Creating "COIR" Career Opportunities for International Relations Workshop

Each year the Department of State and the American Women for International Understanding honors 10 outstanding Women of Courage from around the globe who have struggled for human rights against all odds, often at the risk of losing their lives. In 2015 Zaire Overton's proposal to mount a career opportunity workshop for International Relations majors and young professionals in international affairs was presented and accepted by the AWIU. With AWIU's Youth Coordinator Chair, Diane Henry, Jayne and Zaire launched COIR at The National Press Club in Washington D.C. March 4, 2015 our first annual workshop included panelists representing the FBI, Department of State, Homeland Security, Foreign Services, Peace Corp, World Bank, Global disease services, along with several IR professors . Zaire represented the University of Southern California along with other scholars from Howard, UDC, University of Maryland, Bryn Mawr College, and Georgetown University.

On March 23, 2016 the second Annual COIR 2016 had grown by leaps and bounds to become an official Human Resources Recruiting Event for the Department of State. Featured speakers included Ambassadors Diane Watson and Kristie Kenney, opening remarks by the DOS Acting Director General Carol Perez and closing remarks by Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom.