My name is Ketura.
I'm a Foreign Service officer-- political track.
I was born in Harlem, New York and then raised in the US Virgin Islands in Saint Thomas.
Then I came back to New York.
And also in undergrad, I studied African Studies and world affairs.
And that sort of furthered my interest in international relations.
I'm actually the first in my family to join the Foreign Service, to be a diplomat.
But my great grandfather was an original Buffalo soldier.
My grandfather was a senator in the US Virgin Islands.
My other grandfather was in World War I. And so there's been a long history of service.
I'd actually applied to graduate school already, in October, to the Fletcher School.
And I was looking for opportunities for resources to finance the education.
And I looked at the Bunch Center.
And there was this information about the Rangel fellowship.
So I clicked on it, and I read more information.
And I thought this is amazing.
This is exactly what I want to do.
This is the career that I want to pursue.
This is how I want to be in service to others.
It's made me the successful Foreign Service officer that I am now.
From the beginning, once I got the phone call, it wasn't, hi, you've gotten the Rangel Fellowship.
It was welcome to the Rangel family.
It's been a professional support, as in they provide resources and training in advance
of joining the State Department.
You do a domestic internship and a foreign internship.
And actually for my domestic internship, I was with former congressman, Donald Payne,
on the subcommittee on Africa and global health.
There are resources and training to prep you for writing, for memo writing, for briefing.
All of the things that you will do in the Foreign Service, even as an entry level officer,
you already have that exposure, having had the privilege of being a Rangel fellow in
particular.
One of the challenges in the Foreign Service-- and many people may tell you this-- is sometimes
you don't feel prepared for the responsibility, for the trust that you're given, as an entry
level officer.
And what I mean by that is you may be given language training.
But then you start, and you're expected to learn quickly and to do well, to be creative,
to build relationships quickly.
But that also means that sometimes you may be asked to brief a senior official two days
into your job.
Or, for example, there's going to be a senior level or a congressional visit that's coming.
And you may be responsible for everything from the logistics of hotels to briefing a
congressman or senator.
And so in those situations, you fall back on your network.
You fall back on your resources.
You call folks and say, I just got this tasking-- this responsibility.
What's the best way to go about this?
There was a time at which I thought graduate school maybe prohibited, because I may not
be able to pay for it.
And that was frustrating.
And so, that is a real tangible benefit of the Rangel program.
But it's also the mentoring and the professional training and development that the program
provides for you.
That is another tangible benefit, because there may be times when you're not sure what
to do or how to navigate something.
And there's always something that you can call and talk to in confidence.
And they always give you great advice.
And what's also great is it encourages you always to do your best to be your best, because
I know that I also have the opportunity now to mentor other young Rangels, who were in
the place where I was for four or five years ago.
So it's always another sort of encouragement to do better and to be my best, because I
am Rangel fellow.
I am someone who has had the opportunity to join the Foreign Service in this particular
route.
There are many routes to the Foreign Service.
I've taken this route to the Foreign Service.
And I'm not quite sure that I would necessarily be where I am right now without the Rangel
fellowship program.
My name is Ketura.
I'm a Foreign Service officer-- political track.
I was born in Harlem, New York and then raised in the US Virgin Islands in Saint Thomas.
Then I came back to New York.
And also in undergrad, I studied African Studies and world affairs.
And that sort of furthered my interest in international relations.
I'm actually the first in my family to join the Foreign Service, to be a diplomat.
But my great grandfather was an original Buffalo soldier.
My grandfather was a senator in the US Virgin Islands.
My other grandfather was in World War I. And so there's been a long history of service.
I'd actually applied to graduate school already, in October, to the Fletcher School.
And I was looking for opportunities for resources to finance the education.
And I looked at the Bunch Center.
And there was this information about the Rangel fellowship.
So I clicked on it, and I read more information.
And I thought this is amazing.
This is exactly what I want to do.
This is the career that I want to pursue.
This is how I want to be in service to others.
It's made me the successful Foreign Service officer that I am now.
From the beginning, once I got the phone call, it wasn't, hi, you've gotten the Rangel Fellowship.
It was welcome to the Rangel family.
It's been a professional support, as in they provide resources and training in advance
of joining the State Department.
You do a domestic internship and a foreign internship.
And actually for my domestic internship, I was with former congressman, Donald Payne,
on the subcommittee on Africa and global health.
There are resources and training to prep you for writing, for memo writing, for briefing.
All of the things that you will do in the Foreign Service, even as an entry level officer,
you already have that exposure, having had the privilege of being a Rangel fellow in
particular.
