The Foreign Service Journal, December 2021

36 DECEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL As the first lockdown lifted, Ms. Jager organized an award ceremony to recognize the efforts of the ACSA staff. Ambassador Kenneth Juster used the occasion to personally thank her and the staff for “keeping ACSA open and the morale of our community afloat” despite unprecedented challenges. Shortly thereafter, as racial equality movements spread across the U.S., Ms. Jager felt moved to consider how the commis- sary could better serve its diverse customers. She launched the “Commissary Inclusivity Initiative,” which evaluated inventory patterns and stocked the commissary with hair and skin care products for persons of color that were not locally available and impossible to ship to post. “I reached out to another EFMwho was a woman of color because I wanted to get it right. We then started our inclusivity initiative to make sure that everyone at the mission was repre- sented in the products we stocked and the events we held. This is one of the things I ammost proud of accomplishing during my time at post.” The success of the program quickly spread to the ACSA branch at the U.S. consulate in Mumbai. Beyond simply expand- ing product availability, the initiative represented a concerted effort to listen to often-marginalized members of the community and advocate for their needs. Ms. Jager showed her dedication to the community in myriad other ways, offering guidance to parents at the American Embassy School, creating social media community groups and personally delivering groceries every day to dozens of incoming families in quarantine. She tells the Journal that she feels truly honored to have been chosen for this recognition, and wishes to dedicate the award to “so many other amazing EFMs out there who stepped up during this crisis, rolled up their sleeves and went to work to help their communities. This is what it is to be a part of the State Depart- ment: working together. I am so grateful to be a member of this community.” Amanda Jager currently lives in London with her husband, a consular officer, and their two young sons. Avis Bohlen Award for a Foreign Service Family Member Ivana Lawrence Engaging Cairo Expat Families in a Season of Distancing D uring 2020, the worsening pandemic brought new apprehensions to families residing overseas. For American families transition- ing to Egypt, as well as the entire Maadi Cairo community of school-aged children and their parents, Ivana Lawrence provided crucial support and reassur- ance in the midst of uncertainty. Throughout her four years in Cairo, Ms. Lawrence chose to be actively involved with the Cairo American College, the school where a majority of U.S. expatriate children enroll. Because of her consistent support for CAC’s many initiatives, Ms. Lawrence was chosen to serve as president of the parent teacher organiza- tion (PTO) for the 2020-2021 school year. What was remarkable The “Commissary Inclusivity Initiative” represented a concerted effort to listen to often-marginalized members of the community and advocate for their needs. Ivana Lawrence.