Like many soon-to-be high school graduates, Sasahara wanted to move away from home and explore new places. Originally from Newton, Massachusetts, a suburb outside of Boston, the Midwest held appeal because her mother was from Ohio and her grandmother was from Wisconsin. Like many 18-year-olds, she wasn\u2019t sure what she wanted to study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI talked to my high school guidance counselor who recommended occupational therapy. 51ÁÔÆæ and a college in Seattle popped up as possibilities. The acceptance to 51ÁÔÆæ came first so that\u2019s the university I picked,\u201d she recalled with a wry laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That quirk of timing, Sasahara said, turned into the best four years of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New Friends Help Forge Her Path<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis was my first time away from home. I didn\u2019t know anyone and took a bus from the airport to my dorm room on the 20th<\/sup> floor of Sandburg Hall North Tower,” Sasahara recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Engaging in campus life led Sasahara to circles of friends who influenced her decision to reset her career plans. Since she wasn\u2019t able to go home to the east coast often, she roamed campus where she met students from all over: Wisconsinites of course, but also students from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and South America. They bonded over the distance away from family, explored downtown \u2013 the discos were a particular favorite \u2013 and found themselves at their Wisconsin friends\u2019 homes for holidays. (Fun Fact: There was a disco called Cabaret on the second floor of the North Tower at Sandburg Hall.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n These diverse friendships and the breadth of courses she was taking changed her trajectory from occupational therapy to foreign policy and eventually public service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI had so many thought-provoking professors. I took courses in international politics, history of Africa, French and Russian language classes. … I studied Arabic and went abroad to Paris after having taken a high school field trip to Russia and Finland,\u201d said Sasahara. \u201cI just loved it all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her friends told her about the Foreign Service exam, the starting point to a Foreign Service career with the U.S. State Department. Although Sasahara didn\u2019t take the exam right away, instead moving to Washington D.C. to pursue a master\u2019s degree in Near East Studies at George Washington University, the seed was planted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n D.C. and Beyond<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Life in D.C. was full of politics, policy, and networking. She quickly became immersed in the city\u2019s unique political and government culture. She worked at a Middle East-focused think tank for a few years before taking the Foreign Service exam \u2013 and passing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sasahara\u2019s 35+ years of assignments have taken her all over the globe, but the Middle East has been the usual destination that has defined the focus of her career. She\u2019s been assigned to Saudi Arabia, London, Yemen, Beirut, Mexico City, Washington D.C., and Baghdad, to name a few, typically focusing on political affairs, military affairs, counterterrorism, or counter narcotics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sasahara\u2019s leadership led to her assignment as the Consul General in Jerusalem where she was the primary liaison for the State Department with the Palestinian Authority. She held the position of Charg\u00e9 d’Affaires in Jordan from 2019-2020, the top diplomatic position at the time in lieu of an ambassador. From 2020-2022, Sasahara was deputy assistant secretary of state for North Africa in the Bureau for Near Eastern Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From Appointment \u2026. to Ambassador<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Becoming an ambassador is typically a lengthy process, but in today\u2019s tumultuous legislative environment, it\u2019s hard to predict the timeline of the Senate confirmation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sasahara\u2019s process began in 2022, when a list of candidates for a particular country is narrowed down to a short list that is then forwarded to a committee of senior leaders of the State Department, who evaluate the candidates\u2019 qualifications. One name is then sent to the Presidential Personnel Office at the White House for further vetting and final consent, after which the White House announces the President\u2019s nominees. These presidential announcements also include Judicial candidates and heads of federal agencies and entities. They all must receive Senate confirmation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n President Biden first sent Sasahara\u2019s name to the Senate in August 2022. However, a confirmation hearing was not held by the end of the year, resulting in a re-nomination of dozens of nominees in January 2023, Sasahara included. The Senate Foreign Relations Near East Subcommittee held a hearing in March 2023 with a subsequent vote in favor of her nomination, leading to a full Senate confirmation vote in October 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy first reactions were both relief and happiness. You always hope for fast confirmation so there was relief that the process was over. Then there is happiness and recognition of the honor you\u2019ve been given to serve \u2018at the pleasure of the President\u2019,\u201d she said. For Sasahara, the confirmation also meant she and her husband would live and work on the same continent. Her husband, Michael Ratney, is the U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and has been there since early 2023. Said Sasahara, \u201cIt was nice to at least be in the same time zone again!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In her current role, Sasahara is effectively the CEO for the embassy in Kuwait. While the Deputy Chief of Mission manages the day-to-day operations at the embassy, the ambassador is the public face and voice of the U.S. government. Sasahara is committed to keeping existing relationships strong, building new governmental and business relationships, advocating for beneficial commercial activity between Kuwait and the U.S., and helping Americans in the country with anything they may need from their government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advice from an Ambassador<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sasahara treasures her time at 51ÁÔÆæ because it set her on a path to great career success through both its academics and diverse environment. She closed the interview with words of advice for current and future college students, regardless of what they choose to study: \u201cGo to university to be exposed to new ideas and new people. Be prepared to debate, listen, question, and think in new ways.\u201d This, she counsels, is the way to develop leadership skills, problem solving ability, good judgment, and listening and interpersonal skills \u2013 qualities held by successful leaders in all fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And for those students who are interested in a life of public service, particularly foreign policy, she encourages them to worry less about which specific major to pick and instead focus on learning through experience, whether that\u2019s through participating in study abroad, the Peace Corps, military service, or overseas internships. The Foreign Service ranks include people from all types of backgrounds \u2013 accountants, language specialists, teachers, engineers, graphic designers, lawyers, forestry specialists, filmmakers, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Foreign Service is a way of life, and public service is more than just a job. They\u2019re contributions to your country, to fellow Americans, with professional satisfaction and amazing personal adventures and experiences,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2024\/08\/Sasahara-profile.webp\")
![\"Five](\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2024\/08\/Sasahara-with-crowd-300x201.webp\")