Course blog for the 2018-19 Muwekma House Seminar
We'll be posting reflections from the course on here, as well as any other pertinent course materials.
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Talk with Tashina Cooper
Hello! Sorry for the late post this week!!
Prompt:
What did you learn from Tashina's talk?
What were your thoughts on her job and its impact on global relations?
The main thing I learned from Tashina’s talk was that I would possibly be interested in doing foreign service if I didn’t have to represent the USA. I liked the fact that she is required to learn languages, that she moves every few years, learns a lot about different cultures, travels for work, deals with various new issues, and gets paid well. I didn’t like that she has to represent the US, regardless of whether she agrees with what the country is doing. I personally would struggle with this because I don’t stand behind many of the messages the US government believes in. That being said, I do like how she is able to represent her tribe on an international level. I wonder if she feels comfortable enough to actually speak with international relations about tribal issues, or if she feels censored. I felt like she wasn’t allowed to really speak her mind, especially when it came to answering some of the more difficult questions we asked her, just for the sake of being diplomatic.
I enjoyed this house seminar and I learned more about the position of being a Foreign Service Officer from Tashina Cooper's talk. I think she was an engaging speaker and I was interested in several aspects of what she was saying. I thought it was compelling how she is getting paid to learn Spanish right now and also the rapid pace of which she will be expected to learn this language. The fact that she can earn money from a profession that allows her to travel and learn languages while simultaneously helping to assist in foreign relations with the United States is surprising to me. I think that I struggled with a similar thing as what Tala mentioned above regarding Cooper's position. This to me being having to represent the entirety of the United States while the United States government does not respect Native rights and often stands at odds with Native Peoples as well as the other problems and policies that America has and promotes. I was mostly interested in how she mentioned that she enjoys having the ability to teach people and specifically people in power about the present Native population that exits within the United States today. I think it is an incredibly powerful tool to be able to educate people in other countries about the history of colonization and the true history of how America was formed as well as how indigenous people live, thrive, and struggle today. I am curious to know if she utilizes her position to do just that, or if there are restrictions to her access to people in power and/or what she is allowed to say. (Perhaps she is not allowed to speak about Native rights/issues because it would reflect poorly on the United States)
I learned about Tashina’s job in the US government diplomatic service. I had never heard of this position before and found it cool that she gets to work abroad. Things Tashina likes about her job are that she gets to represent the US (even though this can be difficult at times), getting to represent the Navajo nation, the opportunity for intellectual growth and development, getting paid to learn new languages, learning about new cultures and governments, and all the lifestyle perks the job includes, such as having a private chef! I also liked learning about the different branches of foreign service officers, specifically the consular as much of their job is based around helping Americans if they need it while abroad. I think this job would be very rewarding in the sense that you could help someone who had been imprisoned, help families if a loved one passed away while abroad, or even assist with adoptions. I think I would enjoy doing a job like Tashina’s because of the impact you could have on people and policy! However I think the stress of representing the US, even if I didn’t always agree with US politics or policy, would be really difficult.
I find that many Stanford students often choose very similar paths. This makes sense in a lot of ways, most people here are ambitious and well-educated. Most people I know want to make a positive impact on society. The government is quite powerful and has a huge influence on our lives, yet the number of students I know who are interested in going into careers in politics is fairly low. I was talking with some of my roommates the other day and we found this to be some what ironic. A strong career in politics could allow you to really make a difference in the way many communities live.
I say all this because I was thinking about all of this around the same time as I heard Tashina's talk, so it was interesting to me how she found her path, as it does seem a bit unique and nuanced. She talked a lot about the surface-level perks (travel, continuing education, tuition for her children), but I would have liked to hear her discuss more about the value of her work to Americans/her tribe. She mentioned things like interviewing ex-ISIS recruits and fact checking visa applications, but I would be curious to hear more about how her work influences American society rather than just how it influences other people's perception of us. I agree with a lot of the posts before me and find it difficult to imagine myself doing work where I may have to justify or promote values and decisions that I do not agree with.
