backgrounds”—especially ones “who [have] never traveled.” Now in its third year of production, The HayesXChange captures conversations with private- and public-sector professionals, giving students a window into the international scene. “This is what I would have wanted,” Hayes says of his younger self. “Students [should] see themselves in spaces overseas where they can make a global impact.” 
 
The HayesXChange also connects emerging leaders to fellowships and scholarships, even sponsoring passports for students seeking to study abroad. Hayes also started an international house at FAMU, convening international and HBCU students “with [the] goal of fostering cross-cultural communication” and stoking their interest in global affairs work. 
 
Of lifting up future leaders, Hayes says, “This is my life’s work.” 
 
Hayes advises budding diplomats to construct “a solid academic foundation” in economics, political science, and regional studies. Seek out practical skills through volunteer roles and study-abroad trips, he says. Read widely and follow foreign policy news. Become a proficient communicator. Network! And, of course, embrace international culture, including foreign languages. 
 
Language, Hayes says, is “the gateway to becoming a global citizen”—the means by which he has joined people from around the world at the “dinner table [to] discuss sports, … the news, ... the things that they truly are passionate about.” It’s easier to translate a culture’s values when you share a vocabulary. Hayes is a polyglot, having studied Arabic, Bengali, French, Mandarin, and Spanish.

After a decade overseas, AU remains home

Hayes grew up with a diverse array of neighbors, “but it wasn’t until [he] was a student at American University that [he] had a chance to be side by side ... with people from all over the world,” he says. AU gave him a true introduction to “cross-cultural collaboration,” demonstrating how individuals with different backgrounds take unique approaches to solving the same problem. 
 
“When I’m sitting at my desk in Amman, Jordan or Bogotá, Colombia, ... I [have] my classmate with me from Brazil,” Hayes says. “I [have] my classmate with me ... from Jordan.” 
 
Such a learning environment “equipped me with a broader understanding of international relations and global affairs that I would not have received otherwise,” Hayes says. His gratitude spills through the phone.