U. S. ambassador visits Springfield's Fremont Elementary

(From Springfield Public Schools)

When Karen Williams was a kindergartner at Fremont Elementary School, her classroom was visited by an opera singer. The singer, dressed in an opulent costume, spoke about culture and the world she had seen in her travels.

That classroom guest speaker inspired Williams to see the world -- and she did.

Now Ambassador Williams, the Fremont, Reed and Hillcrest graduate serves the United States as its Ambassador to the Republic of Suriname. The country, located in northern South America, speaks Dutch -- one of six languages Williams has studied.

Her favorite language was one of the questions asked by Fremont Elementary third-, fourth- and fifth-graders on March 3. The small group of students, selected for being good citizens of Fremont Elementary, served as Classroom Ambassadors, taking their knowledge of what it means to be an U.S. Ambassador to their classmates.

“It’s really cool to be an Ambassador because you get to visit lots of people really cool places around the world,” said Madeline Hartman, a fourth-grader at Fremont. “You get to speak lots of languages and people drive you around.”

Students were able to observe and interact with a number of items from Ambassador Williams’ career in the U.S. Department of State. Ambassador Williams previously served in Bosnia, Paraguay, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and other locations, with various responsibilities and titles held in the State Department.

During her nearly 30 years working for the U.S., she would return home, bringing items and stories to her family in Springfield.

“I have so many fond memories of Fremont,” said Ambassador Williams. “I lived a block from here, on Fremont Street. This is the place where I was inspired to see the world. I had lived here all my life when I went to work as a diplomat, and Springfield is always going to be a home to me.”