And perhaps that is why so many Stanford students do not end up going deep into politics. Politics, in many ways, is about appealing to the masses. However, Stanford students (at least the ones that I interact with most) have strong opinions and moral compasses. They are often unwilling to break these to appeal more widely. I believe strongly in the importance of representation and having role models that individuals can identify with. Therefore, I am happy to see Tashina is representing the United States abroad because as is a person that I identify with in many ways.
I found Tashina’s talk really interesting, and I might really consider going into foreign relations! I think it is a good way of making an impact in our country’s government without becoming a career politician. I thought Tashina’s unique situation of representing both the United States and the Navajo community was a great opportunity to introduce Native issues to people who have no idea what they are or even what an American really is. Unfortunately, it seems like Tashina is not able to be outspoken at times about her true thoughts on these issues, but I think that is also part of the job she’s in. I really appreciated Tashina’s talk, and I’m interested to hear more from her if we can!
Prior to attending Tashina’s talk I had no knowledge of what being a Foreign Service Officer was. Tashina made the job as a Foreign Diplomat seem very interesting as she talked about how she get paid to travel for doings things like traveling, learning different languages, and representing the US abroad. Tashina showed great satisfaction in the career that she has chosen but one aspect of her job that she found troubling was always having to represent the United States, even if the current administration may not reflect her personal values. Although being a Foreign Service Officer has many positive perks to it, like traveling, having a personal chef/maid, and learning new languages and cultures, I don’t think I would enjoy working as a Foreign Diplomat because I personally do not agree with our current administration on many of the policies and it would be hard to wholeheartedly represent the US to other countries.
I found Tashina's talk to be extremely interesting. Though I knew vaguely of the jobs of the Foreign Service, I was unaware of all the tasks that they were responsible for and all the various roles they play in diplomacy beyond simply negotiating with foreign governments. I really appreciated that she gave us an insight into the lifestyle and day-to-day life of the people who represent us to nations all across the world. Additionally, I was very interested in her job specifically because she is responsible for communicating not with governments but with the peoples of other countries. That she is trying to communicate Native culture to peoples of other countries who may not know them is equally as interesting to me. I found the tricky position that she and many of her colleagues are perhaps currently in--advocating for a government that she may not necessarily completely support herself--to be admirable because she is willing to put aside her own beliefs to accomplish a goal that she believes is more important. I also did not know all the complications (or benefits, for that matter) of being a Foreign Service member, such as being relocated to countries regularly where one does not know the language and the extensive selection process. I really appreciated that she took time to speak to us and enjoyed her talk!
I really enjoyed Tashina's talk! I really didn't know anything about being a diplomat for the United States or what they really did. I found myself Googling what a Foreign Service Officer was and it surprised me that there were so many options. I thought it was interesting to hear about her journey from Stanford and then after that led her to becoming a Foreign Service Officer. I believe it would be tough to be in her position, especially with the political climate that we're in currently. Especially with the history of the United States government and the native people throughout America since the 1400s, I don't know if I would be capable to talk so positively about this country because of the intergenerational trauma that I continue to deal with everyday. But hearing about the benefits that she has; seeing the world, learning different languages and cultures, etc. These are all things that I wish to be able to do someday and it was very inspiring. I really resonated with the part where she talked about her culture and family and how hard it is to leave them behind, but she's able to do a job that she loves. I think about this a lot while I'm here at Stanford and what I want to do for the near future before I return to my own community and family.
I think Tashina’s talk was very interesting because prior to her talk I had no idea what being a Foreign Service Officer entails. I think her jobs is very interesting for people who love to travel and learn new languages. I also understand that her job can be dangerous at times because of the political climate or events that may occur in the country that she gets assigned too. The application process sounded very intimidating and challenging. One part of her job that I didn’t like was that she has to represent the United States government and their ideas and belief. If I was in her position, I would find this very challenging because I don’t always agree with the US government, especially because of its currently leader. It also sounds like she handles a lot of crisis management and emergency situations. I think this would be too stressful for me. I also think it would be hard for me to be away from my family. I also don’t remember if she said if she could choose where she gets assigned. Although there job seemed very interesting and has great travel perks, I don’t think this is a career that interest me.
