My work at the embassy is grounded in my academic understanding of the United States

“I have always had an interest in the United States. I hold a bachelor’s degree in History as well as a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in American Studies, and this has given me a broad political, historical, and cultural understanding of the country. I use that understanding every day in my work at the U.S. Embassy.

Today, I work as an ACS Supervisor in the consular section. This means that I am responsible for the American Citizens Services team, which works with U.S. citizens in Denmark. We assist with passport renewals, birth and death registrations, and emergency passports. In addition, we handle more complex cases – for example, Americans who are arrested, admitted to psychiatric care, involved in legal proceedings, or who find themselves without funds and in need of assistance to return to the United States.

A large part of the work involves collaboration. We are in regular contact with Danish authorities, the police, prisons, and the healthcare system, and we also work outside Copenhagen. The embassy’s responsibilities extend beyond Denmark to include Greenland and the Faroe Islands, so we travel around the country to build networks that are crucial if a crisis situation arises. This can range from accidents to larger-scale incidents.

As a supervisor, I also have management responsibilities. I am relatively new in the role and am responsible for a small team, working among other things with planning and assessing employees’ tasks. The position involves a different kind of responsibility than my previous roles and requires navigating a job where you represent the embassy while also having day-to-day responsibility for your staff’s work.

My path into the embassy went through an internship. During my master’s programme, I completed a full-time internship at the embassy, and that proved decisive. Without the internship, I would not have the job I have today. It gave me tools that my studies alone could not provide.

What motivates me in my work today is the core task: helping people. I feel that I am doing something meaningful. When we help an American move forward in a difficult situation, it makes a difference – even if we cannot solve everything. That is the part of the job that drives me.”