A two-week trip to Kenya at the age of 15 opened Jennifer Smyser’s eyes to other cultures and a planted a seed for a career in international relations. Last month, Smyser was promoted to associate director of the Iowa Council for International Understanding, whose mission is to build cultural respect locally and around the world through individual relationships. Politics is also a passion of Smyser’s, and she has served on political committees on the local, state and national levels. Although many of her friends have moved to Washington, D.C., or overseas for work, Smyser finds working in her home state to be most gratifying.

What sparked your interest in other cultures?

Interestingly enough, I’ve had a passion for international things since I was about 15. I had a unique experience where I had asked my mom to enter a radio contest. I was more interested in the cash you could win. But the grand prize was a trip for two to Kenya. We won, and I went along with her, and that experience changed my life. As an Iowan, I can’t say that my interests would have gone that way if I hadn’t had that experience.

When you graduated from Ankeny High School, what kind of career did you imagine for yourself?

I went to Iowa State University thinking that I would like to continue my interest in other cultures, countries, people and languages. Also, at the time I graduated from high school, the (Berlin) Wall was falling. I kind of gained an interest in politics after graduating from high school as well and took a lot of classes in college covering current events.

What was your first job out of college?

I always had this pull in two directions, where I have an interest in politics and an interest in international affairs. I was trying to figure out how to make those two areas meld together, and I took a job working for the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics. It was in the early years of the center, and it was very, very interesting. But after spending a couple of years working at the university, I made a conscious decision to make politics something I do for fun and to try to make a career in international relations.

What is your political involvement today?

I’m currently on the executive committee for the 21st Century Forum, which is a group of young professional Democrats in Central Iowa. And throughout the years, I have served in non-partisan organizations such as the League of Women Voters at the national, state and local levels and local political efforts for campaigns or volunteering to support the effort.

When did you begin working for ICIU?

I started here in 1996 and worked here for about three years. Then I wanted to explore other options and expand my skill set, so I left here to work three years for Youth for Understanding, a high school international exchange program. I returned to ICIU in the summer of 2002 and have been here since then, for a total of about six years now.

What do you enjoy most about this type of work?

For me, it’s a combination of being able to have that constant access to topics and things that I’m interested in such as international affairs and other cultures, as well as helping other Iowans to learn a little bit more about their fellow citizens. There’s a concept of citizen diplomacy that I believe very highly in, that people-to-people relationships can have as much impact on the world as government-to-government relationships. That’s really what our work at ICIU is focused on, people-to-people relationships.

Has your work at ICIU affected your outlook on life?

I certainly try to keep myself in a frame of mind that is grateful and to always remember that my immediate life could be completely different if I had been born into different circumstances.

Does your job involve much traveling?

Typically, we don’t do a great deal of travel at ICIU, but this year has been an exception. I’ve been able to travel with two of our programs overseas this year, to Moldova as part of our Community Connections program, and to Kosovo as part of a new project called Building Peace in Kosovo.

Do you enjoy traveling?

I love to travel. I call it a bug that you can’t get rid of. Once you start, you want to go to more and more places. After high school, I was an exchange student to France for a summer, and I spent a semester in Mexico while studying at Iowa State. As part of my coursework for my master’s in public administration at Drake (University), I did a European comparative policy course that included travel to five countries.

What are some of your other interests?

Outside of traveling and my political activities, I like to read, and I serve on the Greater Des Moines Sister City Commission as a volunteer. I also teach an exercise class a few times a week, ChicoMetrics. It’s a non-aerobic form of deep muscle training.

Why is it so important to you to work in Iowa?

So many of my friends have gone off to D.C. or overseas, and for a while, they would ask when I was going to move. But I truly enjoy being able to be in Iowa and to work toward a goal of building cultural respect around the world. When I was younger, I didn’t have this same kind of appreciation for where I live. But today, coming home to Iowa is a lot more fun and a lot more appealing to me when I’m able to go and see some other part of the world and know that Iowa is where I’m going to go home to.