“…When I joined the Foreign Service and learned about the Office of Children’s Issues, I really wanted to work there. I thought that this was something- parental child abduction and adoption cases- that I would like to do and would be good at. Turned out to be true.”

“I went up to see the king…I’m proud to be here on behalf of the United States government and return this important and sacred object to you.’”

“I certainly do my best to represent the United States overseas in terms of contributing to changing people’s perceptions; not just about the United States but also about their own societies to empower people so that they begin to demand more from their political leadership.”

“The more that we can help build skills, build confidence, and also build leadership skills and leadership traits in young people, the better.”

“Every basic lesson for me is that I am an American and whoever I’m speaking with or interacting with is coming away with some sort of impression about my country. And so it’s important to me that everything I do here in Washington or overseas that I’m creating the most positive impression of what my values are as an American.”

“There is great support from the Pickering Fellowship team…the fellowship has had a tremendous impact on my beginnings as a Foreign Service Officer.”

“This turned out to be the most remarkable experience. Every two to three years I get to reinvent myself professionally, I get to live all over the word, and I get to support our leaders in their mission and do a job that matters.”

“I think of the livelihoods of the people who work back in America, the people that I grew up with, the people that I serve as a public servant. And what I do overseas makes it so that they have a better economic future and their children, and my children have better economic future.”