October 24, 2023, 12:00 p.m. EDT
Seth Adam is no stranger to career moves. After getting his degree in Theatre Studies, he spent time working at GLAAD before becoming a US Foreign Service Officer. He talks to Hunter about lessons he’s learned along the way including finding work you love, learning from your mistakes, and using your voice for good. Recorded on September 2, 2023.
Transcript: Season 7, Episode 1
Seth Adam
Speaker 1:
What does it mean to make it big? Well, it depends on who you ask, and we did welcome to Making it Big in 30 minutes, a podcast for, by and about the Emerson community. You're about to meet an Emersonian who's making it, making a living, making a difference, and sometimes making it up as they go. As far as we are concerned, if you are making something, you've made it, big time. We know you'll enjoy hearing our host, Hunter Reis, from the class of 2017, and all of our guests share how Emerson shaped their lives and careers after graduation. So let's get into it.
Hunter Reis:
Seth Adam's career path is certainly unique, even for an Emersonian. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in theater studies and took his creative abilities to the nonprofit world where he championed for LGBTQ rights with GLAAD. Seth watched the world change during his time at GLAAD, namely, because of the Marriage Equality Act. Now Seth represents queer Americans and all Americans as a foreign service officer for the US Department of State. Before shipping off to Brazil in early 2024, Seth stopped by Making it Big to discuss making a positive impact with your career and how he still uses the skills he learned in his acting classes. This is Seth Adam in, Making it as a Diplomat.
Well, thank you, Seth, for joining us today on Making it Big. I'm really excited to have you here.
Seth Adam:
Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me.
Hunter Reis:
So let's just start off. Without giving away any big government secrets, can you just tell us a little bit about what a foreign service officer does?
Seth Adam:
Sure. I have no government secrets to give away unfortunately, and I should say before we get started that I am speaking in my personal capacity and not on behalf of the Foreign Service, the State Department or the US government, but the Foreign Service, as I mentioned, is part of the State Department. So I am a foreign service officer, which means I work for the State Department and foreign service officers are the folks that work in embassies and consulates around the world. So we are the representatives of America and we work to champion American values like freedom, democracy, and human rights. And we also serve as the administrators and managers of America's diplomatic relationships abroad.
Hunter Reis:
Amazing. Are you coming to us from your home right now or somewhere abroad?
Seth Adam:
I am. I'm in DC actually. So I'm currently in training preparing for a post in Brazil where I'll be serving in the consular section.
Hunter Reis:
Oh wow. So cool. I'm Portuguese actually, so that kind of comes a little close to home for me, as I'm sure a lot of people in Massachusetts where we both went to school are.
Seth Adam:
Yeah, and I'm currently in Portuguese class, so maybe you can give me some tips.
Hunter Reis:
It is been a while for me, I have to say, but yeah, maybe. Very cool. So this is a fairly new role for you, huh? You're still in training for... Is this going to be your first assignment coming up?
Seth Adam:
Yeah, this is my first assignment. So I joined the Foreign Service in April of this year and I just completed what's called A-100, which is orientation for new foreign service officers. So that was six weeks. At the end you find out which country you're going to be posted in and I, as I said, will be going to Brazil. And so now I'm currently in training for that post. So I will leave the states in February of 2024 and then I'll be in Brazil for two years and I'm in training until that time.
Hunter Reis:
Wow. Wow. Can you talk a little bit about your path to becoming a foreign service agent? I know you've had sort of a regular career path, especially for someone at Emerson.
Seth Adam:
Yeah, so I graduated Emerson in 2008. I was a theater studies major with an acting emphasis, and then I went into the nonprofit sector actually. So I started my career at GLAAD, the LGBTQ organization where I started as an entry level professional and then I slowly climbed my way to the top and I was there for eight years. And when I left I was the vice president of communications, so I was a part of the senior executive leadership team. And then I moved on after GLAAD to an agency where I was continuing my work in PR and communications and I oversaw accounts for nonprofits mostly in the LGBTQ space. And I also worked in the entertainment sector, so I represented accounts like Variety Magazine, for example.
Hunter Reis:
That's cool. That's really cool. I'm really interested about your experience at GLAAD. You were there for quite a while, shortly after you graduated from Emerson, right?
