Lewis Lukens spoke to a group of engaged students in Orrico Hall at the University of Portland on Tuesday, October 21st. Lukens is the newest U.S. Diplomat in Residence for the Northwest and was just assigned this position last month. He began his career in the Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer and worked his way up the ranks. He has held many impressive positions over the years working in the Department of State and shared stories of working side by side with Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State as one example. A Foreign Service Officer can pursue several different tracks: Consular Officer, Economic Officer, Management Officer, Political Officer, or Public Diplomacy. With all these different branches, this position can be pursued by most anyone; regardless your incoming knowledge or skill sets.
Sophomore Sociology and Psychology major Marissa Renda attended the event and gained a lot from it because it “gave [her] a much better insight into what the Department of State does,” and gave her “a lot to think about when it came to [her] career and if this is something [she] wants to pursue.” Marissa is not entirely sure what direction she wants to go or what specific career path she wants to follow but believed this event “helped give [her] some more options and helped to demonstrate that there are so many career choices out there that [she] did not even know about.”
Lukens spent some time describing different ways in which students can get involved with The Department of State while pursuing their undergraduate degree. The Department of State offers an internship available to undergraduate students. The Department of State offers several different opportunities that take place in a variety of different locations; students can work in U.S. embassies throughout the world, one of the several bureaus located in Washington D.C., or at Department offices that are spread out across the United States. This experience gives students a great exposure to the field and all of its components. Visit the link above if you would like more information about this student internship program.
Lukens closed his presentation by saying that his favorite part of his job is constantly learning and being aware of what is going on in the world. He has also enjoys the opportunity it gives him to travel the globe and not only see, but also live in a variety of different places worldwide. To learn more about the Department of State, visit their website.
If you missed this event, there will be many more opportunities to attend events hosted by Career Services. These career-related events are put on throughout the year and are available for all UP students to attend. Like UPCareerServices on Facebook or follow @UPCareers on twitter to keep up to date on the latest events. Career Services is located in Orrico Hall, lower level (underneath the Health Center) and on the web at www.up.edu/career.