A proud BISD graduate who is serving as a Foreign Service Officer in the Operations Center of Washington, D.C. came to Brazoswood High School to share her experiences as a diplomat with the school’s student council members and students in PALs I and II (Peer Assistance and Leadership), under the instruction of Mrs. Stephanie Jess.
Jillian (Jill) St John is a product of BISD, as were her parents. She graduated in 2001 from Brazoswood, and was excited to come back two decades later to share her experience with current students. She shared a brief summary of what it means to work as a Department of State’s Diplomat and the process to apply, and then asked students their college or career plans.
Jill explained that there are approximately 13,000 diplomats around the world and that although they have downtime, they are always representing their country as ambassadors, so it is important to be respectful and mindful of everything you are doing to ensure you are acting with integrity and under the rule of law. Some of the various jobs of a diplomat include assisting American citizens who lose their passports or other identification when traveling, aiding Americans in the event of a crisis while visiting another country and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Americans abroad. She also shared that there are diplomats who bring their special talents to the job, such as one who loves playing the trumpet. She said he would ship his many trumpets to the country he would serve in and share his American music culture with the people of that country as part of his role as an American Diplomat.
She also shared that although she enjoys being able to travel abroad, she always loves coming back home to the United States. “I’ve been to a lot of countries around the world and I can tell you my very, very favorite country is the United States of America. I go to work in other countries because I really like this country and I enjoy being able to keep my family and friends safer because of what we are doing overseas.”
Jill most recently served as a US Diplomat in the Embassy Santo Domingo, and this summer she is scheduled to move to Moscow. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she served at the White House National Security Council as Director for Central America and the Caribbean (2017), Acting Director for North America (2017), and Director for Border Security (2016). She has also served at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as Deputy Director for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs and Regional Affairs Specialist for the Western Hemisphere. She served under President Obama and President Trump. She holds an MPA from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, an MS in Environmental Science from SUNY College of Environmental Science, and a BA in International Studies from the University of St Thomas in Houston.
Mrs. Jess’ students enjoyed hearing about some of Jill’s amazing adventures and were interested in the process of becoming a US Diplomat. They had many questions for her and discussed their own future plans. Thank you Jill St John for sharing your time and this unique career opportunity with our students!