Seth Adam:
It was right after I graduated from Emerson. Yeah. So I graduated Emerson on 2008 and then I moved to New York City and I started the job with GLAAD in April, 2009, and I was there for eight years. But as you might remember, and your listeners I'm sure might remember, the LGBTQ equality landscape was much different in 2008. So when I went to GLAAD, marriage equality was only legal in a handful of states, anti-LGBTQ laws were still very much on the books, laws like DOMA and Don't Ask, Don't Tell. So I was at GLAAD at a time of immense change in this country for LGBTQ people and I got to have a small hand in that change, which was incredibly rewarding.
Hunter Reis:
I bet. I remember I was in my junior year at Emerson, well, in 2015 while they made that decision. Can you talk a little bit about that and your small part in that and just what happened?
Seth Adam:
Sure. So GLAAD is the LGBTQ organization that oversees representation of LGBTQ people primarily in the media but also in the news. So I was the head of comms at GLAAD, so I was in charge of sharing GLAAD's work with the public at large and also working with media outlets to make sure that they were covering LGBTQ people and issues fairly and accurately. So you mentioned the marriage equality victory for example, one of which came in 2013, another came in 2015 and I got to be on the ground at the Supreme Court as those victories were announced, helping media outlets from around the world covering the story, connect with LGBTQ people and couples and sharing their stories of love and commitment with people around the world so that they could better understand what this victory meant for these couples and the community at large.
Hunter Reis:
That must've been such a rewarding experience just to be there during that.
Seth Adam:
It was absolutely incredible. I have the chills just talking about it with you now.
Hunter Reis:
Gosh. Yeah, I mean, I remember where I was. I was in my small little bathroom in my first apartment ever in Boston where I got this 2015 era push notification or something that the Marriage Equality Bill had been passed and I had just come out myself two years before that. So that's something that I'll always remember.
Seth Adam:
Absolutely.
Hunter Reis:
One of the first victories. But like you mentioned, there were a lot of victories for the queer community during your time at GLAAD from 2009 to 2017, how do you think that the national perception of GLAAD changed over the time while you were there?
Seth Adam:
Well, I'd like to think that people became more aware of GLAAD's work largely, and part of because of what I was doing in my role. Again, I was in charge of raising GLAAD's visibility to the public at large and amplifying our work in the media and then of course also working with media outlets directly on their own coverage. But I know during my time, for example, we grew our social media presence significantly and we raised the profile of the executive director who's still there today, Sarah Kate Ellis. We grew her profile significantly. And GLAAD is and was at that time one of the leading LGBTQ organizations in the country. And I'm proud to say that when I left it was stronger than ever and I'm very happy to see it continue to thrive today.
Hunter Reis:
Absolutely. And the work that they're doing today still is incredible and changing the country for the better.
Seth Adam:
Yeah, absolutely.
Hunter Reis:
So a lot of our listeners are just graduating or maybe have just graduated and since GLAAD was your first job out of college, can you talk a little bit about how you got into this role?
Seth Adam:
So I actually started in a fellowship role. So the fellowship program at GLAAD at that time offered new graduates the opportunity to work in a part-time capacity at the organization and to really get to know what it means to be an advocate, what it means to be a nonprofit professional, and really get your feet wet in that space. And so I started, like I said, in that fellowship program and I was quite successful and I had the opportunity then after a year to move into a full-time role, and that was an entry-level position at the manager level.
And then I climbed my way up, as I mentioned, to the role of vice president. And I think that that was in large part due to not only my own commitment to the work that they were doing, but because I loved doing that work so much, it wasn't like going to work every day for me. I loved doing that work, I thrived doing that work because of the passion that I put into it and I was very grateful and remain very grateful to have found my first job in something that I really loved to do. And for anyone listening, I would encourage them to really find something that they love to do that doesn't feel like you're waking up and going to a regular job, but it really is something that you're doing that you can put your heart into every day. I always heard people talk about the Sunday scaries. That was never something that I really encountered during my time at GLAAD. I always loved going to work because again, it didn't really feel like work. I felt like I was doing something I loved.
