More than a decade ago, I began an internship with the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council that was one of the most inspirational and enjoyable experiences of my career thus far. I spent two summers (‘09 & ‘10) as an intern there while pursuing my bachelor’s degree in international affairs and political science from Florida State University. It was my first internship and opportunity to work in a domain that I had already developed a great passion for without even knowing what to call it. “Citizen diplomacy” became a regular part of my vocabulary and a concept that I was excited to share with others. It was also a big part of my work as Peace Corps volunteer for three years in Cameroon, which my time at the Diplomacy Council helped solidify my desire to embark upon.
I worked on a variety of proposals, projects, and visits as an intern, including creating a cultural artifact program to serve local schools. I was also the Program Intern in Pensacola for the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program. I helped plan the visits for leaders from India, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Sudan, and more and had the great pleasure of accompanying several delegations to local organizations and sites. Following my internship, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., as a National Council for International Visitors (now Global Ties U.S.) “Emerging Leader” to participate in the organization’s national meeting.
Fast forward several years, jobs, and a master’s degree in public administration later, and, just a few blocks from where I first visited D.C. to broaden my knowledge of international exchange at the NCIV national meeting, I was starting my current position with the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG). As an inspector at the OIG for nearly two and a half years, my role has been to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of DOJ programs and make recommendations for improvement. I use many of the skills that I started developing at the Diplomacy Council—research, writing, and collaboration to name a few—to accomplish my work. As a public servant now, and years ago as an intern, I’ve learned the true joy that can come with doing work that you are passionate about.
– Charla Ngatcha
The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Justice, or the United States government.
