Day 6, Pt 2: US Embassy Accra & EducationUSA Welcome American University Scholars

By Johneé Wilson, 24 March 2023

Photo Credit: US Embassy of Ghana Staff

On Wednesday, March 15, 2023, graduate and undergraduate students from American University were escorted into U.S. Embassy Accra to learn about the different career tracks of the U.S. Foreign Service and the role the U.S. Embassy plays in Ghana. Rafiatu Lawal, Education and English Language Outreach Coordinator/EducationUSA Advisor led our group into the American Center where computers, books, and other resources are readily available to the public for free use.

On the walls of the room, I noticed over one-hundred, multicolored, felt pennants bearing various U.S. college and university insignias. Jennifer Green, Public Affairs Assistant Manager, informed us that the pennants represent all of the schools Ghanaian students have attended over the years and the growing partnerships between educational institutions and the embassy. When I finally located the American University pennant, her presentation began. Jennifer shared that U.S. Embassy Accra is the fifth largest embassy in Sub-Saharan Africa and sends the second-highest number of students (second only to Nigeria) to the U.S. for study. This was followed by her introducing USAID Foreign Service Officer, Sizwe Mdluli. He informed us about his journey to joining USAID, as he was on his first assignment in Ghana. The number one piece of advice he gave when applying to U.S. government jobs was "If you have a two-page CV, make it a ten-page CV."

I found this feedback to be quite interesting given that most career development courses, including at American University, teach students to limit resumes to two pages. Yet, the logic is, when applying for U.S. government positions, more is best, so the system assessing your application can flag as many keywords and phrases to best identify qualified applicants for the position advertised.

Next, we heard from Laniece Brooker, Cultural Affairs Attaché, whose lineage and personal ties to Ghana led her back to the country she grew up in with her family. Laniece brilliantly leaned into the challenges and successes of being a female Foreign Service Officer (FSO), which many of us were curious about, as 66% of our AU Alt-Break students were female-identifying. Laniece informed us that there has been an increase in women hires, who are married and otherwise. Yet, this can sometimes leave their spouses in a place where they may, or may not, be able to secure employment. To be clear, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) has made it possible for 'tandems' or spouses, who are both in the service to be relocated together.

Photo Credit: Houssaynatou Barry and EducationUSA Team Member

Box 1 and 2: panelist (r to l) Peter Botjer, Sanaa Phinizy, Johneé Wilson, (Rafiatu Lawal), Michaela Aptt,

Box 3 and 4: Audience members engaging with panel; finally, the entire AU cohort with EducationUSA participants and staff.

After leaving the Embassy, Rafiatu joined us at the American Corner Agbogba for an EducationUSA panel discussion led by four AU students: Peter Botjer, Sanaa Phinizy, Johneé Wilson (myself), and Michael Aptt. We shared our stories and experiences of being American University students; provided feedback on the best ways to secure funding for school expenses; discussed challenges we faced; and educated others about AU degree programs. In fact, the students in the audience were enlightened by our shared humanity, regardless of geographical location. The reality is that students in America have similar concerns about funding and barriers to accessing higher education. Thankfully, there are advocates, like funders, professors, and faculty, who continue to invest in education to support young people, so that the opportunity to achieve higher education and deepen relationships globally through civility, integrity, and consensus is attained.

Photo Credit: Moka's Resto Café Team Member

2023 American University Alt-Break cohort dining a Moka's Resto Café in Accra, Ghana

After exchanging LinkedIn handles and lining up for photos we departed for dinner. Many of the students from our panel discussion have reached out via LinkedIn to learn more about the graduate and undergraduate application process when applying to American University. I really hope to see some of their bright faces on this side of the Atlantic soon.