Hunter Reis:
That's amazing. That must be a difficult line to balance, especially in your first few years when you're trying to get your footing and still wanted to do something that you feel fulfilled doing.
Seth Adam:
Absolutely.
Hunter Reis:
Were there difficulties that you ran into, especially in the first few years post graduation?
Seth Adam:
Yeah, I, so I graduated in 2008, so the entire economy collapsed that year. So entering the job market at that time was a huge challenge, an enormous challenge. No one was hiring and of course as anyone who has student loans will know, right after you graduate, the debt collectors come calling. So I had the obligation of paying back my student loans while trying to find a job in a market that was not great for job seekers. So I was again, very, very lucky to find this role that not only paid me, but that was something that I loved doing. And so that was a huge challenge.
And I would say for anyone who might be facing challenges out there with regards to their first role, that the Emerson Alumni Network and counting on folks who came before you and those who are your peers, I think is a great resource. So for example, in every role that I've ever held professionally, I've always met someone who went to Emerson or has a strong connection with Emerson. One of my closest friends at GLAAD who's still there today, he's the head of their digital advocacy, his name is Brendan and he's an Emerson graduate. So we are everywhere. So I think if you are looking for a new opportunity, lean into that alumni network, I think there are going to be a lot of opportunities there.
Hunter Reis:
Absolutely. I've hopped around quite a few jobs since I graduated in 2016 myself and every single role there has been somebody who's been to Emerson, which is always so comforting and just something that you can connect with right away. It's a good conversation, a good way to meet your coworkers if they went to Emerson 'cause you know that they're always willing to have that conversation or get a drink or get a coffee with you after work.
Seth Adam:
Exactly. There's immediate comradery with that person, even if you don't know them well, the moment that I'll say, "Oh, I went to Emerson too," it's like we've been friends for a long time. And I just recently saw that the alumni magazine had profiled another foreign service officer whom I didn't even know was in the foreign service. So I am going to be connecting with him as well, and I look forward to that.
Hunter Reis:
Oh, that's amazing. Yeah. Even if you don't know them personally, it's a good way to connect with people who are in your field and just kind of that's an instant connection too, whether it's digital or in person or in Brazil maybe.
Seth Adam:
Yeah. Absolutely.
Hunter Reis:
Like I just mentioned, I've worked at a couple different media companies since I graduated, and I'm curious with your media relations past at GLAAD, without giving any names or anything, is there any difficult conversations that you've had to have with the brand to say, this is not the way that we should be positioning this. This is how the community wants to be referenced or anything like that?
Seth Adam:
Absolutely. I think in the corporate landscape, especially over the past several years, there's been a big shift with more and more companies wanting to be inclusive of LGBTQ people at every level, not only within their own workforce, but also more forward facing within their marketing. And we've seen examples lately where that's become quite controversial, but I have found that companies oftentimes have the right idea and the right heart behind their intentions, but sometimes don't know how to go about executing the right way.
So for example, with representation, what are the images of LGBTQ people that they're putting forward? Oftentimes when I was at GLAAD, LGBTQ people were only represented in the L and the G and never the BT and other folks within our community, and it was oftentimes white gay men that were represented. And of course now we see much more representation of trans folks and non-binary folks, which is excellent. But there's still a long way to go. And I think that any corporation that really wants to make LGBTQ people a part of their marketing efforts, they have to come about it in a really strong and smart way and make sure that the people who are coming up with these ads and the creative, that those are LGBTQ people as well, and really involve LGBTQ people in every part of the process, not just the final product.
Hunter Reis:
It's all about the action items. You can talk the talk, but you need to walk the walk as well. I heard this acronym from the speaker, Jess Weiner, who, it's SFSN, which stands for Sounds Fabulous, Signifies Nothing. And it's just kind of these brands, whether they are news orgs or big media companies or what have you, that like to say that they do all of these things, but they're not actually taking any actions to get queer or LGBT people in C-level offices or things like that. And I think that's the next step.
