Interview with Gabriela Frías, from CNN en Español

Written by: Lorena Ayala-Ortiz

Program Intern, World Affairs Council of Atlanta
Recent Graduate, Georgia State University
Published: 12/19/2018

The morning of October 10, 2018, Gabriela Frías, business anchor at CNN en Español, was rushing to exit after the World Affairs Council’s “Latinas on the Rise” program, which she moderated. I only had a couple of minutes to interview her before she had to continue about her day, as there was a taxi already waiting for her. For a moment, I felt like a reporter as I had to walk and talk as I interviewed Frías, I was in her shoes now.

The first question I had for her arisen from the recent reporting of the United State’s 3.7% unemployment rate, the lowest since 1969, and that there was the creation of approximately 134,000 jobs within September. I questioned Ms.Frías on how she views the U.S.economy under the current administration and if she could foresee any dramatic changes to come in the next two years. She stated that “the stock market could tell the story. With the GDP numbers at 4.2% in growth, a solid growth, this administration can own to the fact that the tax cuts and other measures have helped increase confidence but also maintain and sustain growth.”

However, there’s a population in the U.S. that expresses their concern about the changes in diverse policy aspects that could potentially impact the economy of this country. The following question for Ms. Frías was if the consideration of these modifications, will the U.S still be seen as a country of great power regarding the economy and global influence? She believes that apart from the tension caused by these devised modifications, “the U.S. is still one of the bright spots in the world…[but] global influence is to be determined. It’s a leading economy, the largest in the world.”  This year it’s a success story for the United States as the stock market again tells us the story, though “it is not the best measure, because it moves up and down, but it is an evidence.”

We proceeded to discuss how she sees the relationship between Mexico and the United States with the new President-Elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who’s to begin his term December 1st. For this question, Ms. Frías had a more lengthy response that touched on factors such as the rhetoric used regarding the construction of the wall, whether Mexico will finance this construction, trading agreements like the revamped NAFTA, and immigration policy. What resonated with me the most was her statement that the relationship between these neighboring countries “is beyond two men.” These two countries have a “very important dynamic relationship whether it’s trade or it’s immigration.” Gabriela Frías, who’s an immigrant from Mexico, wishes to see an immigration reform that makes sense to both countries.

Furthermore, Ms.Frías is also a Hispanic woman, a woman who is living in a time where her birth country Mexico and the country in which she resides, are facing substantial women’s rights problems. In regards to this matter, she stated that there has to be an improvement, “it’s not about seeing it happen, but about making it happen,” she said in a firm tone.

So what is next for Gabriela Frías, what is her next challenge to accomplish? Well, there’s a possibility that she will write a book. That is if she has the time, and finds the time to carry out this task, because she has newborn, and is still finding it difficult to find the balance of life and work. She adds that our abuelas (grandmothers) had four to seven kids, so her having one doesn’t make achieving this balance impossible.

A Conversation with Ambassador Gordon Giffin

Written by: Cameron Geer

Program Intern, World Affairs Council of Atlanta
Student, Georgia State University
Published: 12/19/2018

Being an Atlanta native, I’m no stranger to the hustle and bustle of the downtown city life. For those unfamiliar with the terrain, it can be even harder to navigate the landscape when it is pouring buckets, the wind hitting your face, and it's absolutely freezing. So, the well heated interior of the SunTrust building housing Dentons law firm was a warm welcome. The 53 story ascension in the elevator allowed me some time to get my thoughts together before my interview with Ambassador Gordon Giffin.

A quick Google search will give you a glimpse of Ambassador Giffin’s impressive resume. He grew up in Canada for 17 years and moved to the United States to attend Duke University and later Emory Law School.  From 1975-1979, he was Legislative Director and Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator Sam Nunn in Washington, DC.  Truthfully, I was nervous. Unnecessarily so I soon found out. The ambassador immediately showed himself to be a kind man willing to share his professional knowledge. Less than a minute into the interview, I was teaching the ambassador to the internal search engine on his iPhone a useful feature he was previously unaware of.

Ambassador Gordon Giffin serves as the Global Vice Chair of Dentons. His practice is focused on international transactions and trade matters, government procurement, energy regulatory and policy matters, corporate governance and crisis counseling, federal and state regulatory matters and public policy. However, our conversation mainly focused on his career prior to Dentons as U.S. ambassador. As a Global Studies major with an interest in International Affairs being an ambassador was a position I considered working towards. Listening to someone who has done what I wish to do was an opportunity I did not want to miss.

With his childhood spent in Canada, studying French and Canadian history, and later spending his adult years in the Unites States, Ambassador Giffin’s life seemed tailored for a future position as an ambassador to Canada. However, his ambitions were not aimed in that direction at all. In fact, it wasn’t until after a brief trip to Canada with former President Bill Clinton had he ever seriously considered the position. On July 1, 1997 he was nominated by former President Clinton and confirmed on July 31. As Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, he managed U.S. interests in the world's largest bi-lateral trading relationship in the context of the North American Free Trade Agreement, as well as U.S. collaboration with Canada on global issues.

Ambassador Gordon Giffin agrees that hard work and persistence were necessary for his success. But he also attributes part of his accomplishments to a little luck. Through his professional relationship with former Senator Sam Nunn he was able to meet other high-profile individuals who helped project him forward in his careers.   

Through his experiences the importance of staying informed on global issues was something Ambassador Gordon Giffin valued. Living in a world where what’s happening within and outside of our borders influences how we interact with each other, for better or worse. In order to make informed decisions on an individual, local, national, and international level it is important to have accurate and current information. Working for a decentralized international law firm, the largest in the world, the importance of global awareness can’t be taken lightly. Although it is something, we all can benefit from ourselves as global citizens.

Ambassador Giffin’s passing advice: Pursue your ambitions and don’t let anyone talk you out of it.