WEBVTT

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(Music and text on screen: Women of DHS
Karinda L. Washington, Executive Director, Social Impact and Campaigns)

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(Music and question on screen: What has been your experience as a woman in the national security space?)

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Being a woman in national security,

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you are a minority in a lot of spaces

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and places,

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particularly as we grow in our career ranks

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and being a member

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in a senior executive service

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now going into meetings and sometimes you're

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the only one, you're the only woman, you may be

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the only person of color,

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and being able to know that there are champions,

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that opened the door for me to be there.

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(Music and question on screen: What advice would you give other women looking to pursue a career in national security?)

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There's a role for you here.

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That authenticity

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that we hear about often times

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is like “be your authentic” self

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and we know that sometimes

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that there are places and spaces where we can't

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and we have to create a safe space

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for women and girls

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who are interested in national security

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to know that we're here.

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We are in these roles, and that they too

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have a unique special capability and experience.

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Their lived experiences

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coming into this, this organization

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and this agency, to make it a better agency.

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(Music and question on screen: Why is equity in the workplace important?)

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We are

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in position to affect policy.

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We're in position to create programs

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that will be in existence

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long after we're gone from this department.

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And I believe that being a woman

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in national security

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allows us to impact and effect change

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in ways that our male counterparts sometimes

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cannot.

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(Music and question on screen: How did you begin your career at DHS?)

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Last semester of graduate school

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and my professor and grad school advisor

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said, “You know,

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I really see you in Washington, D.C.,

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You should apply for a federal position.”

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And I said to her, “Where

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do you go to apply for a federal job?”

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And she led me to USA Jobs and just said, “Just

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see if anything looks good to you.”

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And there was a position external affairs

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specialist in our private sector

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office here at DHS headquarters.

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I applied for that position,

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not thinking I would hear anything back,

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but I did.

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And 13 years later, here I am.

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(Music and text on screen: Stay tuned for more from
our #WomenofDHS series)