Seth Adam:
Absolutely. I love that term. And it's very similar to the term rainbow washing, which you'll see every June. Oftentimes companies will change their logo to a rainbow color and wash their hands and say, "Well, we've done it." And that's really... I appreciate that they want to signify their support, but it has to be so much bigger and so much more than just turning your logo rainbow. And those are conversations that I had quite a bit with various companies, and I would say more often than not, they were open to the advice and the encouragement that we provided, and they really did want to do the right thing at all levels.
Hunter Reis:
Good. I mean, that's reassuring to hear. Is there a project that you've worked on, whether it's at GLAAD or anywhere else that you've worked since graduating that would really impress your college age self?
Seth Adam:
Oh my gosh, yeah. I mean, I think looking back now, if I could speak to my college self and sort of share a little bit of what I've been doing since graduating, I think I would've been very impressed by the fact that I have made an impact in the world. And I say that with humility, and I in no way mean to suggest that these victories were only my own. I was a very small part in many of these victories, but to be part of LGBTQ progress in even a small way is something I'm very proud of. And it's something that I think little Seth would've also been very proud of, proud to know that I would continue on doing something I love and making an impact and hopefully helping other people along the way.
Hunter Reis:
And as we both know, the queer community at Emerson is so strong and so big. Did your time there at all influence what you did after graduation?
Seth Adam:
Oh, a million percent. A million percent. So when I was at Emerson, it was when Governor Romney was in office in Massachusetts. Massachusetts, of course at that time was one of the few states with marriage equality, but I remember that was controversial at the time, which is crazy to think about now. But there were protests against marriage equality, efforts to repeal marriage equality within Massachusetts. And I was of course on the opposite end, fighting back really hard. I was a part of EAGLE. I'm not sure if the LGBTQ resource group on campus has changed its name, but at the time it was called EAGLE. And that is definitely something that is carried with me to today in my LGBTQ advocacy.
But then I also got to be part of Emerson's castle program, for example, and I got to spend a semester in the castle and exploring parts of Europe, which really planted the seed of my love to travel and see the world and make an international impact, which I continue on in my role today in the Foreign Service. So my time at Emerson has been formative to every job that I've done, whether it was at GLAAD, my role after that where I worked even more in the entertainment space, like at Variety Magazine, for example. Of course, I don't need to share with anyone here about Emerson's impact in the entertainment industry, but even now, today, like I said, with my job at the State Department, Emerson played a role in all of those things.
Hunter Reis:
I'm sure. Can you talk more about your time at the castle specifically? Do you have any memories that stand out as formative to you?
Seth Adam:
Oh my gosh. Yeah, so the castle was my second time that I'd ever been abroad. I had taken a trip to France with my high school French class, but it wasn't until I was back at Emerson and at the castle that I really got to really immerse myself in international abroad experience. Living abroad is much different than going to France or Paris for a week or two. So just experiencing culture at a different level, living as part of a community. Anyone who's been to the castle knows it's part of a very small little village called Well. And being part of that community who was so welcoming and learning about the Netherlands and the Dutch people, it was just a really formative experience. It sparked a curiosity in me to explore more parts of the world. And of course in the castle program allows you to spend long weekends seeing different countries, and again, just really immersing yourself in cultures in a way that I had never been able to do before. And that is something that I've continued to do and I've loved doing ever since the castle.
Hunter Reis:
And you studied theater studies, right? That was your major?
Seth Adam:
Yeah. With an acting-
Hunter Reis:
That's amazing.
Seth Adam:
Yeah.
Hunter Reis:
Wow. Can you talk about how maybe some things that you learned in your acting classes you still use today in your career?
Seth Adam:
That's funny I get that question sometimes about, "Oh, you're a diplomat. How is it that you were a theater major? That sounds crazy that you've made that leap," but really the heart of theater was storytelling. And still today in my role, I continue to do storytelling. It's the heart of the work that I do as a diplomat. It's the heart of the work that I did at GLAAD when I was telling stories from the LGBTQ community and everything I've done since in the communications field has always been about storytelling. So they really do go hand in hand.
Hunter Reis:
I feel like storytelling specifically is the crux of all the majors at Emerson. I studied journalism and I kind of say the same thing where no matter what my role is, it's all about telling a story, whether that's marketing or whatever it might be, it's all about kind of finding that angle and telling that story.
Seth Adam:
Yeah, I couldn't disagree more.
