Carolina Diplomacy Fellow focuses on global career
During a semester in Washington, Camille Forbes studied foreign affairs and used her French skills to help refugees.
An Instagram ad helped Camille Forbes ’25 discover her passion for foreign affairs, humanitarian aid and international development when she was in high school in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Looking for ways to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic, Forbes stumbled upon Welcome Home CLT, a refugee aid organization in Charlotte. Later, at Carolina, Forbes volunteered at the Refugee Community Partnership in Carrboro.
“I don’t like being ignorant about what’s going on in the rest of the world or how it impacts people in our own communities,” she said. “I loved the work and being with the community there, and this love only grew when I got to UNC.”
Forbes, who is double-majoring in global studies and political science, is currently participating in Carolina’s Honors Seminar on Public Policy and Global Affairs in D.C., taking courses and completing a policy-focused internship. As an intern with the International Rescue Committee, Forbes works full days in the career development department. She uses the French she learned at Carolina to help refugees from francophone countries create their resumes, find jobs, prepare for interviews and transfer their academic degrees.
“I think there’s a knowledge gap for a lot of people in this country and a lot of college students in general,” she said. “That’s why I chose my majors and why I joined the Carolina Diplomacy Fellows program.”
In May, after only three years at Carolina, Forbes will be part of the first graduating cohort of Carolina Diplomacy Fellows. These students experience the Diplomacy Initiative in community, learning about global affairs, developing valuable skills for solving global problems, and preparing for global careers.
“Being a Carolina Diplomacy Fellow has really reminded me why it’s important to care about diplomacy,” Forbes said. “We benefit from learning about other cultures, other experiences, learning how other countries tackle problems, and I think that’s an interchangeable skill that everyone needs.”
Forbes is grateful for the Carolina Diplomacy Fellows certificate and the range of experiences the program offered.
“I think having the Carolina Diplomacy Fellow distinction … is 110% going to help me achieve my future goals,” she said. “The fellowship gives me credibility. It has pushed me to learn and try things I probably never would have on my own, and it has given me an incredible network of people to lean on.”
In 2024, Forbes participated in Washington Week, a critical component of the Diplomacy Initiative offered annually during spring break. Tar Heels explore a diverse range of careers in global affairs while meeting and networking with Carolina alumni in the capital.
This spring, Forbes attended the annual alumni networking reception and, she said, made a beeline for 2025 Washington Week students to exchange phone numbers.
“That is what excites me most about becoming an alum,” she said. “I know how scary it is to be a freshman or sophomore, afraid to ask questions and not knowing what you want to do, so I’m really excited to have a chance to give back to students the way that current alumni have given back to me.”
Forbes intends to take a gap year to prepare for law school, where she hopes to learn more about global affairs, and specifically, immigration and asylum laws around the world. She doesn’t know exactly where her future will lead, but she is confident that she will pursue a career in global affairs.
“It is a little bit of a scary time for upcoming graduates in my field right now,” Forbes said, “but American diplomacy is very resilient, and global affairs will continue to be an increasingly important field to work in.”
