Cool article where John Kerry and Vanessa Kerry interview each other

[karynnj]

http://www.globalmomschallenge.org/2017/05/service-families-around-world/

From the article:

Secretary John Kerry (JK): Despite coming from a family oriented toward social sciences and arts, you were always interested in science. When did it really become clear that you wanted to be a doctor and that was your path? What led you to take that a step further and become an advocate?

Dr. Vanessa Kerry (VK): I was always scientifically oriented. You remember: I used to stare at ants in the driveway. My interest in medicine really emerged in 7th grade when I dissected a frog. I was blown away by the intricacies of what was inside and the beauty of the human (well, frog, initially) system. I know I have shared with you how powerful our family trip to Vietnam was when I was 14. It stands out as a defining experience. I remember being jarred by the extent of how poor people were — running water was hard to come by, and we met adults who had lived their entire now-adult lives in an orphanage. The shock of that experience stuck with me. Raised by parents who were devoted to advocating for the disenfranchised, I knew there was no question that I needed to try to help solve some of the world’s big challenges. So I became a doctor, and then an advocate for my patients and ultimately, for healthy children and families everywhere. I love practicing medicine, and your devotion to public service helped me see that being an advocate is an important way to bring about positive changes in the world. With my own family now, I worry about families who do not have access to resources or the opportunity to thrive and survive that we have. It pains me very deeply. So I know this is right where I need to be, combining my medical background with an opportunity to improve the health of all of the world’s families.

<snip> (part of John Kerry's answer to a question)

One of the things I thought a lot about when I became Secretary of State was: “How do we avoid burning out our most important asset — our people?” The State Department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Every year, our foreign service, civil service, and local staff are asked to go farther and do more — and believe me, it takes a toll. And it can put a great deal of strain on families. It catches up with you. None of us is superhuman.

So I was committed as Secretary to making sure that our employees and their families could find balance in their lives, and I wanted it to be more than a slogan. So we got practical. The first was our pilot project on back-up care. We contracted with an online service that allows you to access quality back-up care from a vetted pool of candidates. If your babysitter is sick, if the person caring for your elderly parents can’t come in that day, if you’re in need of assistance, the new pilot allowed you to find someone to fill in at a moment’s notice. We also tried to do more to support job shares and to make it easier for bureaus to create more job-share opportunities, which gives people more flexibility in their lives. Every survey shows how important this is to keep talent and attract the next generation of talent. That’s why we also created a new childcare center right next door to the Harry S. Truman building as part of the new Consular Affairs building.


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I was surprised I knew nothing about the things Kerry spoke of on life balance - either when he was a Senator or as Secretary of State. The article is a fascinating look at an incredible father and daughter.

[YvonneCa]

1. It was a great, dual...

...interview. Thanks, karynnj!

[MBS]

2. " " " " n/t