Hearing Tashina talk about her Foreign Service Officer job and the various rolls different positions can entail made be reflect a lot on the paradoxical nature of being indigenous in the work force. More often or not, to make a significant impact and to shift systems we want to be better for ourselves and each other you have to either constantly fight with that system or work within that system, with both options possibly leading to no avail or complete upheavals. It struck me that she was able to take indigenous perspectives across the world and share history and culture with people who likely wouldn't know anything about Diné or Crow or Kanaka people, including how they've been treated. What an incredible opportunity to share but also continuously be able to learn and grow through exchanging perspectives with others around mother earth. But at the same time, I don't think there's any way I could be satisfied with this sort of public work. In order to gain those opportunities on would also have to fit within the rigid and often imperialistic systems of the U.S. government, which has a long history of using foreign affair connections and satellites to look out for their own interest in parasitic ways. As amazing as certain perks of her job sounded, I can't help but feel hesitant about wanting the same for myself.
Tashina Cooper was able to show me what it was like to work for the US government. In many ways by hearing her talk about her work I understood why I wouldn't want to work under our government. It seems often times you have to perform and lie for your country in foreign land in a way that I do not believe in. In many ways I know that my perspective on the US is far more radical than the average individual and because of that I would not feel comfortable interacting on its behalf. In other words I would not feel want to represent the legislation and political agenda the US stands for especially at this moment.
I must say first of all, working for the US government under the current administration must not be a particularly easy job, so I commend Tanisha for doing her job and doing it so well. I don't think the job itself is something that I would be interested in as a career path, but hearing about her path to get to that career was super interesting. For one, the interview process seems to be quite extensive and a unexpected outgrowth from the kind of interviews I have now as a student. It’s also just interesting to hear about all the different levels the U.S. government goes to to vet a person before they go abroad.
On another note, hearing Tanisha talk in general was reassuring in the sense that she has a well-paying government job as a Stanford Graduate and as a minority. As I get closer and closer to graduation and to trying to find a job to start my career, I am constantly worried about what my future will be like, both as someone not majoring in a more popular field like computer science or medicine, and as a minority. Tanisha being both and having a job, one she quite enjoys and excels at , does, on some level temper some of those fears.
The main thing I learned from Tashina’s talk was that I would possibly be interested in doing foreign service if I didn’t have to represent the USA. I liked the fact that she is required to learn languages, that she moves every few years, learns a lot about different cultures, travels for work, deals with various new issues, and gets paid well. I didn’t like that she has to represent the US, regardless of whether she agrees with what the country is doing. I personally would struggle with this because I don’t stand behind many of the messages the US government believes in. That being said, I do like how she is able to represent her tribe on an international level. I wonder if she feels comfortable enough to actually speak with international relations about tribal issues, or if she feels censored. I felt like she wasn’t allowed to really speak her mind, especially when it came to answering some of the more difficult questions we asked her, just for the sake of being diplomatic.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this house seminar and I learned more about the position of being a Foreign Service Officer from Tashina Cooper's talk. I think she was an engaging speaker and I was interested in several aspects of what she was saying. I thought it was compelling how she is getting paid to learn Spanish right now and also the rapid pace of which she will be expected to learn this language. The fact that she can earn money from a profession that allows her to travel and learn languages while simultaneously helping to assist in foreign relations with the United States is surprising to me. I think that I struggled with a similar thing as what Tala mentioned above regarding Cooper's position. This to me being having to represent the entirety of the United States while the United States government does not respect Native rights and often stands at odds with Native Peoples as well as the other problems and policies that America has and promotes. I was mostly interested in how she mentioned that she enjoys having the ability to teach people and specifically people in power about the present Native population that exits within the United States today. I think it is an incredibly powerful tool to be able to educate people in other countries about the history of colonization and the true history of how America was formed as well as how indigenous people live, thrive, and struggle today. I am curious to know if she utilizes her position to do just that, or if there are restrictions to her access to people in power and/or what she is allowed to say. (Perhaps she is not allowed to speak about Native rights/issues because it would reflect poorly on the United States)
ReplyDeleteI learned about Tashina’s job in the US government diplomatic service. I had never heard of this position before and found it cool that she gets to work abroad. Things Tashina likes about her job are that she gets to represent the US (even though this can be difficult at times), getting to represent the Navajo nation, the opportunity for intellectual growth and development, getting paid to learn new languages, learning about new cultures and governments, and all the lifestyle perks the job includes, such as having a private chef!
