Each year in the spring, the School of Foreign Service (SFS) hosts a black tie affair called the Diplomatic Ball, where Georgetown students from all four undergraduate schools, diplomats from around the world and distinguished Georgetown faculty come together at a prestigious location for an exciting and classy evening.
Known to Georgetown students as “Dip Ball,” this event is one of the SFS’s most unique traditions and is something I wished to attend before I ever set foot on the Hilltop. I can vividly recall navigating the SFS website as a prospective student and thinking of what an incredible opportunity I would have to interact with ambassadors at this formal event, an opportunity I knew I would not be able to find at any other school.
My excitement for Dip Ball inspired me to get involved with its planning upon coming to Georgetown. I have served as a member of the Diplomatic Ball Committee on the SFS Academic Council for the past two years and have witnessed firsthand the detailed planning that goes into producing a fabulous event for around 800 people. This year, all of our hard work paid off, as Dip Ball 2009 was a tremendous success! Because 2009 marked the 90th anniversary of the founding of the SFS and the end of Dean Gallucci’s thirteen years of service to the SFS, we had much to celebrate at this year’s Ball, which took place on April 3rd.
Each year, Diplomatic Ball is held at a gorgeous venue that is kept secret until about a month before the event when tickets go on sale. Students eagerly await the unveiling of the prestigious location, because of the impressive history of past venues, which includes the National Building Museum, the Old Postal Pavilion and the Embassy of the Republic of France. This year was no different, as we selected the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Constitution Avenue in downtown DC to hold the 2009 Dip Ball. We felt that the Mellon Auditorium’s historical significance as the location in which NATO was signed by President Truman in 1949 made it the perfect place to hold this year’s Ball.
The theme of Dip Ball 2009 was “Architects of Peace,” which highlighted both the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium’s unique and magnificent architecture as well as its history as the place of NATO’s signing almost exactly sixty years ago to the day of our event. At the same time, we saw this theme as symbolizing the uniting of students and diplomats to build the foundation of the future and promote peace.
From 8pm to 12 midnight on April 3rd, nearly 700 Georgetown students dressed in elegant gowns and tuxedos joined ambassadors, foreign dignitaries and other diplomats and distinguished guests from forty different countries for an incredible evening of music and dance.
I attended this year’s Dip Ball with five of my best friends and we had an unforgettable night, dancing to the music of the Georgetown Jazz Ensemble, enjoying the delicious array of hors d’oeuvres and devouring way too many of the addictive desserts. Attending Dip Ball each year reminds me of how lucky I am to be studying international politics at Georgetown and how at no other school would I have the opportunity to spend a Friday night at a black tie affair at a prestigious and historical location in Washington, DC, interacting with the diplomats of today and tomorrow.
Known to Georgetown students as “Dip Ball,” this event is one of the SFS’s most unique traditions and is something I wished to attend before I ever set foot on the Hilltop. I can vividly recall navigating the SFS website as a prospective student and thinking of what an incredible opportunity I would have to interact with ambassadors at this formal event, an opportunity I knew I would not be able to find at any other school.
My excitement for Dip Ball inspired me to get involved with its planning upon coming to Georgetown. I have served as a member of the Diplomatic Ball Committee on the SFS Academic Council for the past two years and have witnessed firsthand the detailed planning that goes into producing a fabulous event for around 800 people. This year, all of our hard work paid off, as Dip Ball 2009 was a tremendous success! Because 2009 marked the 90th anniversary of the founding of the SFS and the end of Dean Gallucci’s thirteen years of service to the SFS, we had much to celebrate at this year’s Ball, which took place on April 3rd.
Each year, Diplomatic Ball is held at a gorgeous venue that is kept secret until about a month before the event when tickets go on sale. Students eagerly await the unveiling of the prestigious location, because of the impressive history of past venues, which includes the National Building Museum, the Old Postal Pavilion and the Embassy of the Republic of France. This year was no different, as we selected the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Constitution Avenue in downtown DC to hold the 2009 Dip Ball. We felt that the Mellon Auditorium’s historical significance as the location in which NATO was signed by President Truman in 1949 made it the perfect place to hold this year’s Ball.
The theme of Dip Ball 2009 was “Architects of Peace,” which highlighted both the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium’s unique and magnificent architecture as well as its history as the place of NATO’s signing almost exactly sixty years ago to the day of our event. At the same time, we saw this theme as symbolizing the uniting of students and diplomats to build the foundation of the future and promote peace.
From 8pm to 12 midnight on April 3rd, nearly 700 Georgetown students dressed in elegant gowns and tuxedos joined ambassadors, foreign dignitaries and other diplomats and distinguished guests from forty different countries for an incredible evening of music and dance.
I attended this year’s Dip Ball with five of my best friends and we had an unforgettable night, dancing to the music of the Georgetown Jazz Ensemble, enjoying the delicious array of hors d’oeuvres and devouring way too many of the addictive desserts. Attending Dip Ball each year reminds me of how lucky I am to be studying international politics at Georgetown and how at no other school would I have the opportunity to spend a Friday night at a black tie affair at a prestigious and historical location in Washington, DC, interacting with the diplomats of today and tomorrow.
Tamara Smallman
SFS ‘10
Short Hills, NJ
SFS ‘10
Short Hills, NJ
