The News on Sunday (TNS): This is your third tour to Pakistan. What made you opt to come back? Out of the three cities that you have served in, Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore, which is your favourite?

Catherine Rodriguez (CR): Diplomats put a tremendous amount of effort into choosing where they would like to serve. I have returned to Pakistan again and again because this is a country with an interesting history, great culture and a strong relationship with the US. I have found myself, many times, amazed by how industrious and fascinating the people of Pakistan are. In many ways, I feel that Pakistan is in the process of social change, particularly regarding women’s empowerment. I hope to come back to Pakistan soon. There is still more to see and do.

TNS: What made you choose Foreign Service as a career?

CR: I am from an immigrant family; America gave refuge to my parents in the wake of political persecution. As Americans by choice, not by birth, being an American holds a special significance. I wanted to serve the country that took in my family and felt this is the best way to do it.

TNS: Which projects has the Consulate General spearheaded to contribute towards the empowerment of women through education? Did these projects include an aspect related to the increase in literacy rate amongst women?

CR: Democracy works best when there is a large, educated middle-class. The building blocks for a strong society include a great education, professional opportunities and social mobility. An educated society allows its members to make informed decisions, add to new discoveries and help advance the society. Women make up half the population of any country. Failing to educate women guarantees that the society will fall behind in its development, deprives it of the opportunity to fully educate children and keeps many families in poverty.

That is why I am so proud of one of the USAID’s higher-ed programmes, the Merit and Needs Based Scholarship Programme, which is implemented by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. The USAID partners with 10 universities in the Punjab to increase access to and improve the quality of education. Out of the 5,300 scholarships awarded countrywide, more than 2,100 have been awarded to students in the Punjab. Half of these scholarships are reserved for women. This is just one example, there are many more.

TNS: Being a woman in a very prestigious and high-ranking position, do you have any words of wisdom for young women when it comes to overcoming adversity and dismissiveness in the workplace?

CR: Follow your own dream, not one that has been designed for you by someone else. Good luck is not a random thing — it is created when preparation meets opportunity. Invest in yourself. The rate of technological change means you may have to reinvent yourself every five years with new skills and directions. People skills are always in demand. When you meet adversity and can’t seem to break through, it may be time to change employers or situations.

TNS: A number of your projects focus on promoting entrepreneurship. Has there been an upwards trend when it comes to female entrepreneurs?

CR: My parents ran a small business, and I spent my formative years working in every job within the organisation. To help kick it into high gear, I got an MBA. Although I changed my career later, I remain very interested in business. I have seen many more women ascend to positions in the C suite, such as CEO, COO and CFO. There is absolutely no reason why women cannot climb to the highest levels within their desired profession.

TNS: Have there been any particular projects over the course of your career that you especially want to mention to our readers as a proud achievement for US-Pak relations?

CR: Yes, in two areas: healthcare, which I will discuss in a moment, and cultural preservation.

In cultural preservation, I would turn to the Walled City and especially the Wazir Khan mosque. I could spend weeks visiting just these two spots. I am immensely proud of the restoration work done by our US Ambassador’s Cultural Fund over many, many years with Pakistani partners. Because America is made up almost entirely of immigrants and their descendants, we value and appreciate the preservation of cultural heritage around the world. There is no better place in Pakistan to appreciate your rich history and artistic beauty than at these historical sites in Lahore.

TNS: As someone with extensive knowledge when it comes to business and promotion of entrepreneurship, do you think are there any particular fields that young entrepreneurs need to excel in and focus on in the current economic climate?

CR: This is the million-dollar question because change is coming so fast to Pakistan. I think the difficulty in predicting what will be a good investment of your time and talent over the next five to ten years is hard, but not impossible to work out.

When you run with elephants, you need to be nimble. In other words, when you are competing in an arena with big companies, you need to find a niche and be able adapt quickly. Often, big companies have invested a lot of money in a particular technology that is disrupted by new methods. Areas that are ripe for development are businesses that take advantage of the shared economy. Look at Uber, Grub Hub and AirBnB. They found untapped resources and enabled them through new technology. Most entrepreneurs operate on shoestring budgets, so use of innovative approaches that combine with other businesses to get the most out of your resources. Find mentors and work to gain access to venture capital. Once you reach scale, offer your assistance to others who are just starting out.

For domestic sales of goods and services, Pakistan is going to avoid many of the long, slow development stages of other countries. I think of Amazon and other companies, and what that means for small producers. Covid-19 has really hit the restaurant industry hard, but those who adapted to a food delivery model or in-home catering have done extremely well. For export-focused industries, I would think about advanced logistics in business and the need for government-scale cooperation, and what that means about transparency in business dealings and cooperation. Investment dollars will flow to where there is trust.

TNS: Have any of your projects focused specifically on empowering women from marginalised communities? If so, have they resulted in a paradigm shift for those involved, going from marginalisation to self-sufficiency?

CR: Yes, we have a project called Transforming Lives run by the USAID and the Punjab Youth Workforce Development Project focused on Multan, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh and Lodhran. It provides skills-training to more than 10,000 youth, of which about half are women. Eighty-eight percent of participants have been successfully placed in better jobs that raised their income levels from Rs 3,000 to Rs 35,000 per month. This is great for employers, too, because they have more efficient businesses. Some inspiring stories can be found in the digital book Transforming 10,000 Lives.

TNS: We are currently facing a global challenge with the Covid-19 pandemic. What measures have the Consulate General and the US government taken to support the provincial authorities or the Government of Pakistan?

CR: The United States stands in solidarity with the people of Pakistan as we all recover from this devastating pandemic. On July 29, the United States donated a second tranche of 3 million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine to Pakistan, adding to the 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine delivered to Pakistan on July 2.

Covid-19 has also hit the United States and many other countries very hard. Nevertheless, since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have delivered $50 million in the form of vaccines, emergency medical supplies, training, and medical infrastructure to the people of Pakistan. At the same time, we have worked together to improve infection prevention and control, enhance patient care, expand laboratory testing, disease monitoring, and case tracking in all districts, and have given support to frontline healthcare workers.

We will continue to donate additional vaccine doses globally throughout the coming months, as supply becomes available, and work with US vaccine manufacturers to increase vaccine supply for the rest of the world. We will also work with partners to expand global vaccine production and manufacturing capacity to beat this pandemic and to prepare for, and respond to, future infectious disease threats.

TNS: Coming back to your time in Lahore, is there anything that you would specifically want to mention, that you like the best about this city?

CR: The people of Lahore have always made me feel welcome, and I wish only the best for the people here. As an American diplomat, it has been an immense privilege to get to know this city and to appreciate its fascinating complexity. I will want to return as soon as I leave, and I know I am not alone in feeling this way. What a great place!

TNS: Any message/ advice for young aspiring women entrepreneurs/professionals across Pakistan?

CR: About half of your life will be spent working – do something you enjoy. Follow your dream, not what someone else has planned for you. Don’t be afraid to fail. The greatest success is achieved not only through your effort but also the talent of the team that you surround yourself with. Scare yourself everyday by doing things out of your comfort zone. Be intellectually curious. Work hard and invest in yourself. Spend an hour a week building a network. Find mentors. Help others achieve success and that will pay dividends in your own life. Practice boldness.

The writer is a senior journalist, teacher of journalism, writer and researcher. He tweets at @BukhariMubasher