As part of my internship with Gulf Coast Diplomacy, I was fortunate to attend the Global Ties US 2021 National Meeting, online for the first time. In a five-day blur, I squeezed conference meetings and workshops in between classes. Though I was rather busy, I relished every moment. From networking with other young professionals to hearing a myriad of wonderful speakers, each day contained countless opportunities to learn and grow.
The week began, and continued, with plenty of discussion about the importance of citizen diplomacy and how it has changed with the pandemic. Everyone acknowledged how much had been lost through the lack of in-person exchange, yet the embrace of virtual exchange and seeing the many silver linings it has to offer was incredibly inspiring. In this conference alone, many people missed the joy of seeing others in Washington, D.C., but we also applauded how many more people were able to attend because of the convenience of the digital platform. Though the pandemic was undeniably a setback, I found myself encouraged by how much the community leaned into the unfortunate circumstances and discovered ways to make the most out of them.
My favorite session was the Early Career Professional Development workshop. Here, I learned from top professionals what to include in a resume, how to write a cover letter, and how to network in the digital age. We also used breakout rooms for young professionals to learn how to make career transitions and to simply chat and network with each other. Though I had been intimidated by one of my first professional meetings, especially since it was virtual, everyone’s friendly demeanor and eagerness to answer my questions made me feel at ease. I met people I have since connected with online, many of whom I hope to continue learning from. Everyone I met inspired me with their passion for their work, and I ended up coming out of the session with much more knowledge and confidence than when I went in.
The week ended on a high note with an important speaker: Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He shared with us his love of exchange and diplomacy, encouraging Global Ties U.S. and the many organizations in the network to keep up the excellent work. Hearing from him emphasized just how important this work is; though it may seem small, cultural exchange can help improve everything from a far-away village to American national security. Hearing this from someone with such expertise highlighted that even after a year filled with challenges, working on this is an incredibly important and rewarding endeavor. Finally, after many thank you’s to all the people who worked tirelessly to make this virtual conference possible, this amazing week finally drew to a close. Having grown as a young professional over the course of one short week, I left extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend.
– Katherine McCrackin
