“One of the reasons I joined State was just the feeling that I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to make a difference more than just in my little clinic. And this is one of those examples where we really did make a difference.”

“This is a very educational challenging experience for me. It gets me out of my comfort zone as well as gives me the opportunity to serve and represent my country overseas without carrying a gun. So that’s what keeps me going, being able to learn a new skill and learn how to wire up a panel or alarm system by myself, you know. It really gets me out of my comfort zone.”

“It is so much different, and it’s so much more than what I could have ever imagined it to be. Your customer service is always trying to help the secretary of the president push their worldwide agenda, foreign policy agenda, and economic agenda, and that’s a different skill set of customer service. So, I think that’s probably the largest or the biggest most important skill that I learned or acquired while I was on the job and then leadership”.

“There’s no one path to becoming an office management specialist because this is an incredible opportunity and no matter where you’re coming from this could be the career for you.”

“I think you definitely have to come into this position with some experience, and you have to have a pretty firm background and be confident in your clinical skills. But no matter what, it’s going to be kind of a scary proposition to think about joining, and you know, being responsible for a health unit. But I really think that this position feels more to me like a career than any job I’ve had to this point.”

“We gave up quite a bit, but we thought that we will gain a lot more. Especially for our children, they will be exposed to various cultures around the world and will be able to actually see first-hand what it means to interact with people from various backgrounds as well as getting exposed to different languages. It’s one thing to read about it, but it’s nothing compared to actually being there. You know, intermingle with the people that actually are from that area and get to experience their food and their culture first-hand it’s much better than anybody could ever read.”

“The transition for me from the United States Navy to the Department of State, which – was a natural one. I always serve my country, and I continue to want to serve my country. The U.S. Navy taught me leadership and management skills; the U.S. Department of State has taught me customer service skills and a greater sensitivity to others needs.”