Since the US military transtioned from a draft to an all-volunteer force in 1973, most Americans can go their entire lives without thinking too much about their fellow citizens who sign up to serve in uniform. In this episode of Big World, Kayla M. Williams, SIS/MA ‘08, the assistant secretary of the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the US Department of Veterans Affairs, joins us to discuss veterans affairs and advocacy.

Williams describes the work she did as an Arabic linguist in the US Army from 2000 to 2005 (2:08), where she deployed to in Iraq (3:05), and how her time in the military impacted her decision to pursue veterans advocacy (5:14). She also explains what veterans advocacy work entails (7:26) and how her master’s degree from SIS impacted her career path (9:56).

What kinds of unique hurdles do women in the military and women veterans face (16:17)? What are Williams’ duties in her current, politically appointed role, and what does she hope to accomplish as assistant secretary (21:01)? Williams answers these questions and gives her advice to SIS students hoping to pursue veterans advocacy and become leaders in that endeavor (24:28).

During our “Take Five” segment, Williams tells us five military policies that she thinks could benefit the rest of American society (13:09).