ReplyDeleteI also liked learning about the different branches of foreign service officers, specifically the consular as much of their job is based around helping Americans if they need it while abroad. I think this job would be very rewarding in the sense that you could help someone who had been imprisoned, help families if a loved one passed away while abroad, or even assist with adoptions.
I think I would enjoy doing a job like Tashina’s because of the impact you could have on people and policy! However I think the stress of representing the US, even if I didn’t always agree with US politics or policy, would be really difficult.
I find that many Stanford students often choose very similar paths. This makes sense in a lot of ways, most people here are ambitious and well-educated. Most people I know want to make a positive impact on society. The government is quite powerful and has a huge influence on our lives, yet the number of students I know who are interested in going into careers in politics is fairly low. I was talking with some of my roommates the other day and we found this to be some what ironic. A strong career in politics could allow you to really make a difference in the way many communities live.
ReplyDeleteI say all this because I was thinking about all of this around the same time as I heard Tashina's talk, so it was interesting to me how she found her path, as it does seem a bit unique and nuanced. She talked a lot about the surface-level perks (travel, continuing education, tuition for her children), but I would have liked to hear her discuss more about the value of her work to Americans/her tribe. She mentioned things like interviewing ex-ISIS recruits and fact checking visa applications, but I would be curious to hear more about how her work influences American society rather than just how it influences other people's perception of us. I agree with a lot of the posts before me and find it difficult to imagine myself doing work where I may have to justify or promote values and decisions that I do not agree with.
And perhaps that is why so many Stanford students do not end up going deep into politics. Politics, in many ways, is about appealing to the masses. However, Stanford students (at least the ones that I interact with most) have strong opinions and moral compasses. They are often unwilling to break these to appeal more widely. I believe strongly in the importance of representation and having role models that individuals can identify with. Therefore, I am happy to see Tashina is representing the United States abroad because as is a person that I identify with in many ways.
I found Tashina’s talk really interesting, and I might really consider going into foreign relations! I think it is a good way of making an impact in our country’s government without becoming a career politician. I thought Tashina’s unique situation of representing both the United States and the Navajo community was a great opportunity to introduce Native issues to people who have no idea what they are or even what an American really is. Unfortunately, it seems like Tashina is not able to be outspoken at times about her true thoughts on these issues, but I think that is also part of the job she’s in. I really appreciated Tashina’s talk, and I’m interested to hear more from her if we can!
ReplyDeletePrior to attending Tashina’s talk I had no knowledge of what being a Foreign Service Officer was. Tashina made the job as a Foreign Diplomat seem very interesting as she talked about how she get paid to travel for doings things like traveling, learning different languages, and representing the US abroad. Tashina showed great satisfaction in the career that she has chosen but one aspect of her job that she found troubling was always having to represent the United States, even if the current administration may not reflect her personal values. Although being a Foreign Service Officer has many positive perks to it, like traveling, having a personal chef/maid, and learning new languages and cultures, I don’t think I would enjoy working as a Foreign Diplomat because I personally do not agree with our current administration on many of the policies and it would be hard to wholeheartedly represent the US to other countries.
