Unlocking Success through Career Connections: The Antoine Battle Story

Written by Office of Alumni Affairs Intern Meg Markowski and edited by Maria Eliades

Antoine Battle’s career has been all about connections. A driven professional with a fervor for fostering global relationships and higher education, Antoine has built his career across international education, government, and industry. But it was his international exchanges and attending a Career Connections seminar for U.S. exchange program alumni that solidified his calling to bring people together. It all started with his time in Egypt and Morocco through the Professional Fellows Program… 

“From the moment I participated in the fellowship and my first day in Morocco, I knew that I had to immerse myself in this field and take us to the next level,” he says.

At the time, Antoine was working as the Director of Communications at the D.C. Commission on National and Community Service, at the Executive Office of the Mayor in Washington, D.C. The office already had a relationship with the implementing partner that ran the U.S. Department of State exchange program and Antoine had been helping host international exchange alumni from North Africa. After going on his own exchange, he dove even deeper into global affairs.

Ultimately, Antoine had to forge his own path into the sector, taking on different positions. Despite not working full time, he had an inner determination to continue, based on a lesson from his father. When he was in elementary school, his father would take him to Walmart to buy water and soda to sell at local events. He says he learned how to take rejection from doing that, but that experience and his father’s attitude are what have given him fortitude to this day.

“You have no idea how many rejections I've received,” he says. “But my father always instilled an attitude that, even if there's adversity, even if there are obstacles, don't give up. I learned that in any situation in life you can't internalize, you know, a rejection or you can't let it stop you. You have to use it as a tool for additional motivation.” 

When he attended the online Career Connections – Career Connections Global+ – in September 2021, that tenacity served him well. Within less than two months of connecting with leaders across various industries, Antoine landed a job as the Global Membership and Events Coordinator at the Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC), a group of 38 universities in Texas building the types of connections that come naturally to Antoine. 

“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity,” he says of his time in the seminar. “I was like, wow, this is awesome. This is what we've been waiting for.”

Today, Antoine’s dream job is a reality thanks to his drive to succeed together with Career Connections networking, and his career is a testament to the power of persistence and the profound impact of connection through international exchange and the global ExchangeAlumni network. 

Career Connections seminars bring together U.S. citizen ExchangeAlumni and leaders in business, government, civil society, and other diverse fields to leverage their skills and networks. The program is offered in-person and in virtual format. Learn more and apply for an upcoming Career Connections seminar today.