Jazmin Williamson

Jazmin Williamson was adopted from Haiti at six years old and was raised in Kerrville, Texas. She has a B.S. in Public Health from Schreiner University and an M.A. in Global Health from SIT University. Coming from Haiti at an early age motivated Jazmin to learn about health, poverty, and rebuilding after emergencies. Her exposure to a variety of humanitarian operations, from international law to refugee migration and health development, drove her interest in foreign service. As an undergraduate student, Jazmin received a Gilman Scholarship to study French, Global Health, and Sustainable Development in Switzerland. There, she examined the intersection of political affairs and population health outcomes after conducting comparative research in health, human rights, and international humanitarian law. In graduate school, she conducted comparative research in Kenya, India, and Jordan on topics like maternal and child health, nutrition, and infectious versus non-communicable diseases. After spending three months interning at the Jesuit Refugee Services in Amman, Jordan, Jazmin’s desire to work in the international development field spurred her to serve as the Global Health Localization Intern for USAID’s Office of Country Support. There, she functioned as the Haiti Country team coordinator and participated in an overseas assignment to lead mission health teams in Conakry, Guinea, in USAID localization best practices. Currently, Jazmin works as a Case Management Coordinator in Louisville, KY, where she works with Afghan refugees who survived combat trauma. She aims to pursue a degree in International Affairs with a concentration in development or humanitarian response. Jazmin is honored to be a 2024 Payne fellow and looks forward to serving as a Foreign Service Officer in either the health or humanitarian backstops.