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A U.S. Embassy isn’t just a place where you seek help after losing a passport or when a family member gets in a legal scrape overseas. The embassy also promotes cultural exchanges between the U.S. and other nations. This is the work Patricia Aguilar, MA ’93, does at the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador.

She leads the English Language Learning Programs, which provide opportunities for Salvadorians to teach in the U.S., learn English and explore American culture. She also promotes professional development programs for English teachers at all levels, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, and runs the Inter-national Exchange Alumni Community for past participants in U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs.

Cultural and educational exchanges work in two directions: American graduate students and specialists are hosted at universities in El Salvador, and high school students and adults from the Central American nation can take part in several programs like English Access, Youth Ambassadors, Global UGRAD and Fulbright.

“Before working in public diplomacy, I was an English teacher and interpreter for international organizations,” says Aguilar, who was a Fulbright scholar at ��ñ��, where she earned her master’s degree in comparative literature. “I worked for USAID [international development agency] in education programs, and I was the translator for the public affairs office here at the embassy.

“��ñ�� helped me in my personal and professional life. I was connected to research opportunities that were tremendous. And I came away with a great network of contacts and friends for life. I still keep in touch with people whom I met my first day at ��ñ��.”