Hunter Reis:
And I'm sure, especially in... I remember being at Emerson and my friends who were acting majors, they would do the movement classes and all these things that I was so jealous and wish that I could also take. Just teaching you to take a step back and breathe and be in tune with your body. I feel like those are skills that really you could use forever.
Seth Adam:
Absolutely. They're skills that I continue to use each and every day. And it's funny that you mentioned the movement class because yes, that is a class that I took and it is still something I use every day. And being just aware of your body as sort of your instrument as they say, I think is very helpful in making sure that I'm constantly respecting my body and making sure that I'm aware of my space. That's been another important lesson for me that came out of that movement class is just knowing your place and the space that you're taking in any given environment, it goes a long way.
Hunter Reis:
Is there something that specifically in your acting curriculum that you did not learn at school but you wish that you did?
Seth Adam:
How to do my taxes? I think that's, that's really kind of it. Like I said, I count my experience at Emerson to be one of the greatest choices I've ever made, and I'm so grateful that I was able to experience my time there. And I honestly, in all roles that I've held professionally, I feel like Emerson has been an important part to my success in each of those roles. And I'm so glad and so grateful that I got to go there and that I get to be with you here today talking about it.
Hunter Reis:
Yeah, absolutely. And we laugh, but that's so real about learning your taxes. Just this past year, I started freelancing for the first time ever. I've only really had a traditional nine to five since I graduated, but now this year coming up, I have to learn how to do taxes all over again because I'm doing... I think that you're very valid.
Seth Adam:
You're so right. I'm only half joking.
Hunter Reis:
Is there a mistake that you are glad that you made maybe throughout your career or especially in the first few years?
Seth Adam:
That's a great question. I think that learning to make mistakes and learn from them was something that was hard for me to learn. I'm a bit of a type A perfectionist kind of person, and especially in my early days at GLAAD, anytime I would make any kind of mistake, whether it were small or large, I took it really hard and I was very hard on myself. So I think that just learning how to deal with mistakes and treat mistakes more as an opportunity rather than something that can deplete your self-esteem or your self-worth, and really take it as a time to learn from that mistake that you've made. It's something I wish I'd learned sooner, and it's something that I try to carry with me today because I think we're all going to be making mistakes along the road at any given time. And so if you can just harness those mistakes into something positive moving forward, I think that's something that I wish I had known earlier on.
Hunter Reis:
That's really important advice. I feel like everybody obviously is going to make mistakes in their job and their life, and for people who might not have a lot of job experience, they might not know that that's okay, and that especially that their bosses know that people make mistakes and that's okay. Sure, maybe not every boss is going to be that nice about it, which that should be a different conversation kind of looking if it's worth taking that job. But nine times out of 10, your boss knows that you're going to make a mistake at some point. I remember when I was fresh out of school, I would maybe try to sweep some of those under the rug or be like, oh, I don't know what happened. This wasn't my fault, essentially. But it's okay if it is. Most of us are not doctors or saving lives here, so if something happens, it's okay, and it's a way to learn and get better for next time.
Seth Adam:
And I will say, anytime that I've been a manager and had a team of others reporting to me, I've always respected those people who can come to me and own up to mistakes way more than anyone who might be afraid to acknowledge a mistake, or certainly anyone who tries to hide a mistake. I think being straightforward and clear about I've done something that I'm going to change, I think that is a strong trait for anyone in any role.
Hunter Reis:
And shows that you're willing to grow and learn still after college, which I think is extremely important.
Seth Adam:
Exactly.
Hunter Reis:
Is there something that you do maybe when you're feeling burnt out or you're losing momentum, what do you do to reinspire yourself?
Seth Adam:
Oh, wow. Well, I think I have a superficial answer to this one.
Hunter Reis:
Love that. Let's hear it.
Seth Adam:
I love trash television. Literally right before this, I was watching the New Real Housewives of New York.
Hunter Reis:
So good, so good. We'll have to talk about it later.
Seth Adam:
I'm really, really loving. I resisted for a while because I liked the old cast, but I'm loving the new one as well. But that is because I had a hard week, Portuguese where all day, every day, and sometimes you just walk away feeling like, "Oh my God, I'm never going to understand this language." So I indulge in trash television, I must admit.
