Parag Khanna does not sing or play in a band, but LD Bell High School teacher Joe Mendenhall was still in awe of Khanna (back row center) at a recent World Affairs Council event in Dallas. "He's an author and international affairs rock star," Mendenhall said. Khanna met with Mendenhall and his students before his speech to the World Affairs Council of Dallas and Fort Worth February 8. Mendenhall is the campus sponsor for the Junior World Affairs Council.

The World Affairs Council's International Education Initiative seeks to empower students through education to help them gain a critical understanding of international issues and to challenge students to find ways to impact and give back to their local communities and the world. World Affairs Council membership is an example of how students in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD have an "edge" as they prepare for life in a global economy.

Parag Khanna is a Senior Research Fellow in the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. He is author of the international best-seller "The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order" and "How to Run the World: Charting a Course to the Next Renaissance."

In 2008, Khanna was named one of Esquire Magazine's "75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century," and one of 15 individuals featured in WIRED magazine's "Smart List." He is widely published and quoted around the world in media such as the "New York Times," TIME," "Financial Times," and "Wall Street Journal," and he appears regularly on CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, PBS, and NPR.

Khanna holds a PhD from the London School of Economics as well as bachelor's and master's degrees from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Born in India, Khanna grew up in the United Arab Emirates, New York, and Germany. He has traveled to more than 100 countries and has been named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.

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