During his three-block Cornell Fellowship in Armenia, one of Wondra's primary duties was to draft official communication briefs to Washington on topics such as human rights, economics, judicial proceedings, and local projects. He also participated in fact-finding missions during the protests and military crackdowns that gained worldwide attention in the days following the incarceration of an Armenian parliamentary official. Wondra visited with protesters, a hunger-striker, and a police chief in a region north of Yerevan.

"Even the most grassroots developments were tied to the political situation," he says. "I observed the protests before the violence on March 1, when people were filled with hope. And then afterwards I reported on the violence, the death toll, the police reports, and political arrests."

Wondra also performed diplomatic roles during  Armenia's National Genocide Memorial Day, as well as at local development projects. Meanwhile, he was exposed to a wide range of diplomatic, development, and assistance work in the area by his office, the Peace Corps, and other groups. An international relations and Russian major, Wondra had previously studied in Russia for a block during Russia Today, then returned to study in St. Petersburg for a semester in the fall of his junior year.

These international experiences have broadened Wondra's worldview and his possibilities for the future, and he credits the culture at Cornell for making them possible.

"One of the best aspects of Cornell is the view of the faculty with respect to foreign study, as well as the global perspective encouraged by many advisers," he says.

Following graduation, Wondra says he plans to seek internationally-geared scholarships to research and teach abroad, as well as investigate doctoral programs in the field of international relations and global policy.