This webinar was recorded live on January 9, 2025, and is now available to watch on-demand.

If you are thinking about applying for the Foreign Affairs Information Technology (FAIT) Fellowship program, this is a great opportunity to hear directly from four FAIT Fellows. With this diverse lineup of panelists, you’ll get valuable knowledge and advice as they share their experiences with the FAIT Fellowship application and selection process, the domestic and overseas internships, the professional training at the Foreign Service Institute, and their journey so far in the Foreign Service.

Three of the fellows on the panel are now in the Foreign Service working as Diplomatic Technology Officers (DTO) and one is a FAIT Fellow pursuing an undergraduate degree.

Hear these FAIT Fellows share their experiences and advice, and answer questions from the audience about the program. Watch this webinar to learn about:

  • What was the most challenging part of the application and selection process and how they handled it.
  • What the summer internships, domestic and overseas, entailed.
  • What has been their most memorable experience so far, either as a FAIT Fellow or as a Diplomatic Technology Officer.
  • What impact the FAIT Fellowship has had on their lives, personally or professionally.
  • What has surprised them the most about working in the Foreign Service or in their role as an IT professional.
  • What advice they have for those thinking about applying for the FAIT Fellowship.
  • And much, much more!

Our panelists:

Jeremiah Azurin joined the Foreign Service as a Diplomatic Technology Officer after completing the FAIT Fellowship with the 2018 cohort and earning a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Harvard University. Currently posted at the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai, India, Jeremiah was previously based in the United Arab Emirates, Turkmenistan, and Germany.

Isaiah Makonnen joined the Foreign Service as a Diplomatic Technology Officer after completing the FAIT Fellowship with the 2020 cohort and earning a Master of Science in Information Systems from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington. He is currently posted at the U.S. Embassy Prague, Czech Republic.

Jannah Mandwee joined the Foreign Service as a Diplomatic Technology Officer after completing the FAIT Fellowship with the 2018 cohort and earning a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Michigan. Currently posted at the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, she has previously served at the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, Armenia. Her next assignment will be at the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Iraq.

Sarah Steverson is a FAIT Fellow in the 2023 cohort pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity at Randolph-Macon College. She holds a Database Specialist Certificate and a Network Engineer Specialist Certificate from Northern Virginia Community College.