Hunter Reis:
That's beautiful. You need to put the Portuguese subtitles on For Real Housewives in New York that'll help.
Seth Adam:
Oh no.
Hunter Reis:
Or honestly, shout out to my hometown, you should go to Fall River, Massachusetts and just envelop yourself in the culture because there's a large Portuguese community there, and they would all love to help you.
Seth Adam:
Oh, great. Okay. That's a good advice. I might take you up on that.
Hunter Reis:
So you've switched careers a couple times now, but if you had to switch again right now, what would you do? Maybe something just totally different.
Seth Adam:
I'm a big foodie, so I think that I would love to own a restaurant and or bar. So I watched The Bear recently, which I'm not sure if you or your listeners are familiar with, but it's the story of a restaurateur and that really interests me. It's an impossible field. There are very few restaurateurs who succeed, but it's something that fascinates me and I think that I would really, really love to do perhaps after my time at the State Department.
Hunter Reis:
Already planning ahead. But you've got two years set in Brazil, so after that it's like you have to learn all the cooking you can in Brazil too, and open a Brazilian place.
Seth Adam:
Yes, exactly. Yeah.
Hunter Reis:
What's something that you would go back and tell your college age self? Do you have advice for climbing that corporate ladder? You were at GLAAD for seven years and you had quite a few promotions during your time there. Was there maybe a character trait or something that made you stand out?
Seth Adam:
I think that something that I've always held close is to just be myself. And I say that because along the way, there were a lot of folks telling me to be this way or that way, or you'll succeed faster if you do X, or you should be doing Y if you want to get ahead. And now I am the person being asked the question. But I think that the most important thing for me was to do it in my own way and to really do it in a way that felt right for me.
I'm very proud that I never, ever succeeded at anyone else's expense. That is something that I committed to myself that I would never, ever do right from the get go, that I was never going to throw someone else under the bus so that I could get ahead or anything like that. And I think being in PR and communications, there's oftentimes where you can play dirty. And that's also something that I've never ever done. I'm never the one calling a media outlet, telling on someone else, trying to get ahead, whether it's a competitor or if it's just playing the game. It's not something I'm interested in. It's not something that I will ever do. And I like to think that that was a part of my success because I was always very true to myself and my values, and I didn't listen to the noise, so to speak.
Hunter Reis:
And someone with strong ethics like you working in the State Department is amazing. That's exactly what you want to hear from our officials.
Kind of moving on actually. So how did you get involved in the State Department? Is it as easy as going on LinkedIn and hitting auto apply? Or what does that look like?
Seth Adam:
The Foreign Service is an extremely competitive job in my opinion. Yeah. So it's something I had my eye on for a long time, and it's something that took me a long time to finally cross the finish line. So it starts with a test. It's called the Foreign Service Officer Test, and that is a multiple choice plus essay exam. And then that is just the first part of a very lengthy process that includes other exams, several essays, security process. There's a process called suitability, which sort of assesses you as a person and the choices that you've made, and are they a match for the State Department? So the whole thing takes about a year. If everything goes right from the time that you take the Foreign Service Officer Test to when you're offered a job is about a year. But that again, is if everything goes right. So for me, it took about seven tries.
You can only try once per year, so that's about seven years in all. I didn't start taking it seriously, like really, this is what I'm going to do until about four or five years ago. But yeah, there were several times where I didn't make it all the way through, and I just kept on trying. And I think that that is true to many of my colleagues as well, that it's not everyone makes it through on their first try, but it is well worth it. Now being on this side, I can say that it is everything that I hoped it would be and way more so if anyone's interested, I would encourage them to look into it at careers.state.gov is where they can sort of get started. And there are also fellowship programs that can help anyone who might need an extra helping hand. It's especially open to folks from underserved communities and women and anyone who might need some financial resources to help them out in the process. Those resources are available.
Hunter Reis:
It's amazing. That's incredible how much resilience you must have to be able to do that for such a long amount of time and keep applying. And I think resiliency is really something that is not learned entirely, but it really helps going to Emerson to have some resiliency because you constantly are getting those, "No, we're going with somebody else," or, "No, we're doing this." That must've been helpful. Was there something that you did besides Reality TV to get you through those seven years of applying and keep you wanting to come back for more?
