So often I talk with Latinas who are ready to make a pivot in their careers,

but they see it as a clear end and a clear beginning.

It's why I'm fascinated by the fluidity of Ambassador Julisa Renoso's

trajectory. From big law to the State Department to her first ambassadorship at just 36 years old,

back to a law firm, then to the White House as chief of staff to First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden,

and now is the U.S. ambassador to Spain. Jolisa has moved back and forth seamlessly through

worlds, which makes sense. She's been doing that since she was a seven-year-old kid who moved

from the Dominican Republic to the Bronx. Jolisa is an expert at learning unspoken rules.

Now she's using those skills in the service of this country at a time when the stakes could not be

higher. Talk about how showing up over and over changed the course of her professional life,

the big lesson she learned from Dr. Biden, and how a natural-born judge learns to be a diplomat. Julisa, thank you so much for doing this.

Thank you, Alicia, for invited me and having me be part of this dialogue.

You're born in the DR.

Your parents actually come to New York before you do, and then your mom petitions for you.

Correct, yes.

What is your earliest memory of the United States?

Well, technically being at the consulate in San Domingo, trying to get the visa to get to travel to the United States for the first time. I was, I think,

about six years old when I was sitting there, standing there, I guess. I grew up in a very

rural part of the Dominican Republic and the mountains. We did not have access to running water or

electricity. My first experience in school was in this village school where we were all in one

big room in irrespective of age. So, you know, it was very different in the Bronx. When I got there,

I was about seven. You know, the heart of urban life in America in the early 80s where you had a lot of

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