A member of the U.S. Department of State made a virtual visit to Harry S. Truman High School students.
Michael Barrera, a public diplomacy officer for Caribbean and Haitian Affairs, spoke with students in Elizabeth Gregory’s Honors Spanish 4 class last Friday.
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Students prepared questions to ask of Barrera as part of their interest in learning about American policy in Spanish-speaking nations.
The school district said Barrera “spoke to students about foreign policy and what his position entails – developing and coordinating public affairs strategies and press objectives for sixteen countries in the Caribbean region. Additionally, Barrera spoke about his time as political-economic officer in Mexico, a consular officer in the Philippines and deputy public affairs officer in Trinidad and Tobago. Prior to joining the State Department, he was an entrepreneur and founded an international security corporation, working in Columbia, Ecuador and Peru.”
The government official told students of international travel and the Spanish-speaking countries he has visited. During his discussion, he talked about career pathways students can take where they will be able to utilize their Spanish skills in the future.
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“The presentation put a new, more human definition to the word “diplomacy,” and what it’s like working as part of a team that spans the world,” said junior Cheyenne Stadler. “He was awesome at answering our questions despite them being in the chat box, and good questions lead into another meaningful story.”
“Mr. Barrera shared tons of great stories with the students in my class about the importance of language, diplomacy, and trust building between our country and others,” said Gregory. “I am very grateful to the U.S. Department of State for offering this program to students.”
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