Text: Alexa Wandersee and Martina Hošková; Photo: Archive
H.E. Ms. Ayesha Patricia Rekhi, Ambassador of Canada and Kristina Němcová
“How does it feel?”“What do they really do?”“Would I love doing it?”
Young women interested in diplomatic work ask themselves similar questions, as attempting to enter the political sphere can be difficult and intimidating to navigate at times. Fortunately, the Embassies of the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States annually hold the Ambassador for a Day program—a joint initiative for young, aspirational women in the Czech Republic—to answer some of these questions. This is what the one-day ambassadorship experience looked like for Kristina Němcová this year.
A great opportunity for a small-town girl
“Nobody in my family has ever had this opportunity…I’m just a girl from a small town,” Kristina Němcová, winner for the Canadian Embassy, revealed.
The Ambassador for a Day program is a competition entered via essay with the chance of being chosen to fill the assigned Ambassador’s shoes for a day. The day is complete with insightful conversations, shadowing opportunities, and celebratory spirits regarding freedom, democracy, foreign affairs, and women’s roles in them, according to the Embassies.
Meeting influential women face to face
Kristina Němcová, a journalist who admires the work of H.E. Ambassador Ayesha Rehik, was keen to jump at the opportunity to work with her, and expressed immense gratitude to have been selected by the Canadian Embassy, as Ambassador Rehik has long been a role model for her.
“I follow Mrs. Rehik because I really like her agenda. She’s interested in minorities and LGBTQ rights, and she also helped my friend and colleague, a female journalist, with her project for women in media,” Němcová stated.
During her day as Ambassador, Němcová took part in various meetings and events, with the opportunity to converse with several ambassadors, and also observe the real-life tasks at hand for an Ambassador. These opportunities not only gave insight into the daily work and responsibilities Ambassadors have, but also led to revelations about the reality of the people behind the titles. Němcová described finding considerable respect for Speaker of Parliament Mrs. Markéta Pekarová Adamová after their discussion, despite their differing political views, stating that “she’s just a person, just a woman; and as a woman in this high position, she’s not in an easy situation.”
The three winners had the opportunity to have lunch with Mrs. Danuše Nerudová, a presidential candidate and the closest a woman has ever come to becoming head of state in the recent 2023 elections. The meal was paired with insightful conversations on women in politics.
A meeting with representatives of the Manushe (Slovo21) organization following the inspirational lunch was another highlight of the day, according to Němcová. Manushe (Slovo21) is an organization dedicated to promoting the rights and interests of Roma in the Czech Republic. The Ambassadors-for-a-day later attended a dance battle at the Khamoro Roma festival.
The result? Revived ambitions and feelings of gratefulness
The day concluded with a reception at the British Embassy, in which women from various fields – including politics, activism, and journalism – came together to celebrate feminism, and to facilitate meaningful discussion on empowerment and inclusion in the workforce.
“I felt like I belonged there. I didn’t have impostor syndrome… I already said it, but I am the first person in my family who graduated with a university degree. This feeling of coming from a small town is still here. But in this situation, I just feel like my work matters,” said Němcová while reflecting on the entire experience.
The program opened up the eyes of the three winners to a world of politics, female empowerment, and various career pathways and opportunities, all via hands-on experiences and networking. Němcová is personally still interested in pursuing her career in journalism; however, the Ambassador for a Day program did spark new interests, and added new fuel to the flames of previous ones, giving her a revived sense of ambition.
“I would love being a journalist working for an embassy… and I think that the biggest part is that I met really interesting people, and the interesting people met me,” said Němcová on the largest takeaways from the program.
As the three Ambassadors-for-a-day continue their individual pursuits, they now have the experience of a lifetime, including contacts, informative discussions, and learning tools to aid them in their future careers.
“I’m so grateful. It was really interesting for me, and I will never stop being grateful for this opportunity,” Němcová stated.