By Meriem El Hilali, YES 2004-2005, Morocco, hosted by AYUSA in Brighton, CO

Through the YES program, at just 16 years old, I lived one of the most thoroughly life-shaping experiences possible. Going through the YES experience liberated me and allowed me to not only explore a new culture, but to also explore myself and shape my own personality. I grew into a strong woman, questioning the status quo and doing all I can to promote tolerance and mutual understanding. Over 10 years have now gone by since my study abroad experience in Brighton, Colorado, but I still attribute my current career in diplomacy and international affairs to the year I spent on the YES program. It sparked my desire to bridge Morocco to communities around the world, which has consequently turned into my career.

When I returned to Morocco after the program, the first project I did was create an "English Interest Club" in my business school in Settat, which is a small town where the use of English was almost nonexistant. Even now, ten years later, the club is still running and it continues to promote using English in academic and business fields through conferences, workshops, and language camps.

In addition to starting the English Interest Club, I also spent a lot of my time running the Moroccan YES Alumni Association, which connected over 100 YES alumni. As an association, we organized several national conferences, like the “Bridging Cultures, Bridging Economies, Exchanging Opportunities Conference,” which brought together Moroccan and American partners in the fields of cultural exchange, business, government, and academics to debate issues related to international cooperation and free trade. I also helped organize two conferences on social entrepreneurship and durable development, and organized social events for alumni to bond and exchange best practices.

While the YES alumni association was very influential in my leadership development, many other experiences also marked my pathway, like my participation in the international public speaking contest in London in 2008, where I gave a speech entitled “The Road to Reconciliation” at the U.S. Embassy in London. Interning at the U.S. Commercial Service in Casablanca was also very influential for me. I spent five months working there and facilitating U.S. business delegation visits to Morocco and producing communication materials for matching U.S. companies with potential local partners. Each one of these experiences got me more engrossed in the field of public relations and diplomacy, while also allowing me to utilize my background in business and community activism. 

In response to the 2011 uprisings, I cofounded a network that allowed young policy analysts to utilize the Mena Policy Hub, a platform dedicated to evidence-based policy analysis. The Hub held frequent meetings and training sessions in different countries that focused on policy making and the potential youth could bring to public governance and community management by developing evidence-based recommendations and scientifically argued policy briefs. 

I began working for the Moroccan Foreign Ministry in 2011, and in September 2015, I was appointed Vice Consul in charge of cooperation with the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France. The constitutional reforms Morocco made in 2011 helped the Kingdom of Morocco become the first African and Arab country to be granted the Partner for Democracy status with the Council for Europe. Now, my job consists of following up on Morocco's cooperation status with the Council of Europe (CoE) and the progress of Morocco's membership to some partial agreements and judicial instruments related to three main topics: democracy, rule of law and human rights. My mission is to assist Moroccan parliamentary delegations in their activities in the council and bridge different sectoral departements in Morocco with their counterparts in the European Union institutions, namely the Council of Europe bodies and the European Union Parliement.

The way Morocco is currently changing has fed my motivation to keep up with all I do, especially with regards to including educated youth in decision making processes, despite all the challenges a young lady endures to earn legitimacy among her peers. I chose the field of diplomacy to build and consolidate new ways of cooperation between Morocco and communities around the world. Ten years from now, who knows ... maybe I will be in a more senior position, hopefully in Washington DC or in New York at our permanent Mission to the U.N.