Seth Adam:
Well, I was very fortunate in that when I was a applying, I had other gigs that I loved doing. And so this was a long-term goal that I've now achieved. But I was always happy doing the other things along the way as well. But I will say you brought up how important resilience is for folks at Emerson, and I think that that could not be more true, especially for folks in the creative community. Once I graduated, saw many of my colleagues go on to be enormously successful, many of whom are in the entertainment industry, and so you can really see their success literally on the big screen. And so that was always encouraging to me to see folks who really went after what they love to do and made it however long it may have taken. And so just knowing if my peers, my friends can be doing that, then so can I. So that was always very helpful.
Hunter Reis:
Yeah, absolutely. And now look at us. We're interviewing you on Making it Big, not them. I don't know who you're referring to. Maybe we couldn't get them at this point, but...
Seth Adam:
I'll tell you afterwards and maybe I can help.
Hunter Reis:
Great. Yeah, that would be awesome. I guess, what does training look like as a foreign service agent? You have what, six more months of it? Is that what you said?
Seth Adam:
Yeah. So it's different for everyone. So I will be working in the consular section at the consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil. So right now I'm in Portuguese, so I take six months of Portuguese so I can interact with folks in Brazil. And then I will be doing what's called CONGEN, which is basically general training for consular officers. And that is anything from how to adjudicate a visa to how to help Americans who might need assistance when they're abroad and just general things like that. And then I will be off to post in February. And so yeah, it's a long training process, but I mean, what other job do you get paid to learn another language and then be shipped off to a post around the world every few years and then do America's business? I mean, it just couldn't be better.
Hunter Reis:
Yeah. Yeah, I agree. And especially being paid to learn a language, that's amazing.
Seth Adam:
Yeah, it's incredible. It really is the dream. It's what I always hoped my life would look like. And here we are. So it's kind of, even today, it still seems unreal.
Hunter Reis:
I love to hear that. And that's what you want to hear from everyone who graduates Emerson, right?
Seth Adam:
Absolutely. For sure.
Hunter Reis:
Cool. Well, if I'm ever in Brazil and need some help, I will know to give you a call.
Seth Adam:
I'll be guy that answers the phone. Yes.
Hunter Reis:
Kind of going right into that, what does it mean for you to make it, and how will when you get there?
Seth Adam:
I think making it for me, and this is going to sound incredibly corny, but I mean it, is knowing that I had a positive impact in other people's lives at some point. Again, however small my role in that positive impact might've been, I'm in no way taking credit for things, but I can look back at the things that I've done and the roles I've had over my professional career and say that I'm proud to have done things that I think created good in the world. And so that's what making it big is for me.
Hunter Reis:
And it seems like you've accomplished that through and through.
Seth Adam:
Thank you. Here's hoping.
Hunter Reis:
Has your definition of making it changed over the years?
Seth Adam:
Absolutely. Yeah. I think there was a younger me who saw making it big as having your name up in lights or making a ton of money or any number of those things. And I think that it can be both. And I think your name can be up in lights and you can make a lot of money, and you also need to, I think, do something that is going to make a positive impact. So I am proud that at least I have the positive impact under my belt.
Hunter Reis:
Absolutely. And it seems like it's just begun.
Seth Adam:
We'll see. I'll keep you posted.
Hunter Reis:
And thank you again, Seth, for joining us. This has been a great conversation. I did not expect to talk to anybody in a governmental role this podcast run, so I'm very happy we get to have this chat.
Seth Adam:
Oh, thanks so much for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:
Making It Big in 30 Minutes is brought to you by the Office of Alumni Engagement and was created in partnership with Alum, Terri Trespicio. Our executive producer is Rebecca Glucklich and Lilly Meehan-Egan from the class of 2023 is our producer and editor. Additional editing and mixing was done by current graduate student, Trinity Hodges. Stay connected with the alumni community by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and joining the Emerson Alumni Group on LinkedIn. You can also find upcoming events, benefits and more by visiting emerson.edu/alumni.
