Mary Einbinder ’11

I’m French-American, born and raised in Paris, where I attended bilingual schools. When the time came to choose a university, I wanted a school where I’d be encouraged to express myself creatively, which would let me choose my studies, where classes would be offered in English, and where the multicultural atmosphere and openness that I’d experienced in high school would be present. AUP was the obvious choice.

When I arrived here, I felt overwhelmed by all the available classes and opportunities, and remain grateful to my history professor, Terence Murphy, for his mentorship and guidance. My eventual decision to major in History and minor in European and Mediterranean Cultures made for a one-of-a-kind experience. Where else could I have taken part in study trips all around Europe, while living in culturally-rich Paris, and being taught by high-quality professors in a topnotch department? (One shining example: Professor Steven Englund, who loves Napoleon, is one of the best teachers I’ve ever had, and is now a friend. Thanks to his expertise, I was able to choose my final thesis topic: “Antisemitism: From Judeophobia to the Final Solution”.) 

I’ve always been interested in intercultural communications and new ways of seeing the world, but Paris and AUP helped me understand how crucial intercultural dialogue can be in combating cultural misunderstanding and prejudice. Paris wears its legacy of multiculturalism with pride: you can see it in the richness of its museums, the easy access to countless cultures, and even the diversity of its cuisine (The most appreciated meal in France today? Couscous.).  

Without AUP, I wouldn’t have been able to so-easily cultivate deep connections with people from so many cultures, traditions, and countries: many of my best friends are from AUP and in addition to joining AUP’s New York Alumni Network, I created the Texas chapter while living in Houston. Now that I’m in Hamburg, Germany, I’m hoping to find more alumni!

I’m convinced that my acceptance into NYU Gallatin School, to pursue an MA in International Relations and Cultural Diplomacy, was a direct result of my having gone to AUP. My time at NYU opened a lot of doors for me, including obtaining a United Nations internship and meeting Mariam Said while writing my thesis on the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. After graduation, I was a UNICEF volunteer in Cambodia, then Coordinator of Cultural and Education Services at Houston’s French Consulate, before returning to Paris to study Art History at the Ecole du Louvre. I now work in Hamburg, Germany at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, which is dedicated to making the right to learn accessible to all, through programs that focus on adult education, literacy and non-formal education, and where, with 50 staff members that come from all over the planet, I’m once again in the kind of multicultural environment that I so appreciated at AUP.