Jannah Mandwee became a Diplomatic Technology Officer after completing the FAIT Fellowship with the 2018 cohort. She is currently posted at the U.S. Embassy Dakar, Senegal. 

Tell us a little about yourself – where are you from, where did you go to college and what was your major?

I’m from Detroit, Michigan and earned my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Michigan. I also minored in French and Francophone Studies.

What made you decide that you wanted to work in technology for the Foreign Service?

I wanted to use technology proactively and not just in a standard “office environment.”  The Foreign Service provided this opportunity to practice and advance diplomacy through the technological lens. Through the Foreign Service, every day is hands-on, interactive, and I witness the results of my work directly while supporting American diplomacy.

What impact has the FAIT Fellowship had on your life, personally or professionally?

I am forever grateful for the FAIT Fellowship, the people I have met along the way, and the experiences the Fellowship has given me. The financial and academic support provided by the Fellowship gave me the strong base I needed to launch myself into my career, and the professional and life opportunities that followed joining the Foreign Service have shaped me into the person I am today. I’ve had the privilege of immersing myself in places and cultures I otherwise would never have been able to experience, while helping shape modern technology in the diplomatic sphere, and I’ve made great friends, memories, and stories along the way. This is something I can only attribute to the FAIT Fellowship’s impact.

Was there anything that surprised you about working in the Foreign Service or working in your role as a Diplomatic Technology Officer?

I had this impression that I had to know everything before I arrived at post, and this created an unrealistic personal goal of knowing the job before even doing the job. I quickly found that every day is a learning day at post, and it’s not possible, nor expected, to have all the answers. It is expected, though, to do your best to find the answers or the people who have them. After this realization, it was so easy for me to focus on training and developing the problem-solving skills that are necessary for a Diplomatic Technology Officer.

Can you describe how your role as a Diplomatic Technology Officer supports diplomacy?

We ensure the complete technological functionality of the embassy or consulate, and we work to support our front-facing colleagues and partner agencies so we may advance the post’s goals as a team. With technology playing a vital role in modern society, our roles as Diplomatic Technology Officers are more prominent than ever; we bridge the gap between technology and the user, and we proactively assist the post in using technology to shape diplomatic connections.

What is your most memorable or rewarding experience as a DTO?

One of the most rewarding experiences as a DTO was collaborating with the Public Diplomacy Section at Embassy Dakar to curate and teach a month-long coding workshop for local Senegalese women in English and French. It was an initiative for Women’s Appreciation Month and a way to promote women in STEM fields. The opportunity to have such a positive, direct impact in the community was greatly rewarding, and watching the students go from “Hello World!” to coding their own password generators in the span of four weeks was incredible. The workshop was a meaningful experience for me as someone who did not have opportunities like this to explore computer science growing up, and because of this I feel my experience in the FAIT Fellowship has come positively full circle.

Do you have any advice for those thinking about applying for the FAIT Fellowship?

Two perspectives you should carry during the application process, the interview process, and the DTO career: open minds open doors; and failure is imminent, not permanent. I’ve carried these two perspectives during the journey, and they have guided me through all the challenges and triumphs.