DeJorie Monroe is from Columbia, SC and recently relocated from Miami, FL to Washington, D.C. DeJorie studied Spanish Language and Literature at the University of Notre Dame with minors in Theology, Latin American Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies. 

Following her graduation, she joined Orr Fellowship in Indianapolis, Indiana and worked at Genesys. In her 3 years at Genesys, she rotated through roles in Human Resources, Legal and Marketing, finding her permanent role as a Consulting Sales Director. During her time as an Orr Fellow, DeJorie earned an MS in Management and Leadership while serving as Orr Director of Civic Engagement. She brought a design thinking curriculum to local middle school students, prompting her to revisit previous interests in education. DeJorie was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching grant to Argentina and spent 2019 working at a university in Mendoza where she met foreign service officers and became interested in expanding her interests to include international education and international affairs. She has spent the past two years teaching Spanish Literacy, Math and Science in a Dual Language Immersion Program; working as an adjudicator with the Department of State Consular Affairs; and working as a Legislative Fellow in the Office of House Majority Whip, James Clyburn. 

DeJorie is a 2022 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellow and is excited to further pursue her international interests through Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and the U.S. Department of State. When DeJorie is not working, traveling, or reading, she enjoys trying new recipes, running, and spending time with family. 

Summer Internship Experience

U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City in the Economic Section

Over Summer 2023, I worked at U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City in the Economic Section. My first-year GHD coursework motivated me to explore the landscape of bilateral trade and investment in southern Vietnam and, more broadly, the story of economic development in Southeast Asia. The ten weeks I spent in Vietnam dramatically exceeded any expectations I could have set. One experience in particular that stands out to me was supporting Vietnam Space Week and meeting NASA astronauts. As a Rangel Fellow in the Economic Section, I contributed to U.S. public outreach efforts and programming across Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding provinces, supported principal officers at conferences with multilateral representation, coordinated logistics for official delegations, and managed a reporting portfolio at the nexus of technology, sustainability, and education. In my assignments, I activated writing and analytical skills to conduct research and build external contact networks. Going into the summer experience, my region of emphasis was Latin America and my thematic area of expertise was education and human capital; while those are still focal for me, I have returned to GHD invigorated to incorporate sustainability and climate-related environmental issues into my second-year coursework and even more eager to embark upon a career in foreign service with the U.S. Department of State next year.