One piece of advice that Antoinette Hurtado likes to tell students interested in a public service career is that, “Whatever major you might have, there is a career for you at the State Department. It just depends on what you want to spend your day-to-day doing.”

Hurtado, who has nearly 19 years’ experience in foreign service, is UNLV's Diplomat in Residence. She helps connect and recruit students for jobs, fellowships, internships, and study abroad scholarships with the U.S. Department of State. The State Department is the foreign affairs arm of the U.S. federal government and works with other nations in advancing U.S. foreign interests.

Hurtado is now working with UNLV Career Services & Workforce Development to be a resource to students interested in working for the government and traveling abroad.  

A Storied Career in Public Service

Working for the U.S. Department of State is a chance for students to broaden their horizons by learning a new language, exploring different parts of the world, representing their country, and using their skills to help shape foreign policies, she notes. A variety of career paths are available to interested students, and a specific major is not necessary to apply.

“In my career, I've worked on a number of different issues. I've served in Australia, Brazil, Afghanistan, Italy, some assignments in Washington, D.C. at our headquarters, and now as a Diplomat in Residence,” Hurtado said.

In Afghanistan, she worked in the public affairs section at the U.S. embassy in the capital of Kabul, where her focus was on supporting Afghan civil society, journalists, women, children, and education.

In Italy, she was assigned to the U.S. Embassy at the Holy See, “With the Vatican, we worked on all kinds of global issues. Promoting human rights, combating trafficking in person, promoting care for the environment, and combating climate change,” Hurtado said. “Basically, every issue, every policy issue that's out there, we're working on.”

Hurtado, like many students, never saw herself as a diplomat when she started college at Georgetown University. 

“I wanted to get paid to travel the world, and I knew I wanted to give back and do good in the world. I never wanted a job to just be a job. I always wanted my job to be an extension of my values and how I would contribute to the world,” Hurtado said. “And so I knew those two things – international travel and public service – going into college, but I didn't know how to marry them or what career that was actually going to look like… until I went to college.”

That's when a State Department recruiter, just like Hurtado today, visited her college campus to share information on different foreign service career paths. That experience helped Hurtado learn she could meet all the requirements for her dream job.

Hurtado went on to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. 

She said the opportunities offered to her by the State Department positively changed her life’s trajectory, and she hopes to offer that same change to the UNLV community.

“Faculty and staff and myself feel really passionately about helping students see themselves in these different opportunities, helping them to just broaden their horizons about what's possible for their future,” Hurtado said. “As a Latina first-generation college student, I didn’t see myself in this career until I listened to that recruiter and learned more.”

“The most rewarding part of the job,” she boasted, “was being able to see the world.”

“I love the travel. I’ve served overseas in those four countries I mentioned: Australia, Brazil, Afghanistan, and Italy, and I’ve visited so many more,” Hurtado said. “The second [favorite] thing is doing good in the world. The State Department is about promoting peace and democracy. And that's what everything in my career has been about. I know in every assignment I have had, I have made a difference.” 

Of the four countries Hurtado has been assigned, Brazil and Italy were her favorites.  

Hurtado served two years at the U.S. Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she lived in an apartment just a block away from Ipanema Beach. She was able to immerse herself in the culture by listening to samba music, eating Brazilian food, learning about art, and enjoying the sun and beach of the coastal town. 

“I grew up in the Los Angeles area, and so I'm very much a Southern California beach girl,” Hurtado said. “To go to another beach town with such a rich history and culture was exciting and fun.”

During her assignment in Rome, Hurtado was the head of the public affairs section developing and implementing communications strategies. 

“The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See is very unique, and it's not like the missions we have to other countries,” she said. “You are working with the Catholic Church, getting to meet the pope. Work events were at the Vatican. It was super unique and different and a chance to work on serious global challenges.”

Contacting the Diplomat in Residence

Hurtado will be available at the start of the fall semester to offer personal guidance and ensure that students, faculty, staff, and alumni from all backgrounds can take advantage of this resource on campus. 

You can learn more about U.S. Department of State career opportunities and student programs, such as internships and fellowships, at careers.state.gov. U.S. citizenship is required for all of their positions.

If you are interested in any opportunities mentioned, email the Diplomat in Residence at DIRSouthwest@state.gov.