JOY, FOREIGN SERVICE SPECIALIST, SECURITY ENGINEERING OFFICER:
My name is Joy. I'm a Security Engineering Officer
with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
We protect lives and information overseas, and these days protecting lives
is at the forefront of everybody's mind,
and being able to contribute to that on a daily basis
is just what keeps me motivated to do my best every day.
While I was in high school, I did an internship program
with Los Alamos National Labs, and I was doing a technical job there.
I worked with the calibrations lab, and I was introduced to electronics.
So when I got to New Mexico State University,
it was easy for me to select my major.
I went to the engineering college, and I took a few introductory classes,
while I took my basics, and decided I wanted to do electronic technology.
To be honest, I didn't know much about the Department of State,
and in between classes one day, I saw a couple gentlemen
giving a presentation to a different class.
And I stood outside the door, and I was listening to their presentation,
and one of my professors explained to me
that what they had explained so far was...it was pretty interesting,
and I should go to their booth during the career fair that was there.
I had lived in New Mexico all my life,
and I wanted to just go somewhere and see the world,
and the lifestyle is probably what made my decision for me.
I've been in the Foreign Service for fourteen years.
My overseas posts were Frankfurt, Germany; Beijing, China; and Manila, Philippines.
Since we're regional, we traveled to many different countries
out of our Engineering Service Center, and I've been to a lot of locations
I didn't even know existed.
The Marshall Islands Majuro was probably the furthest away from home I've ever been.
I had my first child in Germany, and it was a wonderful experience.
My husband has supported me throughout my career
and he's...he joined the Foreign Service also.
When I first told them that I had accepted the job with the Foreign Service,
my family wasn't sure what the Foreign Service was.
So when I explained to them that I'd be traveling overseas,
they were so concerned.
My mom really feels most comfortable at home,
so visiting us in China, she said, was a wonderful experience.
And she didn't worry about us as much when she saw
how we lived overseas, and saw how my children were adapting
to the life and how well-rounded they were.
So they're not so worried anymore, not like at the beginning.
I'm a small town girl, and I never thought I would
achieve so much in my life.
And I look around at all the people that I work with every day,
and they have different backgrounds and we're all individuals,
and we work so well together.
Anybody can fit in, in this environment.
We're a team and we're a family.
And I think when we show that to the people overseas, our colleagues,
just the people living in other areas of the world,
it breaks down the stereotype of what they think America is,
and they relate to us on a much more human level.