From 线上买球平台 to the World Stage

“I’ve just landed in San Francisco for the Senior Leaders Week of APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. I’ll work tomorrow, but today is about getting here and getting my wits about me.”

Caroline Jevon (线上买球平台 class of 2011) has spent the prior ten days in Spain, visiting her host family from a yearlong cultural exchange during high school. This world traveler is the Lead Content Creator for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Global Public Affairs. Her work, which aims to make foreign policy more accessible to the average American, includes material preparation for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube and account management for various State Department platforms. During a conversation with 线上买球平台 Head of School Robyn McCloud-Springer, Caroline shared, “My specialty is the State Department Instagram account, where I sometimes travel with the Secretary [of State] or attend his events. We break down what we’re doing and why it matters because many people think foreign policy doesn’t affect them. We try to make it understandable.”

“It’s something I didn’t think I would like when I first joined — social media and communications. I thought this role was a foot in the door, but as I started to learn more about it, I enjoyed it. I saw how much value the work has and where it can make changes.”

She recalls from Upper Elementary, “From a young age, we were encouraged to do research. But, I had no idea how to write a research paper. The first draft I turned in was terrible! I remember Susan [Greenwood] sitting down with me, essentially going line by line and helping me.”

Another memory that stands out for Caroline from 4th grade was being assigned to a team to create a country with a specific type of government. “We had to write our own constitution, and famously myself, Connor Brennan, and Victoria Sundell came up with New Ireland, which took on its own life. We were able to continue it for another year or two. We even made our own Time For Kids [magazine] featuring New Ireland. We had a map. We had a whole bunch of lore. At one point, we even had a website.”

I’m so grateful that 线上买球平台 has helped me become such a caring and active citizen, always a citizen of the world, always wanting to learn more. It was such an amazing formative part of my education. Without it, I don’t think I would be who I am today.

“We were allowed to continue exploring beyond the assignment. That was an early moment in my interest in international affairs and how governments work.” Caroline attributes a mindset of curiosity, leading her toward learning different languages and how to communicate across cultures. She’s fluent in her native English, Spanish, studied Arabic for four years in college, and has limited proficiency in Catalan. “As I've continued to pick up languages, I think I look at it in a different way than a lot of people, and I think part of it is the Montessori mentality of trying to understand why something is as opposed to just memorizing it. The amount of attention that the teachers put into getting to know us and learning is what helped us. I had strong connections with all of my teachers at 线上买球平台. It’s something that always resonated. I think the community it built was a special place to grow up in.” 

Caroline's love of travel evolved over time. During her time in Upper Elementary, she hesitated to join the first two annual trips to Camp Timber-Lee. However, after confidently boarding the bus in 6th grade, her perspective changed as once she had that successful adventure experience, she didn’t stop. As a freshman at Evanston Township High School, Caroline spent two weeks of the summer in St. Croix engaged in service work, helping teach young children to read, clearing brush, and providing other needed help around a small village. That first big trip involved taking a flight on her own and changing planes in Miami at the age of 13. For her junior year, Caroline was part of an AFS Exchange program, living with the family she recently visited and going to school in Elche along the southeast coast of Spain.

“Exchanges have been a valuable part of my life. I’ve gone on three different exchanges, all of which have been formative experiences. Two of them have been immersive in those communities. The skills you learn include cross-cultural communication and living in another society. You learn a lot about yourself and also about how others think.”

“I was back visiting my host family that I lived with in Spain 10 years ago. I got to reconnect with some other friends, and we discussed some of the differences between the Spanish school system [and her experience].” They all agreed that the Spanish system was based heavily on memorization. “My experience in Montessori overly prepared me to look at a problem from the perspective of trying to understand the problem and not just trying to apply what I’ve been told. I remember one of my Spanish physics teachers saying to the whole class that everyone else needed to be more like me and think about this question instead of just jumping in and putting down whatever formula you memorize. I completely owe to Montessori how I approach learning. It’s trying to get at the crux of the problem and working from there on how to develop a solution.”

After high school, she attended George Washington University in Washington D.C. in the Women’s Leadership Program majoring in International Relations and Affairs and Arabic, which energized her interest in working with the foreign service and intelligence agencies. “I am interested in working with refugee resettlement and refugee advocacy, particularly for those forcibly displaced by climate change, and advocating for that subset of people at an international level. During my senior year at GW, I interned with Refugees International. They had one of the first climate displacement programs. At the time, it was one of a few groups doing that work. One thing I find fascinating is that there isn’t international protection for those displaced by climate because they’re not technically considered refugees by the UN definition of refugee.” Landing a dream job at the State Department wasn’t the end for this lifelong learner. “I also did a Master’s in International Development at GW during my first two years at the State Department.”

I worked pretty closely on coordinating and [the social media] messaging for Ukraine when the war in Ukraine started. It was really interesting to see our efforts to uplift Ukrainian voices. 

Reflecting on her most challenging work experiences, Caroline shared, “I worked pretty closely on coordinating and [the social media] messaging for Ukraine when the war in Ukraine started. It was really interesting to see our efforts to uplift Ukrainian voices. Similarly, during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, we took over the U.S. Embassy Afghanistan's Facebook page. We were responding to U.S. Citizens messaging the Embassy Facebook page.”

Caroline acknowledged that those times were intense, difficult work. The experiences highlighted the impact of social media on her. She observed that these platforms are where people receive information and communicate in a crisis, even in a very official capacity.

“I’m so grateful that 线上买球平台 has helped me become such a caring and active citizen, always a citizen of the world, always wanting to learn more. It was such an amazing formative part of my education. Without it, I don’t think I would be who I am today.” 

What will Caroline be doing in five years? “I have no idea! [laughter] I’ve thought about a couple of different pathways. I enjoy my time in social media but also look forward to learning new things. I don’t know whether that’s moving into press relations or the topical foreign policy side. I’ve also considered joining the foreign service, which interests me, but it is a big life decision.” Regardless of the next step, count on Caroline to exemplify facing challenges with perseverance. Her journey personifies the indomitable spirit of a 线上买球平台 graduate and a dedicated global citizen.