United States Diplomatic Mission to Warsaw Poland

Meet America logo

PAS held another successful Meet America Program in the U.S. Embassy on April 20, 2009. The American officers from Cultural, Political and Consular sections spoke to a group of 10 Polish students, members of the International Relations Students Association of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. The students visited the Embassy to learn more about U.S. foreign policy, U.S. diplomacy and foreign service as well as consular issues.

Consul General Phillip Min shared with the group his professional background and spoke about managing the busy and big Consular Section in the U.S. Embassy Warsaw and how the section helps enhance bilateral relations through consular diplomacy. Political Officer Duncan Walker spoke about political and military aspects of exercising diplomatic relations with Poland. He also answered to the group’s numerous questions about the impact of  EU Lisbon Treaty on the U.S. foreign policy and EU-U.S. relations. Consular Officer Michelle Biskup told the students about a State Department career and becoming a diplomat. The students asked about the importance of public speaking training  in a diplomatic career, combining diplomatic life with private life, cultural differences that diplomats encounter in their foreign service, and the U.S.' attitude toward Poland.  Cultural Attaché Chuck Ashley shared with the group his current experience of what it takes to be a Cultural Attaché as well as his experience  from the U.S. mission in Switzerland.
The Meet America Program provided the students with an opportunity to interact with the Embassy diplomats to understand what it means to serve their government at posts abroad and to learn about different aspects of the craft in the local and broader context of the U.S. international policy.