CAREER SERVICES VISITING LECTURE Deputy Assistant Secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of Public Affairs, Lectures in the School of Business and the Department of Mass Communications On March 26, 2012 Cheryl Benton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the State Department‟s Bureau of Public Affairs came to Delaware State University to speak with students about possible job opportunities in the Department of State, Public Affairs Office. Before joining the Department of State, Benton accrued more than twenty years of political and public affairs experience and expertise. Her job at The Bureau of Public Affairs carries out the Secretary's mandate to help Americans and our foreign audiences understand the foreign policy priorities of President Barack Obama and the Secretary of State. She leads the Departments‟ strategic planning effort, including utilizing various assets within the State Department to connect with national and international media outlets. Benton talked about different endeavors and resources such as careerstate.gov where you can use interactive tools to explore your compatibility at it relates to various government jobs; learn about various career tracks within the Foreign Service; discover the roles played by the Foreign Service in world affairs; and see where you best fit in. One career path that she spoke highly of was becoming a Foreign Service Officer. This career path allows potential employees the option of travelling and engaging in different cultures. In the role of Foreign Services Officer, employees do public services oversee and learn a foreign language. She stated that if the students were passionate about public service and wants to represent the U.S. around the world this was an ideal career path. Senior, Michelle Rolsal stated that “with my graduation approaching in May I liked the fact that she gave us an abundance of job opportunities that we could possibly explore once we graduate”. Donnice Peterson
Cheryl Benton was invited to spend the day at DSU as a part of Career Services’ effort to connect students with seasoned professionals. Benton lectured to the PR Management and Campaigns Class and the Organizational Communications Class
Mass Communications Message Volume 5 April, 20113
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