In January 1981, Michele Sison ’81 had no idea what she was going to do after she graduated from Wellesley. Now the director of the global office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Sison returned to campus this month as the Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs 2026 Mary Jane Durnford Lewis ’59 Distinguished Visiting Professor, joining other Wellesley alumnae who have served in the role: Madeleine Korbel Albright ’59 in 2020, Wendy Judge Paulson ’69 in 2013, and Elaine Wolfensohn ’58 in 2012. In her opening remarks to this year’s cohort of Albright Fellows, Sison looked back on the uncertainty of her senior year and where it led her.
Elle Scheffel ’26 appreciated Sison speaking about her lack of a plan at that time: “I feel like I’m in the same boat,” said Scheffel, an art history major with a philosophy minor. She asked Sison how she handled the indecision.
Sison shared with the 40 juniors and seniors that she spent Wintersession her senior year casting a wide net: She applied to graduate programs in political science, took the LSAT because her father practiced law, threw her hat in the ring for some commercial banking jobs because “everyone was going into commercial banking in the ’80s,” and took the foreign service exam—“I thought, why not? It’s free!” she said, laughing.
“The friendships that you make here on campus, that you’re making in this fellowship…they’re going to carry you through the ups and downs in ways you can’t even imagine.”
She passed the exam and joined the foreign service at age 22; it became her life’s work. Sison holds the rank of career ambassador, most recently serving as U.S. assistant secretary of state for International Organization Affairs (from December 2021 to January 2025) before joining IOM. Previously, Sison served as U.S. ambassador to Haiti (2018 to 2021), U.S. deputy representative to the United Nations (2014 to 2018), U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives (2012 to 2014), U.S. ambassador to Lebanon (2008 to 2010), and U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (2004 to 2008). Sison’s diplomatic assignments also include assistant chief of mission in Baghdad, Iraq; principal deputy assistant secretary for South Asia; deputy chief of mission in Islamabad, Pakistan; and earlier diplomatic assignments in India, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Benin, and Togo.
In light of Sison’s range of experiences in so many different countries, Kristal Maimo ’26, a double major in Africana studies and economics, asked Sison what advice she had for the fellows to exercise their “muscle of adaptability.”
“You’re going to soar and thrive and have resilience because of the way you’re trained here [at Wellesley],” Sison replied. “The foundation here is so unique.” She recalled the impact of unusual classes she took just because she thought they were interesting, that had nothing to do with her political science major. In particular, she mentioned a “terrifying” class about French existentialism, where Sison, who described herself as introverted and shy, had to act out plays in French. Later, speaking on the world stage at the United Nations, Sison found herself drawing on experiences from that course.
Ash Huesca ’27, an architecture and environmental studies major with a concentration in environmental justice and sustainable design, who is from Mexico, asked Sison how to prepare to go abroad. “It’s not just the words you say. It’s your body language, it’s how you greet people, it’s the courtesy, it’s understanding the polite and not polite ways of doing something, and also it’s about active listening—don’t just go in on transmit mode,” said Sison. She also emphasized the importance of studying languages: “Yes, many people around the world speak English, but you’re going to miss a lot!”
“You’re going to soar and thrive and have resilience because of the way you’re trained here [at Wellesley]. The foundation here is so unique.”
Sison encouraged the fellows to take courses that may seem like one-offs or that are unrelated to their majors, because “everything gets woven into the tissue, the fabric, of your life experience and knowledge base, and you don’t know where it will take you next. That’s my main message. Don’t stress, you guys! It’s all going to be fine!”
Sison shared more of her career and life experiences with the Albright Fellows over the course of several days and multiple sessions, including during a candid in-person conversation with former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ’69 on January 14 and the livestreamed keynote dialogue Leadership in a Fragmented World with Betty Freyhof Johnson ’44 Professor of Political Science and Associate Provost of Wellesley in the World Stacie Goddard on January 15. Sison also listened to the Albright Fellows’ presentations on eight global issues, including peacebuilding through art in Serbia, ocean and polar governance in the Arctic, and using AI for social good in India, and she gave feedback on their ideas and strategies.
Sison closed out the Albright Institute’s Wintersession programming on January 16 with the “Ask Me Anything” tea, a tradition started by Albright and continued after her death by her best friend from Wellesley, Winifred “Wini” Shore Freund ’59, and each distinguished visiting professor.
Maya Krishnan ’26, a biochemistry and English double major, after hearing about Freund and Albright’s friendship, asked Sison about the role friends have played in her life.
“The first person who comes to mind is my younger sister,” said Sison, referring to Victoria Sison Morimoto ’82. “We’re Wellesley sisters and sister-sisters as well!” But Sison added that she is still close with three of her friends from third grade—she had recently met them for lunch—and she loves living in Washington, where there are lots of Wellesley alums.
“The friendships that you make here on campus, that you’re making in this fellowship…” said Sision, “they’re going to carry you through the ups and downs in ways you can’t even imagine.”