The Foreign Service Journal, June 2010

30 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 1 0 U.S., Asha said: “Before I went to America, I did not un- derstand recycling. Seeing how clean the streets are in America, I now understand the importance of the com- munity working together to improve the environment.” Both girls pledged to try putting garbage cans around Rishikesh and to educate people to use them. Ripple Effects Consular officers are often the only face-to-face con- tact people outside the United States have with our gov- ernment or Americans generally. Over a hundred times a day, each officer must quickly make basic visa eligibility determinations. The U.S. has always welcomed visitors from overseas. However, during this time of heightened security concerns, screening visa applicants is more im- portant than ever. Yet beyond the individual visa decisions, the personal conduct of each consular officer dramatically influences how the U.S. is perceived by the foreign public overseas. Every interview is an opportunity to practice public diplo- macy, to demonstrate that the U.S. is a country governed by laws, and to model American values. It is an incredible feeling to receive a sincere “thank you” from a person whose visa has been rejected, but is nonetheless grateful to have been treated with dignity. Consular officers rarely see visa applicants once the in- terview is over. It is even rarer to witness the effect of an individual visa decision on the lives of the applicants and an entire community. During my stay in Rishikesh, I watched Asha and Parvati teach other children. I learned how their visit to the U.S. had changed their lives, and I met scores of children whose lives were also being changed for the better. How different would things have turned out had the Gujarati children received visas instead of Parvati and Asha? Whether it is looking into the big, innocent eyes of a 7-year-old aspiring chess champion, or learning how a trip to the United States changed the lives of two teenage girls and their peers, there can be no doubt: consular in- terviews matter! ■ F O C U S