The event, organized by the UCF Global Perspectives Office, was part of two 2011-2012 themes, “People Power, Politics and Global Change” and “Covering Crises from the Frontlines.”

Bergen, who is also the director of the National Security Studies Program at the New America Foundation, began by sharing breaking news with the audience: the United States uncovered allegations that connect Iranian intelligence operatives with a foiled assassination plot targeting the Saudi ambassador to the United States.

Bergen went on to highlight steps taken by the Bush and Obama administrations that make such interventions possible, such as the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, increased security measures at airports and better cooperation among federal agencies.

According to Bergen, while these steps were necessary, it is important to put the threat of terrorism into perspective.  He advocated for a renewed focus on policies that address the issue of terrorist threats while doing so in a more measured manner.

He also addressed the criticism of the current administration, and he pointed to the overwhelming similarities between it and the Bush administration. He said parallels include the tripling of American troops in Afghanistan, the quadrupling of drone strikes in Pakistan and counterterrorism operations in Yemen and Somalia.

Having written extensively about Osama bin Laden, Bergen also addressed the effect the terrorist leader’s death will have on al-Qaeda.

In addition to the obvious loss of an influential figure, he listed four fundamental problems that al-Qaeda faces: the unrestricted killing of Muslim citizens; a vague, undefined return to an Islamic caliphate; extreme actions that have led to a unification of opposition; and the tactical methods of terrorism that have overridden their strategic goals.

Responding to a question regarding the possibility of a terrorist attack using nuclear weapons, Bergen explained that he was far more worried about a conventional conflict triggered by terrorism that could escalate into a nuclear exchange.  Another terrorist attack like the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist organization based largely in Pakistan, could trigger a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, Bergen explained.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners of Bergen’s presentation included the UCF Terrorism Studies Program, the UCF Global Peace and Security Studies Program, The Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship Program, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, Larson Allen LLP, the UCF Nicholson School of Communication, the UCF Diplomacy Program, the UCF Middle Eastern Studies Program, the UCF Political Science Department, the UCF International Services Center, the UCF Book Festival 2012 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center, UCF LIFE and the Global Connections Foundation.

For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit .

“An Agenda for the Next President in the United States and Abroad” will begin at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union. Organized by the UCF Global Perspectives Office, the event is part of the 2011-12 “India Speaker Series.” It is free and open to the public.

Ponnuru, who also is a columnist for TIME magazine, was previously a fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs in London and a media fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. In 2006 he authored “The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts, and the Disregard for Human Life.”

Ponnuru has published articles in numerous newspapers including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Newsday, and The New York Post. He has also appeared on CNN’s Inside Politics, NBC’s The McLaughlin Group, MSNBC’s Buchanan & Press, Fox News, and NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors of Ponnuru’s presentation include The India Program at UCF, The Anil and Chitra Deshpande India Program Endowed Fund, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, the UCF Nicholson School of Communication, The Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship Program, LarsonAllen LLP, the UCF Political Science Department, UCF Book Festival 2012 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center, UCF LIFE and the Global Connections Foundation.

For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit .

Stephanie and Roseann Parenti have a unique relationship. Concern about Stephanie’s well-being in the midst of the abuse and financial instability that rocked her young life drove Roseann to pass her daughter from relative to relative around the state.

Although Roseann was always a part of her daughter’s life and the two lived together for some time, Stephanie eventually settled in the Tampa area with her grandparents.

Stephanie, a first-generation college student, will graduate Saturday during one of four weekend ceremonies at the UCF Arena . She will earn a degree in Political Science with an emphasis on International Relations. She’ll go onto graduate school and then will work with the U.S. State Department.

And her mom couldn’t be prouder.

“I believe with all my heart that it takes a village to raise a child,” Roseann said.  “The diversities that Stephanie has lived through make her the most wonderful person I know.”

A student in UCF’s Burnett Honors College, Stephanie was awarded the prestigious Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship. She was one of only 20 recipients from across the country.

As a fellow, she’ll continue her education at Seton Hall University in New Jersey and then start with the Foreign Service, where she sees a future for herself working in politics and public diplomacy.

“I’m most looking forward to meeting people from different cultures, spending time with them and getting to know how things operate in different countries,” she said.

Stephanie says she’s grateful for her unusual upbringing, which exposed her to different cultures and points of view.

After seeing the proliferation of xenophobia around her after 9/11, she became committed to learning about other cultures and translating people’s customs and values.

“I saw so much discrimination,” Stephanie said. “It hurts, because we’re all foreigners. We all come from different backgrounds.”

“Having the exposure to learn about any culture I wanted to really drove me,” she added.

Stephanie received her associate’s degree from Valencia Community College, where she studied political science and participated in the human rights organization Amnesty International.

At UCF, she focused on international studies with a minor in Spanish. She has also been active in research, completing a project about how ideas affect history and writing an Honors in the Major senior thesis on neocolonialism.

She credits the mentorship that she has received from the McNair Scholars Program with helping her discover her love for research and earning the Pickering Fellowship. The program aims to increase the number of first-generation college students from low-income families and underrepresented groups pursuing doctoral degrees by exposing them to research and other scholarly activities.

“It’s been my foundation here at UCF,” said Parenti. “Without McNair, I wouldn’t have gotten into research or Honors in the Major. It’s the greatest thing I’ve done at UCF.”

Stephanie also was named a MacArthur International Relations Scholar by UCF’s Office of Global Perspectives. The scholarship honored her commitment to building international awareness and understanding in the local community.

Stephanie hopes to earn a graduate assistantship at Seton Hall, a role that would allow her to mentor undergraduate students and share the importance of research with them.

But for now, she’s most excited about giving her mom the perfect Mother’s Day gift — the opportunity to see her daughter graduate from college.

“I could not be more proud of her and how she persevered to become the woman she is,” Roseann said.