ReplyDeleteI found Tashina's talk to be extremely interesting. Though I knew vaguely of the jobs of the Foreign Service, I was unaware of all the tasks that they were responsible for and all the various roles they play in diplomacy beyond simply negotiating with foreign governments. I really appreciated that she gave us an insight into the lifestyle and day-to-day life of the people who represent us to nations all across the world. Additionally, I was very interested in her job specifically because she is responsible for communicating not with governments but with the peoples of other countries. That she is trying to communicate Native culture to peoples of other countries who may not know them is equally as interesting to me. I found the tricky position that she and many of her colleagues are perhaps currently in--advocating for a government that she may not necessarily completely support herself--to be admirable because she is willing to put aside her own beliefs to accomplish a goal that she believes is more important. I also did not know all the complications (or benefits, for that matter) of being a Foreign Service member, such as being relocated to countries regularly where one does not know the language and the extensive selection process. I really appreciated that she took time to speak to us and enjoyed her talk!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Tashina's talk! I really didn't know anything about being a diplomat for the United States or what they really did. I found myself Googling what a Foreign Service Officer was and it surprised me that there were so many options. I thought it was interesting to hear about her journey from Stanford and then after that led her to becoming a Foreign Service Officer. I believe it would be tough to be in her position, especially with the political climate that we're in currently. Especially with the history of the United States government and the native people throughout America since the 1400s, I don't know if I would be capable to talk so positively about this country because of the intergenerational trauma that I continue to deal with everyday. But hearing about the benefits that she has; seeing the world, learning different languages and cultures, etc. These are all things that I wish to be able to do someday and it was very inspiring. I really resonated with the part where she talked about her culture and family and how hard it is to leave them behind, but she's able to do a job that she loves. I think about this a lot while I'm here at Stanford and what I want to do for the near future before I return to my own community and family.
ReplyDeleteI think Tashina’s talk was very interesting because prior to her talk I had no idea what being a Foreign Service Officer entails. I think her jobs is very interesting for people who love to travel and learn new languages. I also understand that her job can be dangerous at times because of the political climate or events that may occur in the country that she gets assigned too. The application process sounded very intimidating and challenging. One part of her job that I didn’t like was that she has to represent the United States government and their ideas and belief. If I was in her position, I would find this very challenging because I don’t always agree with the US government, especially because of its currently leader. It also sounds like she handles a lot of crisis management and emergency situations. I think this would be too stressful for me. I also think it would be hard for me to be away from my family. I also don’t remember if she said if she could choose where she gets assigned. Although there job seemed very interesting and has great travel perks, I don’t think this is a career that interest me.
ReplyDeleteHearing Tashina talk about her Foreign Service Officer job and the various rolls different positions can entail made be reflect a lot on the paradoxical nature of being indigenous in the work force. More often or not, to make a significant impact and to shift systems we want to be better for ourselves and each other you have to either constantly fight with that system or work within that system, with both options possibly leading to no avail or complete upheavals. It struck me that she was able to take indigenous perspectives across the world and share history and culture with people who likely wouldn't know anything about Diné or Crow or Kanaka people, including how they've been treated. What an incredible opportunity to share but also continuously be able to learn and grow through exchanging perspectives with others around mother earth. But at the same time, I don't think there's any way I could be satisfied with this sort of public work. In order to gain those opportunities on would also have to fit within the rigid and often imperialistic systems of the U.S. government, which has a long history of using foreign affair connections and satellites to look out for their own interest in parasitic ways. As amazing as certain perks of her job sounded, I can't help but feel hesitant about wanting the same for myself.
ReplyDeleteTashina Cooper was able to show me what it was like to work for the US government. In many ways by hearing her talk about her work I understood why I wouldn't want to work under our government. It seems often times you have to perform and lie for your country in foreign land in a way that I do not believe in. In many ways I know that my perspective on the US is far more radical than the average individual and because of that I would not feel comfortable interacting on its behalf. In other words I would not feel want to represent the legislation and political agenda the US stands for especially at this moment.
ReplyDeleteI must say first of all, working for the US government under the current administration must not be a particularly easy job, so I commend Tanisha for doing her job and doing it so well. I don't think the job itself is something that I would be interested in as a career path, but hearing about her path to get to that career was super interesting. For one, the interview process seems to be quite extensive and a unexpected outgrowth from the kind of interviews I have now as a student. It’s also just interesting to hear about all the different levels the U.S. government goes to to vet a person before they go abroad.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, hearing Tanisha talk in general was reassuring in the sense that she has a well-paying government job as a Stanford Graduate and as a minority. As I get closer and closer to graduation and to trying to find a job to start my career, I am constantly worried about what my future will be like, both as someone not majoring in a more popular field like computer science or medicine, and as a minority. Tanisha being both and having a job, one she quite enjoys and excels at , does, on some level temper some of those fears.