Alumni Spotlight: Kate Leahy ’06
U.S. Consulate in Rio de Janeiro
Kate Leahy worked as a corporate immigration attorney after graduating from Notre Dame Law School, but the corporate environment and approach to the law “didn’t get me up in the morning,” she explained. “Private practice was not for me.”
Now, after nearly a year of training—including six months of intensive language training—Leahy is heading to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to serve as Vice Consul at the U.S. Consulate there. “I liked the idea of public service and of serving abroad,” says Leahy, whose father is a Naval officer. She applied for and was chosen to pursue the highly competitive “political officer” career track, one of five career tracks available to foreign service officers.
As Vice Consul, Leahy’s responsibility at the U.S. Consulate will be immigration law—determining such things as who can receive passports and who is eligible for citizenship. “I’ll be making legal adjudications every day that require a great deal of discretion.”
Leahy’s tour in Rio de Janeiro is a two-year commitment. She will then go to another country for two years before becoming eligible to work stateside for a maximum of five years in a row. “The lifestyle isn’t for everyone,” says Leahy. “It is a great way to make a difference, though, and because the State Department is rapidly expanding their diplomatic corps now, there are plenty of opportunities for lawyers—and non-lawyers—to begin a career in foreign service.”
