Somalia: First U.S. Envoy to the Country Sworn in Washington

The first U.S. ambassador to Somalia since the "Black Hawk Down" incident got his start in world affairs by staring at a map of Africa in a classroom at Williamsville South High School.

"In ninth grade, I had a class in Afro-Asian cultures, taught by Karen Willyoung," recalled Stephen M. Schwartz, a career diplomat who took the oath of office Monday as the first U.S. ambassador since 1991 to serve in Somalia, one of Africa's most volatile countries. "There was something about it that really inspired me, and I was quite interested in learning about all these parts of the world."

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