Charting Her Own Course: Building the Right Skills to Thrive at Post

Melissa Dokurno's career has taken quite a few twists and turns since her spouse joined the Foreign Service, and even before he was officially on board. While they've both made sacrifices for each other's careers, they've kept their family strong even when physically separated.

In this interview, Melissa tells the story of their difficult decision to live in different countries to take advantage of career opportunities. She also shares her recipe for success: be open to what's available!
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BIO

Melissa Dokurno, Esq. is a career public servant and proud mom.  Over the past decade, she has strived to find the necessary work-life balance to both thrive as an EFM and build a career she is passionate about.

Melissa began her career as a local prosecutor in Long Island, NY, serving for 3 years to help victims find their voice in an often daunting criminal justice system.

Capitalizing on an opportunity to test-run EFM life, she and her 2-year-old daughter took a leap of faith to join her husband in El Salvador while he worked as a third-party contractor for U.S. Embassy San Salvador.

In life’s twists and turns, Melissa returned to Washington, D.C. to work as a Staff Attorney for Bread for the City Legal Clinic representing low-income and marginalized clients facing unlawful evictions; she served in that role until she departed Washington to officially begin her new life as an EFM.

Melissa has also lived in Matamoros, Mexico, and Bangkok, Thailand, and used these opportunities to pivot her career to become an Investigative Analyst for Diplomatic Security. 
Building on that wealth of knowledge, Melissa finally joined the Civil Service in 2024 where she continues to serve as an Analyst while her family is posted in D.C. for the next two years.

Melissa remains ready to discover new and enriching career opportunities while also enjoying where life takes her!
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AW Sponsor
This episode is sponsored by the Available Worldwide Network. AWN  is a community-led private social network – i.e. not on Facebook –  providing professional development, personal connection, and social support for the accompanying partners of the US Foreign Service.


We all contribute a small fee to fund the platform, but right now in October 2024, you can check us out for free using coupon code FALL24. 

If you’re a motivated EFM or MOH looking for connection in an empowering community, we invite you to join what we’re building together!

We know the challenges of trying to build and maintain careers both at home and abroad. But making friends in a safe and supportive community like AWN can make life a little easier and a lot more fun. 

Check out all the FAQs and find the coupon code FALL24 on our website: https://availableworldwide.net/awn/