One of the challenges in the Foreign Service-- and many people may tell you this-- is sometimes
you don't feel prepared for the responsibility, for the trust that you're given, as an entry
level officer.
And what I mean by that is you may be given language training.
But then you start, and you're expected to learn quickly and to do well, to be creative,
to build relationships quickly.
But that also means that sometimes you may be asked to brief a senior official two days
into your job.
Or, for example, there's going to be a senior level or a congressional visit that's coming.
And you may be responsible for everything from the logistics of hotels to briefing a
congressman or senator.
And so in those situations, you fall back on your network.
You fall back on your resources.
You call folks and say, I just got this tasking-- this responsibility.
What's the best way to go about this?
There was a time at which I thought graduate school maybe prohibited, because I may not
be able to pay for it.
And that was frustrating.
And so, that is a real tangible benefit of the Rangel program.
But it's also the mentoring and the professional training and development that the program
provides for you.
That is another tangible benefit, because there may be times when you're not sure what
to do or how to navigate something.
And there's always something that you can call and talk to in confidence.
And they always give you great advice.
And what's also great is it encourages you always to do your best to be your best, because
I know that I also have the opportunity now to mentor other young Rangels, who were in
the place where I was for four or five years ago.
So it's always another sort of encouragement to do better and to be my best, because I
am Rangel fellow.
I am someone who has had the opportunity to join the Foreign Service in this particular
route.
There are many routes to the Foreign Service.
I've taken this route to the Foreign Service.
And I'm not quite sure that I would necessarily be where I am right now without the Rangel
fellowship program.
My name is Ketura.
I'm a Foreign Service officer-- political track.
I was born in Harlem, New York and then raised in the US Virgin Islands in Saint Thomas.
Then I came back to New York.
And also in undergrad, I studied African Studies and world affairs.
And that sort of furthered my interest in international relations.
I'm actually the first in my family to join the Foreign Service, to be a diplomat.
But my great grandfather was an original Buffalo soldier.
My grandfather was a senator in the US Virgin Islands.
My other grandfather was in World War I. And so there's been a long history of service.
I'd actually applied to graduate school already, in October, to the Fletcher School.
And I was looking for opportunities for resources to finance the education.
And I looked at the Bunch Center.
And there was this information about the Rangel fellowship.
So I clicked on it, and I read more information.
And I thought this is amazing.
This is exactly what I want to do.
This is the career that I want to pursue.
This is how I want to be in service to others.
It's made me the successful Foreign Service officer that I am now.
From the beginning, once I got the phone call, it wasn't, hi, you've gotten the Rangel Fellowship.
It was welcome to the Rangel family.
It's been a professional support, as in they provide resources and training in advance
of joining the State Department.
You do a domestic internship and a foreign internship.
And actually for my domestic internship, I was with former congressman, Donald Payne,
on the subcommittee on Africa and global health.
There are resources and training to prep you for writing, for memo writing, for briefing.
All of the things that you will do in the Foreign Service, even as an entry level officer,
you already have that exposure, having had the privilege of being a Rangel fellow in
particular.
One of the challenges in the Foreign Service-- and many people may tell you this-- is sometimes
you don't feel prepared for the responsibility, for the trust that you're given, as an entry
level officer.
And what I mean by that is you may be given language training.
But then you start, and you're expected to learn quickly and to do well, to be creative,
to build relationships quickly.
But that also means that sometimes you may be asked to brief a senior official two days
into your job.
Or, for example, there's going to be a senior level or a congressional visit that's coming.
And you may be responsible for everything from the logistics of hotels to briefing a
congressman or senator.
And so in those situations, you fall back on your network.
You fall back on your resources.
You call folks and say, I just got this tasking-- this responsibility.
What's the best way to go about this?
There was a time at which I thought graduate school maybe prohibited, because I may not
be able to pay for it.
And that was frustrating.
And so, that is a real tangible benefit of the Rangel program.
But it's also the mentoring and the professional training and development that the program
provides for you.
That is another tangible benefit, because there may be times when you're not sure what
to do or how to navigate something.
And there's always something that you can call and talk to in confidence.
And they always give you great advice.
And what's also great is it encourages you always to do your best to be your best, because
I know that I also have the opportunity now to mentor other young Rangels, who were in
the place where I was for four or five years ago.
So it's always another sort of encouragement to do better and to be my best, because I
am Rangel fellow.
I am someone who has had the opportunity to join the Foreign Service in this particular
route.
There are many routes to the Foreign Service.
I've taken this route to the Foreign Service.
And I'm not quite sure that I would necessarily be where I am right now without the Rangel
fellowship program.