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Foreign service
Rachel Graaf has lived throughout the Middle East as an employee
of the U.S. State Department.
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At six feet tall and blond to boot, Rachel Graaf stands out in a crowd.
Put that crowd in the Middle East and the 1999 Iowa State political science
graduate is even more obvious.
That's where Graaf has been for the last few years and where she expects
to continue as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. After completing an assignment
in Syria, she has moved onto Saudi Arabia.
"These are not actually the sort of places people want to vacation
at," Graaf said. "But you keep a low profile and after a while
you get accustomed to being vigilant. Security is definitely a concern."
Her interest in the Middle East came when she participated in the Model
U.N. program and socializing with individuals from the Middle East while
a political science major at Iowa State.
"My interest really stems from learning about the Middle East at
Iowa State," she said.
Graaf ran with that interest, learning Arabic, French and Spanish at Iowa
State and the University of Maryland where she earned a master's degree
in public policy.
After spending a year as a Rotary Ambassador Scholarship winner at the
American University in Cairo, she interned for the U.S. State Department.
"I wasn't sure what I wanted to do," she said. "The internship
prompted me to join the State Department."
Graaf actually took the foreign service exam in Egypt shortly after Sept.
11.
While she was in Syria, Graaf helped process visas for Americans coming
to Syria for short-term visits. She was assigned economic work during
her second year in the Middle East country, a particularly difficult task
given the U.S. sanctions against Syria.
She will spend the next year in Saudi Arabia focusing on public diplomacy.
That will include working with journalists, promoting cultural and academic
exchange programs and producing webcasts.
"I will explain how our government works," Graaf said.
And although the job is located in an area viewed as not especially friendly
to Westerners, Graaf has a different view.
"The Arabs are very hospitable," she says. "The Syrians
were good hosts, very warm and welcoming.
"Many will tell you that they love Americans. They just don't like
our government."
Despite the hardships of being away from family and living in the Middle
East, Graaf says she loves her job.
"As a foreign service officer I get to travel all over the world
while learning more about other nations' cultures," she said. "It's
a great job.
"I get to see how U.S. foreign policy impacts people firsthand."
Rachel Graaf
Political Science Today
Fall 2006
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