Jessie Skola - Security Officer, Vienna
After serving as a police officer in Vienna for ten years, I was seconded to Kosovo where I later applied to join UNDSS. On joining the Department in Vienna as a security officer, the opportunity immediately exposed me to new avenues such as dealing with diplomats and diverse cultures which was a dream come true for me. However, from a personal perspective, I was living separate lives.
Liliana Betancur - Security Coordination Officer, Juba
After studying Law and International Business, I became a lawyer, also gaining some experience in human resources in a public entity. As a result, I had no security involvement when I joined UNDSS – I discovered by chance that they were recruiting in my home city of Medellín, Colombia.
Tania Chalhoub - Field Security Coordination Officer, Syria
People may be surprised to learn that I graduated with a diploma as a Dental Technician, though I never worked in that field. Instead, I became a Security at the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon, before joining the United Nations in 2002. After spending five years with the UN in Lebanon, I joined the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. I was deployed to Liberia, Chad, and then Haiti directly after the earthquake, where I assisted in setting up a new office. I then realized that UNDSS gave me more scope for promotion and responsibility, so I joined in 2011 and was sent back to Chad.
Jaki Azmi - Deputy Chief Security Officer, Nairobi
After several years at a cadet college in Bangladesh, I became a commissioned army officer, rising to the rank of Major. My undergraduate was in Engineering, and I have a master’s in security management. Working as a military peacekeeper in Liberia in 2007 gave me my first exposure to Africa and the United Nations.
Jeroen Vandervelde - Field Security Associate, Belgium
After gaining my master’s degree in social work, I left my native Belgium to volunteer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where I was involved in educating and socializing street children. This gave me a real fascination with humanitarian and development work, so after a few years as a social worker back in Belgium, I decided to join the military. That might appear an odd decision, but my background as a social worker gave me an excellent grounding to operate as an Intelligence Officer.
Somorita Ibrahim - Security Operations Assistant, Bangladesh
My undergraduate and master’s degrees were in Electronics and Telecommunications, so I didn’t have the typical background to join UNDSS. My first role was in the radio room, where my IT and technical knowledge proved essential in coordinating communications across Bangladesh. I’m now using my IT knowledge differently: I’m responsible for producing identity cards for UN personnel and their dependents across the country.
Tanya Mohan - Security Information Analyst, New York
I got into this field right after my graduation due to my interest in the field of International Relations. I joined a think-tank of the Indian Defence Ministry in New Delhi before I undertook my Master’s degree. I then moved into the private sector, where I spent four years in risk intelligence and traveled and worked extensively around the world.