VCU political science student Zateya Jackson gets a crash course in Foreign Service careers and leadership

By Sian Wilkerson

Virginia Commonwealth University political science student Zateya Jackson has been constantly - but gratifyingly - busy this summer.

Gearing up for the Law School Admission Test. Preparing a pile of law school applications. Trying to nail down an internship for her final year of undergraduate study. And, most notably, participating in not one, not two, but three leadership programs.

"All the opportunities I've gotten this summer, I wouldn't have gotten them without VCU and the political science department," Jackson said.

The high point came in June, when she participated in the Meridian-Cox Foreign Service Fellowship for Emerging Leaders, a new and fully paid enrichment and training program that expands awareness of and access to U.S. Foreign Service careers. Jackson was among 20 students selected from underrepresented communities across the country to travel to Washington, D.C., for a week she described as "jam-packed."

Fellows received an inside look at American diplomacy and the various educational, internship and career paths within the Foreign Service. Activities included a day at the State Department and a tour of the White House, a two-day diplomatic skills training course and panel discussions with representatives from the Foreign Service network.

"I didn't even know that regular people could tour the White House," said Jackson, who is originally from Texas and moved with her family to Chesterfield County when she was in high school. "Touring D.C. in general was awesome, especially for someone who's never gotten to see everything before. Being inside the Lincoln Memorial was the coolest thing ever."

But her favorite element of the fellowship was hearing from people who work in the Foreign Service, including Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

"They did a really good job of making sure the panels were diverse panels," Jackson said. "There were people of color, there were women, there were a whole bunch of diverse perspectives. That's very important for me, seeing women, especially women of color, in those positions. It gives you the feeling that you can work there, too."

In addition to the Meridian-Cox fellowship, Jackson took part in the NEW Leadership Virginia program through George Mason University in June. And in July, she was one of 21 students from 10 colleges across the state to participate in the Virginia21 Summer Leadership Institute at the University of Richmond.

"Having that [leadership] role and being that voice for other women is very important to me," she said.

Amid all of her program obligations, Jackson made the most of nonscheduled time. In Washington, while her days were busy, she also had the opportunity to explore the city.

"My favorite personal thing I did was walk around the National Mall at night," she said. "It was beautiful. And then my favorite thing I did with the group was just getting the chance to network with other people."

On a personal level, that even included her hotel roommate from North Dakota. The experience offered something of a preliminary look at communicating with someone from a different culture.

"It was like two different worlds - and we live in the same country," Jackson said with a laugh.

"Sometimes it's hard to connect with people during programs like this, especially people from different states across the country," she added. "But with this program, I was able to speak to every single person in our group, and I loved everyone there."

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