The Company of the Daughters of Charity welcomed Seraiah Romero and Maura Avington to be interns at the United Nations. Since fall 2018, they have been actively involved in attending conferences, interacting with various working groups and learning more about the role of the UN in world affairs.

This spring, they had the opportunity to meet with the Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago, H.E. Pennelope Beckles. It was a unique and enriching experience for both Seraiah and Maura to be able to chat about their interests in women and girls rights with Ambassador Beckles, who currently serves as the President and Chair of UN Women.

Seraiah Romero, H.E. Pennelope Beckles, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Maura Avington

This is how Seraiah and Maura described their experience:

“Meeting with the Ambassador was truly an inspiration to me! I am always really encouraged by women who take up leading roles, to represent not only their values, but that of their country. As a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, I felt very proud to be in the Mission office, and to experience public diplomacy at its finest. H.E. Pennelope Beckles displayed warmth, charisma, knowledge and excellence. She definitely represented the values of Trinidad and Tobago, and by extension the Caribbean.

What did I learn? I learnt that being a woman in politics/ diplomacy is not an easy job. Only 5% of the world’s leaders are women. It may take 5:00am mornings, and great courage to show everyone around you that as a woman, you can and you will. It takes a tight schedule, and being a strong connector of people. It takes ambition and a supportive team around you. Most importantly, I learnt that is it not impossible to be a woman in the field of politics/ diplomacy. We have great mentors to look up to, ad that alone serves as motivation for us to keep going.” –Seraiah Romero

“Meeting with Ambassador Beckles was such a valuable experience for myself and fellow intern Seraiah. Since Seraiah is from Trinidad and Tobago, it was really special to see her connect with such a prominent leader of her country. Ambassador Beckles had a lot of important advice for us as we start our careers and shared with us her political idols and guidance for our futures. I loved getting the chance to speak with her, and she was so warm and kind despite having an extremely busy schedule. This is definitely something I’ll treasure moving forward in my career!”- Maura Avington

We are thankful to the Ambassador, H.E. Pennelope Beckles and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago at the UN for this opportunity. We definitely continue to support women and girls everywhere.

April 10th, 2019 by Catherine Prendergast, DC