Emerging Careers in Public Service

We caught up with two other DOXPVZKRDUHZRUNLQJLQWKHˉHOG of public service to get an update on their careers.

Javier Horstmann ’11 is Director of Constituent 5HODWLRQVDQG/HJLVODWLYH Assistant in Governor &DUQH\ȠVRIˉFH

What is the most interesting part of your job? I would say the most interesting part of my job is the unpredictability of it. Before speaking with each constituent, there is no way to tell what issue is affecting them and how the State can EHVWDVVLVWWKHP,DOVRˉQGLWYHU\LQWHUHVWLQJWKH amount of important work that the State does that goes unnoticed. There are many resources the State has available but constituents might just not know about them.

What is the most challenging? For me, what is the most challenging is when we are asked to assist individuals with mental health issues. There are so many Delawareans that are impacted by mental health issues and it can be really challenging coordinating all the various services that an individual might need. With that said, it is also those cases that are the most gratifying when we are able to get them the help they need.

What led you to choose public service? Since kindergarten, between Friends and home, the importance of public service was always instilled in me. Additionally the election of Barack Obama really energized me to enter politics.

How would you like to see your future evolve? I plan to continue to work every day to make Delaware a better state. In what capacity, that can always change!

How has your Quaker Education helped you to navigate a challenging career? WFS prepared me well so far as the ability to understand that every person has “the light of God in them”. This idea helps me see each person WKDWFRQWDFWVWKH*RYHUQRUȠV2IˉFHLQDZD\WKDW no matter their circumstances, they deserve the same chance at creating a life for themselves like everyone else.

Nick Dowse ’ 08 is a Diplomatic Assistant in the Political Section of the Embassy of Japan.

What is the most interesting part of your job? The most interesting part of my job is a mix of the research/analysis that I do and the correVSRQGHQFHZLWKRWKHUJRYHUQPHQWRIˉFLDOVERWK foreign and American, that I conduct on behalf of the diplomats I assist. Regarding the research, being able to conduct research and analysis and know that it is being used to help craft a country’s policies, or to even directly brief the Prime Minister as one of my research products was used for, is such an invigorating part of the job. As for the correspondence/networking, being able to build relationships with high level diplomats of other countries’ embassies, including their Ambassadors, is quite an exciting aspect. Just the other day, I remarked to my coworker about how surreal yet cool it is that I can just call up a different embassy’s Minister Counselor’s cell phone and have an extremely casual conversation because we have talked so much and know each other well.

What is the most challenging? The most challenging aspect is having to deal with the embassy’s central government. The level of pressure that the central government exerts on the diplomats, especially with the fact there is a half a day time difference, leads to the diplomats being extremely micromanaging and often asking for results quicker than can be produced. In fact, it’s a very common occurrence to inform a diplomat that for a result to be produced to the desired quality, it cannot be produced at the quickness demanded by the central government. Furthermore, such pressure makes the diplomats extremely stressed out to the point that it can, and has, affected some diplomats’ health.

What led you to choose public service? I always wanted to help in some capacity. The trajectory of career desires that got me here is so FKDRWLFLQWHUPVRIYDULDQFHRIˉHOGVEXWWKH\ȠUH all linked by a desire to help. I mean, even my streaming on Twitch.tv, which is my side gig, is full of this desire to help through the fact I’ve done multiple charity fundraisers for groups like St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and raising almost $3,000 over 2 years. This desire to help

FDQEHWUDFHGEDFNWRZKHQ,ˉUVWVWDUWHGFROOHJH Originally in college, I wanted to be a veterinarian when I graduated, but that then evolved to ER surgeon. Then I took some courses in International Relations, fell in love with it, and decided to pursue that, believing that I could enact some sort of help by engaging in the system. While that has changed somewhat to be more open to working adjacent to the system in NGO’s or think tanks or other non government entities, the base desire to help is still there.

How would you like to see your future evolve? The obvious answer is to keep advancing in my career, but the non-obvious answer is that I’d like to advance in not necessarily a predictable upward movement. One thing I’ve learned working in International Relations in D.C. is that there is a lot of horizontal or adjacent mobility LQWKLVˉHOGZKLFKLVQȠWQHFHVVDULO\DEDGWKLQJ The ability to gain knowledge and experience from working in a different environment, or for a different country as in my case, provides you with a very unique opportunity to grow. By being able to adapt to such conditions, you actually are able to approach things from a more pulled back OHYHODQGˉQGDVROXWLRQWKDWRQHFRXOGQȠWVHHRXW of their own context. So I’d like to see it evolve more in a zigzag pattern where I can keep gaining such viewpoints while advancing rather than just moving straight up.

How has your Quaker Education helped you to navigate a challenging career? It helped in my ability to remain cool under pressure. Of course there are times I get heated at work, I’m human. But there’s something to be said that when you have 4 different major deadlines, 2 of which are big events, coming down on you (this is a true story for me from last \HDUWKDWZKLOH\RXGHˉQLWHO\IHHOWKHVWUHVV\RX don’t get angry or lash out due to that building VWUHVV7KDWȠVVRPHWKLQJ,FDQGHˉQLWHO\DWWULEXWH to Quaker philosophies. In fact, I try to build an overall pretty chill vibe in my work space at my job. I’m always the one telling jokes, my cubical is literally a mash up of video game/anime/general pop culture, and I’m always trying to lift people up. That fostering of a calm, fun, and positive VSDFHLVGHˉQLWHO\VRPHWKLQJ,OHDUQHGLQ4XDNHU Education and is something that has helped me become someone at work who is almost always FKLOOXQGHUˉUH\HWVWLOOIRFXVHGRQZKDWQHHGVWR be done.