Laura Program Officer for the Africa Desk

Laura is the Program Officer for the Africa desk, which means that at the moment she is in charge of covering two countries – the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

What a typical day like?

The field offices in Africa I work with are closed toward the end of day, so most of our communication takes place by email.  When I get to work, I find 20 to 50 messages waiting for me.  Some things are planned and others are unexpected, so I spend the first couple hours doing triage of the things that come up in my email.  Then I’ll continue to work on whatever ongoing projects we have, right now for example I’m working on a business plan for a microfinance project.  In the afternoons, I move on to stuff for Headquarters – responding to inquiries, both internal and external. 

What are some of the perks of your job?  Some of the challenges?

Most of the time it’s exciting and interesting.  I have the opportunity to learn a lot about other places in the world.  I also have the chance to travel a good bit, depending on the needs in the field.  This gives me a chance to interact with staff and beneficiaries.  I get to help move things along, tick tasks off the list.

As for challenges…a lot of my communication is email contact, which I’ve gotten used to, though it can still be strange interacting with people you only see once a year or so 

What’s your education background?

University of Oregon, with majors in International Studies and Spanish.

I received my Masters in International Development and Social Change from Clark University, in Worchester, MA.

Did you have other jobs before this in the same field? Or different field?

After college I was in the Peace Corps in West Africa; later I worked as a program manager in Congo with another NGO.

Where are you from? 

Oregon – grew up in Salem

Did you have any experiences growing up or later in life which led you to choose this career?

My family really likes to travel, so growing up I went to more places than your average American kid, like Guatemala, or Thailand, some Europe and Australia.  We spent plenty of time in not as developed countries.  Those travels sparked my interest in working internationally.

Are there any people who inspired/inspire you?

The people in our field leadership positions.  They are so dedicated and spend a lot time overseas.  Also our country directors and regional directors.

Prior to Mercy Corps…As I became more focused in my graduate studies, I was able to work with great professors and was even able to travel to Senegal with them to work on their projects. 

What is your motivation for this type of work?

Having worked overseas and seen the needs that are out there, living in the United States we a lot for granted, water runs, we have electricity, knowing there’s a lot of needs and people need help with capacity building or starting up a project.

What sort of volunteer activities or organizations are you/have you been apart of?

I was involved in a lot more in college, I was a part of the Committee on Solidarity for Central American People, and taught ESL

Where have you traveled?  What are some interesting experiences you had during your travels?

Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, Mercy Corps Headquarters in Scotland

When I first started, there wasn’t a program in the Congo or Central Africa. I was able to help start those programs in the field and be involved in hiring of staff and having a say in what programs will look like…that’s a pretty rare experience, usually we just do an assessment or do a proposal when we’re in the field. 

What skills do you need to work in Intl Devel?  Any ones that surprised you/didn’t learn in school?

Nothing too shocking because I had been around the field; I would say cross-cultural skills, being adaptable, flexible, be curious, ask questions.  Patience is a good one to have in this line of work.

In our job descriptions we often say a sense of humor, having that is great, you can either laugh at yourself or just get frustrated.

Any advice for students considering a career in Intl Development?  Activities, experiences, courses of study…

Get the overseas experience, like Peace Corps or other type.  This shows employers commitment and that you can deal with whatever comes your way.Most positions require 2 years international experience.

Start networking with people with similar interests, keep in touch with people you worked with, you never know who will know about a job opening. 

Course work for students can be broad, including: international development, international relations, community development, etc.  Try to find an appropriate program tailored to your interests. 

What are your other interests?  What do you do to stay sane / motivated/ fresh?

Overseas it’s a matter of going swimming or meeting up with friends.

In the States I play softball for a Mercy Corps team, spend time with family and friends, work outside – in the yard, garden.

To learn more about Laura and Mercy Corps’ work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, check out www.mercycorps.org.